“You Belong Here” is something seen a lot while on the Kent State University campus. Students know how they got “here,” but what they do not know is what students had to do in order to come to Kent State.
“It was difficult just because I changed my environment. Not like school wise; actually I’m thinking things are a lot easier here and more organized. There were some things of course, it being too organized,” Akbay said. “We didn’t have that much homework in Turkey, I guess it was more like you should know your own stuff, you don’t have to read, like here they make sure you read it.”
Kent State University graduate students Ece Akbay and Shakhnoza Yakubova came to United States in order to complete another degree. Both women spoke about exams every student must take in their homelands and the pressure it is to pass them in order to have the opportunity, like they did, to come to Kent and get a higher education.
“[In] college we again have public and private; there is a national admissions test conducted by a third party during a week or two in certain locations offered to public and at national universities,” Yakubova said. “[There are] grants for public and private universities, the higher you score in the test the more possibility you have of getting like full funded grant for your education.”
“You could only take [the test] one time, you make a list of schools you want to go to so you already know where your applying,” Akbay said. “Then you get your scores and they match you depending on your score or percentage.”
Akbay explains she had 12 choices for schools she wanted to go to. 11 of the schools were psychology in order to begin her career as a councilor. 1 choice was philosophy. Her score determined that she studied philosophy as an undergrad instead of counseling like she hoped.
“The last ten days, this period, before I take the test I remember having nightmares and anxiety because it’s your life,” Akbay said. “I was thinking, would I be doing something, will I be able to go to school, what will I be doing if I cant get into a university, like crazy things, just imagine the pressure, I mean yeah that’s the biggest difference I think.”
“A lot of students prefer to go to college; it is very competitive. If you’re coming from a rural area, your score requirement may be a little lower because the quality and accessibility to resources maybe a little different. So they take [that] into account…they don’t assess you the same as a city [school],” Yakubova said. “We recognize there is a difference between village and city. Urban verses rural there is little difference in the score, for example, if in a city school is supposed to keep 90% to get a government grant, a village would be like an 85%.”
Akbay and Yakubova each said their families supported them while trying to get an education but they still felt incredible pressure to succeed.
“I think I was raised in a place where education was big, and it was the thing to do, to get the best for their kids,” Akbay said. “In some rural areas, families maybe be less willing to send their girls, which is a big problem especially in like eastern part of Turkey. But there is a lot of campaigns to you know send girls to school like a lot of stuff that’s going on I think it has improved. But for boys too sometimes because families they just want them to stay and do the farm thing or taking care of the family and start making money.”
Although U.S students have to take entrance exams in order to be accepted into college, the amount of anxiety students feel in the United States to go to college is far less verses other countries similar to Turkey and Kazakhstan. Having support from family helps international students be able to get through the anxiety and achieve their dreams.
“Both parents had a college degrees and then I remember being raised that I knew I was going to college, it wasn’t like do I go or not,” said Yakubova.
Info Graphic Stats:
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/Turkey_statistics.htm
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/kazakhstan_statistics.html
Turkey Education:
| Youth (15-24 years) literacy rate (%) 2008-2012*, male | 99.4 |
| Youth (15-24 years) literacy rate (%) 2008-2012*, female | 97.9 |
| Number per 100 population 2012, mobile phones | 90.8 |
| Number per 100 population 2012, Internet users | 45.1 |
| Pre-primary school participation, Gross enrolment ratio (%) 2008 -2012*, male | 26.9 |
| Pre-primary school participation, Gross enrolment ratio (%) 2008 -2012*, female | 25.8 |
| Primary school participation, Gross enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, male | 104.9 |
| Primary school participation, Gross enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, female | 103.7 |
| Primary school participation, Net enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, male | 99.5 |
| Primary school participation, Net enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, female | 98.3 |
| Primary school participation, Net attendance ratio (%) 2008-2012*, male | 93.5 |
| Primary school participation, Net attendance ratio (%) 2008-2012*, female | 91.9 |
| Primary school participation, Survival rate to last primary grade (%) , 2008-2012*, admin. data | 99.2 |
| Primary school participation, Survival rate to last primary grade (%) , 2008-2012*, survey data | 94.5 |
