As you make your plans for the coming summer, I would like to invite you to be part of a truly international educational experience:Summer School 2008 at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey.

Here at Bilkent, we offer you the best of both worlds in a number of ways. You will live on our U.S.-style campus, and take courses taught in English by our international faculty members. At the same time, you will have the chance to experience the culture of Turkey, a country where Europe and Asia literally meet. In addition, our Summer School gives you the opportunity to study abroad and earn credits without missing a fall or spring semester at your own university.

Bilkent is one of Turkey's leading universities. Its faculty members include well-known scholars from a number of countries all over the world as well as from Turkey; the language of instruction is English. Bilkent Summer School offers courses in many departments and subject areas. For a selected listing of this summer's courses of particular interest to international students, please visit the Selected 2008 Summer School Offerings page. You can see the complete list of course offerings by going to 2008 Summer School Offerings.

Of course, Summer School is more than studies and classes! Our spacious, modern campus is a 20-minute ride away from the center of Ankara, Turkey's capital, and there is shuttle bus service between the city and the university. You can buy the latest European fashions in Ankara's malls and shopping districts, or browse for antiques and handicrafts in the old city with its historic sites and museums. Ankara's numerous bars, clubs and restaurants offer lively entertainment, and above all, the chance to sample Turkey's delicious and varied cuisine.

While here, you can also visit coastal resort areas like Antalya, archaeological sites like Ephesus, and, of course, Istanbul, one of the world's great cities. Ankara, as Turkey's centrally located capital, is a transport hub with good connections both by air and by bus(Turkey has an excellent intercity bus system) to the rest of the country.

For details on how to apply to Bilkent Summer School, please see the Application and Registration section of this website, where you will also find a link to our application form. You can either fill in this form and mail it to the address on our home page, or fill in the Word-format form and send it to sumsch@bilkent.edu.tr as an attachment. Although the application deadline is 6 June, 2008, some of the courses have limited enrollments and are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so we urge you to apply early.

If you'd like any additional information about the application procedure, the course offerings, or any other aspect of Bilkent Summer School, please contact sumsch@bilkent.edu.tr. I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have. In addition, as a native of the United States, I can also answer questions about life in Ankara and in Turkey for international visitors.

I'm certain that if you choose to attend Bilkent Summer School this year, you'll find your time here both academically and culturally rewarding. We look forward to welcoming you!

Sincerely,