Internships
Students of the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture are required to complete 72 days of internship in total.
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The total of 72-day internship must include construction site and office internships.
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The student who will do the internship must have the online internship application form given below filled by the company where they are accepted for internship and have it approved by the internship commission in the last week of April.
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Submission of forms for late summer internship applications is due the first week of July.
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Internship reports should be submitted to the internship commission every second week of the fall semester.
176 FADA students have completed their summer internships abroad so far.
2022
2021
2020
2019
Eda ÅžimÅŸek - Italy
After second grade I did my office internship in Barcelona. It was very supportive for me to growing confidence in design principles. Because I couldn’t imagine being in an international Office in Spain just after second grade. It made me think bigger about the things I can do. I began to search for a master or another educational program abroad and now I am shaping my career plan considering that option. Also for other internships or work offers it is an advantage that I can show my abilities to work in different groups or countries. On the other hand, I made friends who are still in contact with me from France, Spain and Italy. It also helped me to meet and improve my languages because I had no choice other than speaking English to contact people. For me, it was a starting point in my Spanish learning process. SpendingDuring the 10-week internship in MYGG Architecture and Design in Milan in the summer of 2018, the discussions, suggestions and the resulting products that we have made to reflect a place better, research, analyze and relate the circulation between the places were quite enjoyable. When I left the office, I completed the internship process with the excitement of living alone in Milan and exploring new places, meeting people, noticing the beauty, rhythm and movement of the city. The pleasure of having a very different process from the experiences I've had so far has never decreased for 10 weeks, I can say that the effect is still going on. Everyone should experience this process! Be sure to be afraid of fear and worry before you leave, leaving its place to beautiful memories. I can say I even missed that fear and excitement!3 months in another city in a different country made me feel like I was an habitant of the city. Therefore I could explore the city and the habitats of the place very closely which was very exciting for an architecture/interior design student.
Rümeysa Aksoy - Japan
Japanese culture was a culture I always wanted to know, and I always admired Japanese minimalism in architecture. So going to Japan was my first choice for my internship. I prepared my portfolio for this and started to apply to offices in Japan and got accepted to Edward Suzuki Associates. From the moment I first stepped into Japan, I felt like I was in a completely different world. It was literally a culture shock, but also very exciting. I thought a lot about how the office is, how are their architectural approaches, how are the people I will work with, etc. Because it was so different from the place I was born and knew that everything I knew I would definitely feel this difference in the office, we could be very different in terms of architectural understanding.
The owner of the office was an architect named Edward Suzuki. He was a very old and experienced architect who worked with world-famous architect Buckminster Fuller. That's why I felt a bit hesitant at first. When I first came to the office, the first thing he asked me was to build a perfect cube made of paper without using a knife. I tried all day to achieve the perfect cube. At the end of the day he looked, liked it and asked me to put it in the model room next to the other cubes. There were dozens of cubes, under them all names. He was literally a teacher for me. I understood the first day, he was a teacher to all the interns he accepted to the office. Then he gave me a plan sketch. During my internship, we designed a villa from that sketch together. He might have asked me to do what the rest of the office does. But he was a teacher and we became a team. He always valued and listened to my ideas. We had meetings every day and had brainstorms. He taught me to look through his own eyes. So I was very lucky. When I finished the project drawings and models at the end of the internship, he said that the villa was his retirement home, Hayama Dream House.
Despite all my hesitations, the internship process was so instructive for my architectural career. Edward Suzuki taught me how to think rather than other technical things and it was the most precious thing that I will always remember.
Emir Hacısaffet - Spain
I did my office internship in Palma De Mallorca (Balearic Island) in the summer of 2018. I can say that it was one of the most beautiful summers I've ever had. Both the office environment and the perfect holiday atmosphere in Spain made me feel very good. It felt as if I was gone for fun, not for internships. It was a very different experience for me to stay on the island, every day there was an event, party and celebration. On Sundays, everywhere was closed because everyone was flocking to the beaches, so you have to(!) spend your entire day swimming, reading books, discovering museums, shops and the rest of the island. It is very unlikely that you will get bored, but if you get bored, you can go to Ibiza and join the parties. Because it looks at a flight of 20 minutes between Mallorca and Ibiza. Because they knew the office I worked in (Gras Arquitectos) in Ibiza, they allowed us to enter the night clubs as VIPs. If I need to talk a little bit about the office environment; We also used the “siesta” times, which are popular in Spain, as offices. We were working on Fridays for half a day and finished working at 14:30. I can say that it is a very good office as a working discipline, they treat you as if you are an employee of the office, not like an intern. They ask your opinion, include the name of the project on your behalf and do not leave it to extra work. These features may seem like it does not matter, but unfortunately, they have forgotten factors in most offices in Turkey. Apart from producing their own projects, the office also includes mutual projects with MVRDV.
