StudyingMedicineInTurkey.com

Residency:

People, who plan to study at a University in Turkey or elsewhere abroad, will face the issue of needing a residency. This can be done online through the following link (link: https://e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr/Ikamet/Basvuru/IlkBasvuru) or on-site. The documents you require can be viewed on the following link (link: https://iso.metu.edu.tr/en/residence-permit) and are most of the time similar all around the world, composing of a valid passport, Health insurance, and a consisting address. A renewal is required every year, which is simpler to acquire after a successful first residency application. This link (link: https://e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr/Ikamet/BasvuruFormuOrnegi/BasvuruFormuBos?tur=5) contains the pdf version of the application form. It makes sense to have a detailed look at this to know, which documents you need or already have. For logical reasons, you will not need to prove your residency before getting accepted at any university in Turkey. Still, you will need a visa before arriving, if Turkey does demand a visa for the country you are from.

If you can activate or validate your existing health insurance in your home country for Turkey, you will not require to apply for any private or governmental health insurance in Turkey.

Health System:

There is a well-developed health system found in Turkey, consisting primarily of state hospitals, followed by various private hospitals and clinics as well as family offices. Nearly every city in Turkey contains a relatively big state hospital, which is also the major contact point for patients of every type of complaint. Different to countries like Germany with a much more organized and ranked-health institution structure, where patients at first have to be seen by a family doctor, who further transfers them to another specialized clinic or hospital. Another difference between Germany or other central European countries and Turkey is the prevalence of private hospitals, which are highly known for the more personal approach and their "qualitative" or let us say more filtered team of employees.

People and Society:

It is not right to judge a whole country and its people based on your personal experiences with a bunch of people in a limited amount of time. But, it can provide an initial impression. As many tourists who visited Turkey can tell, Turkish people are known for their warm-hearted and hostile mentality. Besides these impressions, I want to tell more about my personal and other foreigners' experiences. There are so-called “scammers” found in many highly active touristic regions like Istanbul or Antalya. They try to sell you things you probably do not need for a higher price than usual. My best trip to handle these people is by avoiding starting any conversation. There are subjects I do not prefer talking about in Turkey. One of the subjects is politics. Other foreign students will probably agree with my opinion. It is not due to their political view, rather it is their attitude to take many things more personal than other people, especially when discussing domestic issues. International relations are most of the time in the “green” zone. They are interested in international politics and own a solid knowledge of actual as well as past events. When Turkey is involved in these topics, it can get impulsive sometimes. As I mentioned before, try to avoid interfering in internal politics. There are people you can talk with and people you should avoid talking with. It is not new that politics is a field with an unmanageable potential for harsh discussions. Additionally to my low interest in politics, I do not prefer discovering the limits for anyone’s calmness.