Master in Europe – Florence
This morning we stumbled upon an article by chance. Albert Ellis, one of the founders of cognitive therapies; ‘When setting a goal for yourself, think not that it will necessarily happen, but that it should happen, but that it would be nice! Because focusing on a goal and thinking that that goal “must come true” will only bring you unnecessary tension and negative mood.. Due to the structure in the universe; Highly desired events and things are much less likely to happen than having only fanciful events and things.. So the more, the more obsessively you want something, the harder it is to have or achieve it.. That’s the rule.’. Besides, when you reach the determined goal, you feel pure happiness, not a feeling of relief like ‘you have overcome a burden, we have overcome the hardship’. ‘s point of view really appealed to us and while we were making earrings in our ears, we put it here too, maybe it will be useful for you in the future
We were saying yes Interview. As you know, we have set our minds on getting you a master’s degree! Based on the e-mails and comments we received over time, we decided that it would be better to talk about other European countries, not always about Germany.. But, so we only lived in Germany!? At this point, our friends rushed in and we started an interview series with our friends who live and study abroad.
Beliz Oral is our first guest on the site.. Beliz moved to Florence in January this year. Although he is actually an architect, he is doing a master’s degree in “Graphic Design” in Florence.. We talked with Beliz about graduate school in Italy, life and all kinds of things we can think of.
Let’s not go further, Beliz has already told everything!
Here you go;
Y: How did you decide to apply for Master’s? Can you tell us a little about yourself?
B: I studied architecture at Yıldız Technical University and I can say that doing a master’s degree was something that was always on my mind.. I was very hesitant to go as soon as I graduated from university and everyone I tried to get an opinion gave a different advice.. Some say, “Go now, you’ll be lazy after you start work.” said, others, “It is unreasonable to pursue a Master’s without work experience.” said. As a result, I decided to gain work experience by listening to myself and frankly, I am very happy with this decision.
To go into a little detail, in the last year of school, the thought of being an architect was not as exciting as it used to be and question marks began to appear in my mind about my future.. Even in such uncertainty, I moved away from the idea of doing a master’s degree in architecture.. As soon as I graduated, I went to an office and started working, and during my work I realized that I definitely do not want to do architecture.. The process that I resigned from the office and spent at home (which I can say was a great chance to resign and spend time at home because I live with my family) was very enlightening for me to get to know myself and my skills. I enjoyed a. Because I enjoyed it, my clients were also satisfied with me. Finally, I decided to get a proper education in graphic design and applied for a master’s degree in this field.
Y: Do you have any difficulties during the application process? And why Florence?
B: The biggest challenge I had during the application process was choosing the department and school that was right for me among the many options.. Due to Turkey’s education system, we, as students, make our undergraduate education choice somewhat unconsciously, with the mindset of “Wherever my score is enough”, but I think that graduate education is a voluntary education and one should do this education on a subject that one really wants, is curious about and is enthusiastic about.
As for how I chose, I proceeded by eliminating certain issues in my mind and after a long research process I decided to apply to the Florence Institute of Design International (and a few other schools).. The most important factors for me in this qualifying process were the fact that the school I would apply to was in Europe, the fee and of course the quality of the school.. I chose a few schools and applied to all of them; Of course, the application requirements of each school were different, so I had some difficulties.. Some of these schools were accepted, some rejected, and to be honest, living in Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance and the center of the arts, was very appealing.. That’s why I chose Florence (Florence Institute of Design International).
Y: How is the visa business? How long did it take you to get a visa?
B: I have a lot of experience in visa business, I had a lot of trouble getting visas in time.. However, I got a student visa for the first time and I can only explain the system of the Italian Consulate in obtaining a student visa.. Others may be different
Of course, getting a student visa was not as difficult as getting a tourist visa, but I still had to go to the Italian Consulate 3 times due to misunderstandings.. It is necessary to read the required documents carefully, to learn where and how the application is made correctly.
For example, my first difficulty was that I realized too late that the visa was issued not from an intermediary firm like iData but from the consulate general.. Another challenge was getting a certificate of equivalence.. Obtaining an equivalence certificate is a very troublesome, bureaucratic job, which is among the documents required for visa, and it can be obtained directly from the Consulate General.
In short; Unfortunately, there is not enough information on the internet, so it is useful to call every place one by one and learn every detail.. However, after the application documents are complete, the visa is issued in a few days.
Y: How did you feel when you first settled in Florence? Was it easy to find a home? How much are your household expenses?
B: The first day I came to Florence was naturally very stressful.. I had a tough first day with giant suitcases, the possibility of my plane not taking off due to the snowstorm in Istanbul, and the difficulties I had when I arrived in Italy because I did not speak the language.. But I am sure that these are the difficulties experienced by everyone who has settled abroad.. It’s not easy to carry those suitcases
After the first day, my work has been quite random.. Of course, the fact that my school is incredibly helpful and responds to e-mails very quickly is also an important factor.. When we first arrived, they sent an e-mail detailing the work we needed to do and I found it very useful.
