Turkish Student Experiences in the Erasmus and Fulbright Programs

In the first ever study of its kind, Kohn's book reveals that Turkish students hold positive perceptions of their Fulbright and Erasmus exchange programs. The exchange programs provided opportunities for involvement in a diverse environment, broadening their perspective, and improving their personal skills. The data reveals that increased self-esteem is the top individual experience by students. The participants stated that their exchange programs were not only helpful for improving their personal skills, but also for improving their cultural and social skills, skills required to survive in what has been termed the "global village." Finally, Kohn's book illustrates that exchange programs are effective tools in meeting the requirements of the global economy in terms of improving the skills of the future workforce. Such dual results are symbiotic in nature: Just as the internationalization of higher education fosters development of a truly global workforce, the ever-globalizing marketplace will place an increasing premium on creating cosmopolitan university graduates.