Zaripovs' Blog

What got me into Koc University?

I gave up on US admissions close to December for personal reasons.
So I started looking for other places, preferably the ones where food and climate are not a problem for a fussy eater and melancholic guy like me.
That is how I ended up researching universities in Turkiye.
I texted the best top unis in Turkiye on the YouTube search bar and Koc was the first on the list.
Furthermore, I watched info sessions, campus tours, math department videos, the website, and staff - all of which were in pursuit of getting to know what kind of place Koc is, what it can give to me in terms of career and research opportunities, etc.
After doing thorough research for a couple of days, I fell in love with this academic institution and firmly decided to apply. Yet, I immediately found out that I missed something to be eligible as an international student: I didn't have a TOEFL iBT certificate.
Some private universities in Turkiye do not accept IELTS and DET. An applicant has to have a score of above 80 out of 120, and the writing section has to be not lower than 20.
So I registered for the December 28th exam which I obviously screwed up due to inadequate prep time and technical issues during the test. I ended up with 91/120 = B2. I would recommend choosing Koc University till a day before the exam as a score recipient on the ETS platform. Otherwise, you have to pay $25 for score submission to a single institution.

Filling in the application:
January 10th.
The biggest dilemma was facing me ahead. I didn't have any draft of either my personal statement or recommendation letters written.
And here came my brother from another mother Shohnur aka, who never hesitated to lend me a hand during both the SAT and application journey.
Once collecting every bit of info about the Koc math department, I finished the first draft. Shohnur aka helped me to polish it.
Having all the required documents, I opened the application portal.
Next, I filled in my stats, schools, honors, and extracurriculars. It was a painstaking procedure.

One more step left — a self-recorded video interview. The day you open the portal, you will receive an invitation for an interview recorded on your device. You have 10 days to complete it. You basically get a prompt once you click to start and are given a couple of minutes to prepare. Then, you have to answer that question in detail in under 2 minutes. This interview will also affect your application, so get prepared well with deep research and a clear goal.

I applied for a regular decision track at Koc University, the deadline for which is July 2nd, 2025. The application fee was $30, which is quite affordable in comparison to other private universities in other countries like China, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Europe.

In addition to applying via its website, you can also choose Koc as your priority in the Turkiye Burslari application. I did it to boost my chances of admission if the former doesn't work out. Luckily, it did.
Now awaiting the scholarship letter, which is supposed to arrive in March.

Hope you found it useful!
Koc University Application portal: https://apply.ku.edu.tr