| Secondary school participation, Net enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, male | 81.4 |
| Secondary school participation, Net enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, female | 76.2 |
| Secondary school participation, Net attendance ratio (%) 2008-2012*, male | 51.6 |
| Secondary school participation, Net attendance ratio (%) 2008-2012*, female | 43 |
| Youth (15-24 years) literacy rate (%) 2008-2012*, male | 99.4 |
| Youth (15-24 years) literacy rate (%) 2008-2012*, female | 97.9 |
| Number per 100 population 2012, mobile phones | 90.8 |
| Number per 100 population 2012, Internet users | 45.1 |
| Pre-primary school participation, Gross enrolment ratio (%) 2008 -2012*, male | 26.9 |
| Pre-primary school participation, Gross enrolment ratio (%) 2008 -2012*, female | 25.8 |
| Primary school participation, Gross enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, male | 104.9 |
| Primary school participation, Gross enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, female | 103.7 |
| Primary school participation, Net enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, male | 99.5 |
| Primary school participation, Net enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, female | 98.3 |
| Primary school participation, Net attendance ratio (%) 2008-2012*, male | 93.5 |
| Primary school participation, Net attendance ratio (%) 2008-2012*, female | 91.9 |
| Primary school participation, Survival rate to last primary grade (%) , 2008-2012*, admin. data | 99.2 |
| Primary school participation, Survival rate to last primary grade (%) , 2008-2012*, survey data | 94.5 |
| Secondary school participation, Net enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, male | 81.4 |
| Secondary school participation, Net enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, female | 76.2 |
| Secondary school participation, Net attendance ratio (%) 2008-2012*, male | 51.6 |
| Secondary school participation, Net attendance ratio (%) 2008-2012*, female | 43 |
Kazakhstan Education:
| Youth (15-24 years) literacy rate (%) 2008-2012*, male | 99.8 |
| Youth (15-24 years) literacy rate (%) 2008-2012*, female | 99.9 |
| Number per 100 population 2012, mobile phones | 175.4 |
| Number per 100 population 2012, Internet users | 53.3 |
| Pre-primary school participation, Gross enrolment ratio (%) 2008 -2012*, male | 48 |
| Pre-primary school participation, Gross enrolment ratio (%) 2008 -2012*, female | 47.4 |
| Primary school participation, Gross enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, male | 110.7 |
| Primary school participation, Gross enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, female | 110.7 |
| Primary school participation, Net enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, male | 99.4 |
| Primary school participation, Net enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, female | 99.7 |
| Primary school participation, Net attendance ratio (%) 2008-2012*, male | 99.3 |
| Primary school participation, Net attendance ratio (%) 2008-2012*, female | 99.4 |
| Primary school participation, Survival rate to last primary grade (%) , 2008-2012*, admin. data | 99.6 |
| Primary school participation, Survival rate to last primary grade (%) , 2008-2012*, survey data | 100 |
| Secondary school participation, Net enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, male | 89.9 |
| Secondary school participation, Net enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, female | 89.2 |
| Secondary school participation, Net attendance ratio (%) 2008-2012*, male | 96 |
| Secondary school participation, Net attendance ratio (%) 2008-2012*, female | 96.2 |
| Youth (15-24 years) literacy rate (%) 2008-2012*, male | 99.8 |
| Youth (15-24 years) literacy rate (%) 2008-2012*, female | 99.9 |
| Number per 100 population 2012, mobile phones | 175.4 |
| Number per 100 population 2012, Internet users | 53.3 |
| Pre-primary school participation, Gross enrolment ratio (%) 2008 -2012*, male | 48 |
| Pre-primary school participation, Gross enrolment ratio (%) 2008 -2012*, female | 47.4 |
| Primary school participation, Gross enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, male | 110.7 |
| Primary school participation, Gross enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, female | 110.7 |
| Primary school participation, Net enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, male | 99.4 |
| Primary school participation, Net enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, female | 99.7 |
| Primary school participation, Net attendance ratio (%) 2008-2012*, male | 99.3 |
| Primary school participation, Net attendance ratio (%) 2008-2012*, female | 99.4 |
| Primary school participation, Survival rate to last primary grade (%) , 2008-2012*, admin. data | 99.6 |
| Primary school participation, Survival rate to last primary grade (%) , 2008-2012*, survey data | 100 |
| Secondary school participation, Net enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, male | 89.9 |
| Secondary school participation, Net enrolment ratio (%) 2008-2012*, female | 89.2 |
| Secondary school participation, Net attendance ratio (%) 2008-2012*, male | 96 |
| Secondary school participation, Net attendance ratio (%) 2008-2012*, female | 96.2 |