I trusted the school in finding a house, because the school had a home orientation orientation.. A contracted real estate company came to the school and gave us a detailed list of suitable houses.. With a few friends I met at the orientation, we marked the suitable houses from that list, toured together and chose our houses.
I can say that it was done very quickly and easily.. There are 3 of us in the house where I am staying now, when we settled in the house, there was water, electricity, gas, internet and almost as many items as we did not want.. In other words, I am currently living in a house that meets all our needs and I pay 600 Euros per month (including rent, bills and internet).
I have a monthly expenditure of around 800 Euros. They said they found the euro. However, since we did not have any information about the city at that time, we realized later that we could find cheaper houses Anyway, for the next period now.
Everyone around me pays similar amounts, and not everyone like me, a few of my friends who did not find a house with the help of school, bought a room from Airbnb. They kept asking the owners of that room about the suitable houses they knew and found them with that method.. In summary, it is not difficult to find a house.
By the way, there are scholarships provided by the Italian Government to postgraduate students for school and living expenses, but unfortunately I missed these scholarships because I submitted my application late.. Those who will apply earlier can definitely try their scholarship opportunities.
Y: Did you have any difficulties with English? How is the English average of the class?
B: I didn’t have any difficulties with English, the general English level at school is also good, but I had a hard time not speaking English in Italy I knew this would happen before, so I studied a little Italian before coming here, I also attend the non-credit Italian course at my school.
Because it is a touristic city, people who own shops or work in markets generally speak basic English.. Unfortunately, it is impossible to explain in English when you have a problem.
Those who decide to study abroad need to think about such details as well.. For example, I think that in countries such as Germany and Denmark, there will be no problems with English in daily life, but not every country is like that.. Even though I have zero knowledge of Italian, I was always able to get my work done thanks to the helpfulness of people.
Y: Is it possible to go to language school or work while studying?
B: Unfortunately, I cannot give detailed information on this subject. , because the school I go to has its own Italian course and I don’t have to look for an extra language school. The subject of study also varies from school to school and country to country, and I know that it depends on the school’s agreements with the state.. Unfortunately, I can’t give a clear information because I haven’t researched it.
Y: Did you like Italian culture? How are people? How are the men and women?
B: My sister’s husband is Italian, so I can say that I know little details about Italian culture.. Before I came here, I loved Italy and Italians very much.. From the first moment I arrived, these feelings did not deceive me.. People are really friendly and very helpful.. For example, I would have had a terrible first day if it weren’t for the incredible help from the people on the way during the transition from Bologna to Florence on the day I moved in.. In the same way, I encountered the helpfulness and smiling faces of people in all my tasks that could be annoying, such as getting a social security number, making deals with landlords, opening a bank account.. Although we speak the same language. My teachers at school, the people I met on the road, in restaurants, bars and cafes, I loved them all and never felt like a stranger. A general atmosphere of comfort, peace and enjoyment of life prevails here.. Therefore, people do not stress each other, they show tolerance to each other.. After living in Istanbul for years, I can say that living with smiling people was a culture shock.
Before I came here, some wrong stereotypes and clichés were placed in my head.. It has been said that Italians are a very assertive and even “talking” nation, but I have never encountered such a disturbing situation.. Everyone is quite respectful, no one bothers anyone. So, you shouldn’t believe everything you’re told.
Y: Is it possible to stay after graduate school? Is only English enough for those who want to stay?
B: I can’t give detailed information about staying after master’s degree, because I haven’t started researching yet.. But as far as I know, English alone is not enough to find a job, at least in Italy.. Knowing Italian, finding good contacts, and being successful in your field of study seem to be key points in getting a job.. Even so, the probability of finding a job may be low.. But as I said, what documents are required, what are the agreements of the schools etc.. I do not have detailed information on the subjects yet.
Y: Do you travel a lot while reading?
B: I think this is one of the most important features of Europe.. I am trying to be one of those who travel a lot while reading, and even I travel a lot.. Train and plane tickets are incredibly affordable and we are surrounded by beautiful towns and cities.. Even our teachers encourage us to enjoy and travel around Italy as much as possible.. Of course, since the weather is still cold, none of us could enter the trip planning mode, but if the weather is nice, even day trips can be very enjoyable.. For example, 2 weeks ago, I decided to go to Pisa with my housemates and we ran to catch a train and took a spontaneous day trip.. We are planning to increase such spontaneous trips in the coming weeks
And is there anything you want to add?
There is only one thing I can add, and that is about relationships.. Frankly, I had a lot of indecision before I moved here, because it was very difficult to move to another country and leave my girlfriend in Turkey.. Even though my boyfriend is someone who supports and stands by my every decision, this is still the issue I have the most difficulty with.. However, I am still very happy with the decision I made.
I have had many friends around me who were indecisive and even had serious problems in their relationships because of this.. I wanted to mention it because I think others may have trouble with this.. I think that everyone who wants to move their career forward, wants to improve themselves, or even just wants to have a foreign experience but is not sure about their relationship, should gather the courage and take this step.. Although long distance relationships can be psychologically challenging, living alone in a foreign country is definitely a process that changes and develops a person for the better.
Big love to Beliz!
And love to you too!
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