From the University Agenda

Important criterion in preference: University infrastructures

With the start of university preferences, prospective students entered an exciting process. Explaining what should be considered in terms of choosing the right university and department for them in this process that affects their future, Istanbul Gelisim University Rector Prof. Dr. Bahri Şahin stated: " The education and research infrastructures of universities and the competence of academic staff are very important. When choosing universities and departments, they should definitely pay attention to these issues, check out the websites of universities and question these competencies."

The last stage, the preference period, started with the announcement of the results in the YKS (Higher Education Exam) process, where millions of students worked for at least a year. Referring to the criteria to be considered in university preferences, Istanbul Gelisim University Rector Prof. Dr. Bahri Şahin advised candidates to pay attention to the fact that that department is accredited by international organizations when choosing their departments. Suggesting that the education and research infrastructure of the university to be preferred and the academic staff competence should be researched well in university elections, Prof. Dr. Bahri Şahin also pointed out candidates create their preference lists based on their success rankings.

Noting that success ranking is important in university and department preferences, Prof. Dr. Şahin added the following: "Although the scores vary according to the difficulty level of the questions over the years, there is not much change in the rankings. Therefore, it is the ranking that reflects the performance of the student. Make your selections by looking at the ranking and quota in the previous period."

"University infrastructures are important criteria in preference"

Stating that university infrastructures are very important for a good education, Şahin said, "When choosing a university, they should consider education, research and social infrastructure opportunities. In addition, they should investigate the qualification of academic staff in terms of quantity and quality. Adequate information on these issues is available on the websites of universities. In particular, they should take into account the academic and scientific performance of the university and its national and international achievements."

“Accreditation is a must for your diploma to have international value”

Stating that the accreditation of the departments to be selected by international organizations is one of the most important criteria, Prof. Dr. Şahin: "Regardless of which department the candidates choose, it is important that that department is accredited by international organizations. Thus, the diploma to be obtained has international value. Currently, our university has the highest number of departments accredited by international organizations and we rank first in the accreditation ranking in Turkey. Our 65 departments are internationally accredited now. ”

“Our aim is to reach 1 million international students”

Referring to the issue of international students in Turkey, Şahin: "The number of international students coming to Turkey is around 300 thousand. However, Turkey's target is 1 million five years from now. Universities need to make an effort in this regard. As a university, it is among our primary goals to contribute to the internationalization goal of our country. Our university is in the top third in Turkey in terms of the number of foreign students. We have around 6,000 international students coming to our university from 110 countries, including the USA. 20 percent of our total number of students are international students. Our school has achieved a good performance in this regard."

"Make a choice by looking at the quality of education and research of universities"

Suggesting that candidates should also evaluate foundation universities, Prof. Dr. Şahin, "There is no difference between foundation universities and state universities. Foundation universities are not private universities. These universities have to spend all their income on the university. The revenues obtained are spent on the development of the university's education, research and social facilities. Foundation universities have to offer scholarships to a certain number of students. Therefore, candidates should choose the universities they will choose based on the quality criteria of the universities I mentioned, not on the basis of the fee."

Prof. Dr. Şahin  warned parents not to put pressure on their children during the preference period. "Parents naturally want their children to go to the best schools and the best departments. At this point, my advice to them is to be calm in this process. They should get help from preference experts and respect their opinions. They should not direct their children to the professions they have created in their own minds, and take into account the abilities of the student in this regard. Most students who do not choose the department they want, drop out. Unfortunately, we put our children in a race starting from secondary education. Rather than children, parents try to satisfy themselves. At this point, my advice to our parents is not to put pressure on their children."