2018
Nazlı Selva Küçük - Spain
I completed my summer internship in Spain with Erasmus+ Programme at end of the 2 nd years. I did an office internship in Jessica Bataille. It was a great experience for me. The most important think I have experienced two months living alone in a country far from my own country and I definitely recommend everyone to go alone. My living conditions have become easier because of the Erasmus+ grant. I was working for an architectural modeling at first but later I was included in most works in the office. Catalog design, site trips, meetings, digital
drawings, making moodboards… First day, I had an interesting situation. Jessica the owner of the office, came to my near as we met each other for years and hugged me saying welcome. Everyone was incredibly friendly in the office. This was one of the reasons I liked to do an internship in a different country. I was feeling like an employee instead of an intern in the office. Except of architecture, I have experienced the functioning of the office and communication with the
clients. I also improve my English because everyone in the office had a good level of English. I had an idea about Spanish Culture due to the woman who I lived in her house. She contributed a lot to me in this experience. End of the my internship adventure, I think, It contributed a lot to me and It is an experience that every student must be experienced.
Cansu Çakarlı - Germany
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Last summer, I did my construction site internship in Berlin with the Erasmus+ program. In the process, I have gained experience in many ways. Living abroad for two months has been illuminating in terms of observing different cultures, recognizing the possibilities abroad, and expanding my vision. Berlin is a place where many thoughts and cultures live freely, and I am very impressed that people are so open heart.
When I was doing my internship, I attended technology fairs and exhibitions in Berlin, which made it easier for me to think innovatively in my own field. When I returned to university, I made designs for my projects inspired by what I saw in Berlin and what was stuck in my mind.
Turks and Germans work together in my company, the office and the construction site language was completely German, thus I was able to improve my English and German. At the moment, we're in touch with my company and our exchange of ideas continues.
Eren Burak Kuru - India
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India has always been a mystery to me: Exotic climate, authentic clothes, spicy (really spicy) foods, savage animals, slums, Bollywood, indian architecture, and so on… In my opinion, the opportunity of being there as an intern, was so unique. I’ve worked in a university's faculty of architecture in Southern India. My concern was to write an article about the sustainable furnitures. During 8 weeks, I’ve made researches, site visits and lots of writings. So it is quite specific than the ordinary office internships. Besides the working process, I've also got into local culture; learnt folklore, yoga, ate rice with my hands, fed monkeys with bananas and nuts, travelled to different destinations. On the other hand, there were several interns from all over the world. Right now, I have many friends who are architect in various regions of earth. Thanks to that internship, my networking has globally grown.
2017
Oylum Akgül - Spain
After second grade I did my office internship in Barcelona. It was very supportive for me to growing confidence in design principles. Because I couldn’t imagine being in an international Office in Spain just after second grade. It made me think bigger about the things I can do. I began to search for a master or another educational program abroad and now I am shaping my career plan considering that option. Also for other internships or work offers it is an advantage that I can show my abilities to work in different groups or countries. On the other hand, I made friends who are still in contact with me from France, Spain and Italy. It also helped me to meet and improve my languages because I had no choice other than speaking English to contact people. For me, it was a starting point in my Spanish learning process. Spending 3 months in another city in a different country made me feel like I was an habitant of the city. Therefore I could explore the city and the habitats of the place very closely which was very exciting for an architecture/interior design student.
Mehmet Deniz BaÅŸkalem - Portugal
Being involved in an office abroad, after my second year in MEF University, architecture, helped me to understand, how even though the language barrier is a problem, architecture has its own language to communicate flawless through sketches, models and computer drawings. The period before being accepted to the office showed me I need to work even harder and represent myself better with mails and online interviews. It thaught me that doing an internship in Lisbon in summer doesn’t mean a summer holiday in Lisbon. It required hard work and discipline pretty much harder than my previous internship in
homeland Istanbul.
Sümeyye Nur Öztürk - USA
I had a great opportunity to do an architectural internship at Studio Vural, one of the succesful architecture office of New York City in the summer of 2019, for 3 months.The USA, where even the metric system is different, has helped me to improve myself in the terms of architecture. Apart from these, experiencing project management progress in the office environment, having new responsibilities were such a significant experience. Moreover, I improved my computer skills by using BIM programs. Outside the office, living and working in New York City was an incredible experience. Besides of all, making new friends, walking in the streets of New York City, visiting exhibitions and museums were the sweet remaning memories of this journey.
2016
MEF University
Faculty of Arts Design and Architecture
