Advice for those who will choose a university: Choose accredited universities.

With only a few days left until university preferences, Prof. Dr. Adnan Yüksel, who offers important recommendations to candidates, emphasized the significance of the university being entitled to receive institutional accreditation from the Higher Education Quality Board (YÖKAK). Prof. Dr. Yüksel, who does not recommend choosing universities that are not accredited, stated, ‘Because accreditation means being able to do one’s job as desired. If a university is not accredited, then it means that it is inadequate in many aspects such as teaching staff, social opportunities. Therefore, this is very important.’ The University Entrance Exam is over. With the announcement of the eagerly awaited scores on July 17, the preference period will begin. Providing various warnings to prevent mistakes that can be made during this period, the Rector of Biruni University, Prof. Dr. Adnan Yüksel, stated that students will make one of the most important decisions in their lives. Emphasizing that the university and department to be chosen will shape their future lives, Prof. Dr. Yüksel said, ‘Children spend 4-6 years in universities. Therefore, one of the most important things when making a choice is for them to know their talents and choose a university and department accordingly.’ Prof. Dr. Yüksel also stated, ‘The second important thing is that they should consider where they will be happy studying. Because success does not come where one is not happy. Third, they should consider whether the place and department they are studying will meet their expectations. They should determine well how the education they receive will enable them to build their future life. Fourth, they should also look at job opportunities.’ ‘First, the field should be determined, then the university’ Prof. Dr. Yüksel, who said, ‘Before determining the university during the preference period, they should decide what they will study, determine their field and make a very good decision about it,’ said, ‘Then they will decide where they will study. They should definitely look at the ranking, not the score. Because the ranking can change every year. They should not add places they will never win to their preference list. Families should not interfere in the choice but can guide their children to choose a department according to their talents.’ ‘If the desired department is not available, one can stay as a graduate’ Prof. Dr. Yüksel, who stated that if the ranking is not enough for the desired university and department, one should wait for 1 year by staying as a graduate, said, ‘Of course, we do not recommend this much, but they should not study a field they do not like. If they cannot study at the faculty they want in the university they want, then it is better to wait. When asked ‘Which university did you graduate from?’, one should not be ashamed. Because the first question is always ‘what is your profession’, the second question is ‘which school did you graduate from’.’ ‘University facilities and professors should be well researched’ Prof. Dr. Yüksel, who warned that the facilities of the university should be well researched before making a choice, said, ‘Their social facilities should be examined. For example, sports facilities, libraries, study environments, classrooms, and most importantly, the professors should be researched. If a student likes their professor, they will be happy and inspired there. They should also look at the location of the university. Transportation to the place they will go back and forth for 4-6 years is very important. Whether it is a traffic-congested area is important. Sometimes very distant campuses in Turkey can also be preferred. But then the student does not have dormitory facilities. The most important thing is academic counseling. They should look into whether the university has mentor training. The vision of the university, publication rankings should be examined. In this way, you can understand whether it is progressing or regressing. You can also check if there are good professors there.’ ‘Those who want to study medicine should pay attention to whether the university has its own hospital’ Providing various information for students who want to choose the health and medical field, Prof. Dr. Yüksel added the following as a final note: ‘First of all, the university in this field should have its own hospital. Because in medicine, we provide 3 years of theoretical and 3 years of practical education. This cannot be done with an affiliated hospital. When it is an affiliated hospital, there is no science. The university should create a practical field for its students in its own hospital. Here, its own professors should give lectures and conduct exams. So far, we are fifth among approximately 208 universities. Since 2010, we are the only accredited institution among the 34 universities established. We have admitted students from 3,000, 20,000, 40,000. We have taught for 6 years. We have 6 students who ranked in the top 100 in TUS. This is a great success.’