Hi everyone I’m considering studying in Turkey and wanted to ask honestly about social life and university culture.

I’m a Jordanian Arab girl and I do wear the hijab, but I’m very open-minded. I dress casually (jeans, blouses, sometimes some hair shows), and I’m comfortable being around people with very different views. I have gay friends, atheist friends, and I’m used to mixed environments and open discussions.

I’m mainly wondering:

Would I realistically face discrimination or social isolation at university because I’m Arab or hijabi?

Are students generally open to befriending someone like me, or do people tend to keep distance?

Is rudeness or passive discrimination something common, or more of an exception?

  • parent

  • First of all, you are mosr welcome to Türkiye. Historically and traditionally, we are very famous for the hospitality. Regarding your questions, I graduated from the college more than a decade ago so please take my advice with a grain of salt.

    I don’t think you will face discrimination just because you are Arab. Many universities have foreign students, including the one I graduated from. Hijabi is worn widely in Türkiye, though you may feel some distancining, but definitely not discrimination in secular places.

    Many people tend to go to college with their friends, so it will probably be difficult for you to make new friends. You are most likely to befriend with other fellow foreign students or with those who came alone. My suggestion is, try to make friends in the first few weeks upon enrolling.

    parent

    Thank you for the advice

    parent root

  • Turks tend to befriend Turks or other Turkish speakers, purely to avoid speaking English, not a race thing. Racism in university, as far as i observe, gets limited to male-to-male relationships in most of the cases.

    parent