Turkey, Istanbul – Summer/Fall/Year 2010-2011 IAP PROGRAM HANDBOOK The Istanbul, Turkey program is offered by International Academic Programs (IAP) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in conjunction with Bogazici University. This IAP Program Handbook supplements handbooks or materials you receive from Bogazici University as well as the IAP Study Abroad Handbook and provides you with the most up-to-date information and advice available at the time of printing. Changes may occur before your departure or while you are abroad. Questions about your program abroad (housing options, facilities abroad, etc.) as well as questions relating to your relationship with your host university or academics (e.g. course credit and equivalents, registration deadlines, etc.) should be directed to IAP at UW-Madison. This program handbook contains the following information: TURKEY, ISTANBUL – SUMMER/FALL/YEAR 2010-2011 IAP PROGRAM HANDBOOK .......................................... 1 CONTACT INFORMATION ............................................................................................................................... 2 ON-SITE PROGRAM INFORMATION ................................................................................................................................. 2 UW-MADISON INFORMATION ....................................................................................................................................... 2 EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION ............................................................................................................................. 2 U.S. EMBASSY REGISTRATION ........................................................................................................................................ 2 PROGRAM DATES .......................................................................................................................................... 3 PREPARATION BEFORE LEAVING .................................................................................................................... 3 IMMIGRATION DOCUMENTS .......................................................................................................................................... 3 HANDLING MONEY ABROAD ......................................................................................................................................... 4 PACKING .................................................................................................................................................................... 5 TRAVEL AND ARRIVAL .................................................................................................................................... 6 THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM ............................................................................................................................. 7 BOGAZICI UNIVERSITY ................................................................................................................................................... 7 THE EXCHANGE PROGRAM ............................................................................................................................................ 8 COURSE INFORMATION ................................................................................................................................................. 8 CREDITS ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 PASS/FAIL/DROP/AUDIT .............................................................................................................................................. 9 GRADES AND GRADE CONVERSIONS ................................................................................................................................ 9 LIVING ABROAD............................................................................................................................................. 9 TURKEY ................................................................................................................................................................... 9 ISTANBUL ................................................................................................................................................................. 10 HOUSING ................................................................................................................................................................. 10 STUDENT LIFE ........................................................................................................................................................... 12 TRANSPORTATION ..................................................................................................................................................... 12 SAFETY .................................................................................................................................................................... 12 HEALTH ................................................................................................................................................................... 13 COMMUNICATION ..................................................................................................................................................... 14 1 Contact Information ON-SITE PROGRAM INFORMATION Your primary contact at the University of Aarhus will be: Taner Bilgic, Coordinator of International Relations Office of International Relations Bebek 34342 Istanbul Turkey Tel: +90 212 359 7421 +90 212 359 7078 Fax: +90-212-265 3248 Email: [email protected] http://www.intl.boun.edu.tr/ UW-MADISON INFORMATION International Academic Programs (IAP) University of Wisconsin-Madison 250 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive Madison, WI 53706 Tel: 608-265-6329, Fax: 608-262-6998 Web: www.studyabroad.wisc.edu Kate Hamoonga IAP Study Abroad Advisor (608) 265 6296 [email protected] EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION In case of an emergency, call the main IAP number (608) 265 6329 between 7:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday; after-hours or on weekends call the IAP staff on call at (608) 516 9440. U.S. EMBASSY REGISTRATION All program participants who are U.S. citizens must register at the U.S. Embassy before departure as this will help in case of a lost passport or other mishap. You can register on-line at https://travelregistration.state.gov. If you are not a U.S. citizen, register at your home country’s embassy or consulate. U.S. Embassy in Istanbul Kaplıcalar Mevkii SokakNo.2 İstinye 34460 2 Istanbul Turkey Phone: (90) 212 335 9000 http://turkey.usembassy.gov/ Program Dates Summer 2010 June 24 Orientation June 25 First day of Classes August 5 Last day of Classes August 6-9 Final Exams Academic Year 2010 – 11 September 17 Orientation September 22 Day for all students to meet with their advisors September 27 Classes begin for the 1st semester of 2010-2011 December 31 Last Day of courses January 2011 Final Exams, this has not been announced yet. **Spring calendar has not yet been released, but the semester will most likely end around June 10. Preparation before Leaving IMMIGRATION DOCUMENTS Passport: A passport is needed to travel to Turkey and to obtain your residence permit. Apply immediately for a passport if you do not already have one. Passport information and application forms can be found on the U.S. State Department website http://travel.state.gov/passport/. If you already have your passport, make sure it will be valid for at least 6 months beyond the length of your stay abroad. Student Visa: Please see the following website for information on how to apply for your student visa, including downloadable forms. Consular Services at the Turkish Embassy in Washington, DC: http://www.washington.emb.mfa.gov.tr/ConsularServices.aspx?ID=6 and scroll down until you see section 3 on Education Visas) 3 You will find that one of the requirements is a letter of acceptance given by the school in Turkey. Bogazici will mail this to you before the start of the program. Please start the application process as soon as you receive this letter. As part of your visa application, the Turkish Embassy will require you to submit your actual passport. You cannot submit a photocopy of your passport in lieu of the original. The visa must be put in your passport by a consular official and cannot be mailed separately to you. When downloading the visa application it’s best to type in your answers and then print out the form. Below are answers to frequently asked visa application questions. Please refer to these responses if you have any questions completing the form. Profession: Student. Business Address: Leave blank. Approximate date of your entry to Turkey (dd/mm/yy): Put the program start date here, unless you know that you will be arriving in Turkey early. How long do you intend to stay in Turkey? Six months for semester students or nine months for academic year students. What kind of visa do you require? Single entry. Please photocopy all documents for your records (including the front page of your passport that has your photograph) before submitting them to the consulate. It is always best to make sure that you have a copy of everything just in case the unexpected occurs. There are five Turkish Consulates in the U.S. (Washington, D.C.; Houston, TX; Los Angeles, CA; New York, NY; and Chicago, IL) and each one has jurisdiction for different states. For example, if your permanent address is in