Ghent University from Melis
About accommodation, does the university have any dorms for students or do students have to find accommodation on their own? If the university has the accommodation opportunity for students, is it easy to get into the dorms? If the student has to find on his/her own, is there any easy way to search it such as site, application or anything else.
School has dorms, but I stayed at a studio apartment. Dorms are easy to get in, but the start&end dates are very strict so if you want to come earlier than the school or want to stay longer than the school, you have to move to another place. I googled "kot at Gent" and used the websites which offer apartments for students.
For students, in order to have no problem while they are going to university, which places would you recommend them to find room?
Ghent is a small city and the campuses/courses are all around the city. So, it doesn't really matter.
According to classes in Koç University, do you think the university you went was harder or not? How many courses you recommend them to take to prevent any difficulty?
Koç: 8/10 UGent: 5/10
No attendence required and there are no midterms, only finals.
Do you think the campus utilities were satisfied? Why?
You only use the school for classes. School has a sports hall also a library, but I always used the city instead of the campus. To hang out and meet with people, you use the city also.
As a student who live in the city that the university is located, how is the life around the city?
There are big grocery shops available all around the city. At night, there are small shops called "nachtwinkel" (nightshops). It is a student city so the night life is good. Life is neither cheap nor expensive. It depends on the way you spend your money. Eating outside is expensive. School has a cafeteria and the food is at a good price and they have a lot of options.
What do you think about students clubs? Did you join any of them? Which one is your favorite?
They have a unique tradition about student clubs and it is unlikely that an Erasmus student can join them. However, there are slots for different types of sports when you can just show up and play with the people who are also there.
Could you tell us about the cafes and dining centers in the university? Did you find any Turkish Restaurant next to the university or in the city?
Turkish districts are big and they are close to the city center. I was only using them at the national holidays or sundays since the Belgian ones were closed on these days. Cafeteria is cheap for the UGent students when you show your id card.
How was the library? Is it easy to find a spot in average day or in the exam week? What kind of utilities has the library? If anyone wants somewhere except the library, what woulf you recommend them?
A new library was built in Ghent. The campus also has one. There is no problem about finding a spot but unfortunately, they are not open on Sundays and they are only open until 19.00 in other days.
Does the university have any spor clubs? What kind of sports are famous and fun to play in the university? Is there any swimming pool?
They don't have a gym, but they have fields from badminton to basketball. They have zumba, yoga etc classes. They also have a swimming pool. It is approximately 2euros/hour for each session of any kind of sport.
If anyone wants to play instrument, could they find any place easily? Is there any instruments that are taught during the semester?
I have no information.
For the courses, do we need to buy books or is it any cheaper way to get it?
The classes use powerpoint slides usually. Books are optional for those who do not attend the classes and/or need an extra resource.
Is there any health clinics in the university? What can students in case of emergency or injury?
School has a cheap option for UGent students called "student doctors" where the doctors are the newly graduates. I always went there and I was satisfied with the service.
Is there any bank automat in the campus? What does a student do if they wanna have bank account? Does it necessary? Do locals in the university area mostly use credit card or cash? Is it necessary to bring some cash with us?
It is possible to open a Belgian account. I can suggest "Teb". It is important to have cash because not everywhere is accepting credit cards.
During the Visa application, do you have any recommendations or something that is not easily found online that you may share with other students to help them out in this long process? Which parts do students need to focus on?
It is important to apply early. Gathering the documents take time and effort.
