Alumni

Graduates of the Tourism and Hotel Management Program are qualified as managerial candidates at various tourism and hospitality businesses such as hotels, tour operators, cruiselines, airlines, event companies, entertainment facilities, marinas, and casinos. Moreover, the alumni are educated and equipped to pursue their careers within other sectors and the academia as well.

BESTE ERGÜNOĞLU (2019 graduate candidate)
I would be graduating from Tourism and Hotel Management Department at 2018-2019 spring term. During my university life, the courses that I have taken as well as the internships I have completed have a great impact on my career plans. The summer training opportunities, the careers days of the university, and networking with the industry professionals have made a decisive contribution to my personal development. More specifically, with the help of the Mentor-Mentee program of the department, I had the chance to meet with the leaders from different sectors. Thus, I would be able to learn about their successful backgrounds as well as their experiences in the professional life. Moreover, the senior project offered in the last semester, provided us the opportunity to turn one of my friend’s business idea into reality.

As a result, I can say that it is a privilege to be a graduate of İstanbul Bilgi University, which has strong academic staff. If I were writing these sentences five years later from now, I would say that “you can develop yourself and make a good career plan”, you can have a great academic lifetime in a social and enjoyable way”. Therefore, I can easily say that choosing BİLGİ was one of the best decisions that I have made in my life and I am really proud of being a graduate of this university.

FURKAN YAZICI (2019 graduate candidate)
I would be graduating 2018-2019 spring term. Even, I have started to the university in the Department of Tourism and Hotel Management, you can never know what the life would offer to you. In other terms, if you are studying in İstanbul Bilgi University, you should never limit yourself to one department. That is, I started my minor program of sociology at my second year that has changed my life to large extent.

Before I start the department, I have never thought that Tourism and Hotel Management Department would have the potential of providing that kind of excessive and quality education. First of all, I had the opportunity to take many business courses similar to courses in business departments, from management courses to economy and marketing. Second, I also had the opportunity to make presentation for at least 5 or six courses during a semester. As a result, I have improved my presentation, social speech skills as well as my self-esteem. For example, for the course of Revenue Management, I have made a presentation for my term project to nearly 130 hotel general managers from all over the Turkey. Lastly, the department has provided great internship opportunities for us to consolidate our theoretical knowledge with practical experience. Moreover, these internships helped me to develop a great network with industry professionals in tourism and hospitality sector.

Overall, my primary advice to the students who are planning to study in İstanbul Bilgi University or who are currently enrolled in this university is to take the most out of the opportunities in this university. That is, when you look back, you could be able to tell yourself that I have really seized all the chances offered by the university.

INES SU ARİBİ (2019 graduate candidate)
I will be graduating from İstanbul Bilgi university tourism and hotel management undergraduate program at 2018-2019 spring term. Moreover, during my academic life in this university, I have also started to do my minor in Psychology.

As a requirement of sectoral placement course, I am doing my internship at Çırağan Palace Kempinski during my last spring term.

Since we have requirement of two summer internships starting from the end of second academic year, these internships as well as sectoral placement have helped us to develop lifetime bonds with our networks from the industry. Also, they have provided us the opportunity to gain new experiences and improve the ones that we already have.

Throughout our academic study, we have taken several courses from people who are working in the tourism industry. Thus, we could able to develop network with industry professionals and enhance our practical knowledge. Personally, I also had the chance to work with my professors for the industry projects outside the university.

As a Tourism and Hotel Management Program, we also had courses outside the university. This helped us to meet with the people from industry as well as to see the operations onsite. Therefore, I had chance to visualize my future career and to see the things I might face within my professional life at a future date.

Additionally, the Mentor-Mentee program has also presented the chance to gain lots of job opportunities, which have turned into real work that my friends currently working at.
Apart from these, we have learnt to use professional systems that are already used in the industry. That is, as tourism and hotel management student, we are familiar with most of the PMS and revenue systems.

Being on the field with experienced people such as tour guides not only enlarged our vision but also gave us the opportunity to learn from the people who were one of the leads in their fields.
İstanbul Bilgi University also provided me an academic success scholarship for 3 years in a row due to my academic grades and supported me throughout my education. The appreciation of my success by the university has been a great source of motivation and courage for me.

Overall, with countless student clubs, activities and academicians who guide us through our path, BİLGİ has provided me a life time of good memories and experiences that I wish to have all my life.
While my undergraduate degree is coming to an end, I am willing to apply for a master’s degree and continue to my current job, which I got due to the opportunity provided by the sectoral placement internship program.
To sum up I will be graduating from İstanbul Bilgi University with memories I can’t forget, experiences that will help me throughout my life and most importantly with friends who will be in my life for my upcoming life.

REYHAN ÜLKER (2019 graduate candidate)
I am pursuing my bachelor’s degree in Tourism and Hotel Management at İstanbul Bilgi University as well as doing my Double Degree in Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Program.

I have started to the professional work life at Mikla Restaurant (No.44 in Best 50 Restaurants List) which launched its visionary ‘New Anatolian Kitchen’.

I have completed two of my internships with Chef Mehmet Gürs and his team. In the summer of 2017, I worked behind the bar at Mikla. Thus, I’ve learned the preparation of international cocktails and joined the Mikla coffee program.

In the summer of 2018, I have worked in the kitchen operation, which was a very instructive experience for me. After the internship, Mehmet Gürs invited me to work in his team for TV series of Ruhun Doysun (Feed Your Soul) that Grundig has been the project’s official partner through its Respect Food campaign. The campaign was about to take notes on food waste, recycling, and respect for the value of food.

In April 2019, I'm going to go to Copenhagen to do an internship at Noma Restaurant, 2 Michelin star owner, which is one of the best restaurants in the world.

When I became aware of our influence on nature as an individual, I thought that it was directly related to the gastronomy sector, which can pioneer the masses to make that influence positive as much as possible. Noma is the best of the restaurants that produce with this ethics.

I have always believed that the Noma experience would be great for me not only for the professionalism but also the development of my vision about the sector: Therefore, this is an opportunity not to be missed.
In these important steps I take in my student life on behalf of my future career, the impact of BİLGİ's academic opportunities and reputations in the sector cannot be underestimated.

HİLMİ ÖĞÜCÜ (2018 graduate)
I was graduated from Department of Tourism and Hotel Management in İstanbul Bilgi University in 2018. I’m both one of the first students and first graduate of this department which newly opened in 2013.

I have always had the desire of exploring and traveling around the world since my childhood. While thinking about how to travel better and in the most correct way and how to achieve my objectives, I heard that Tourism and Hotel Management Bachelor Program was opened in İstanbul Bilgi University. This made me felt to be one step closer to my dreams.

To be interested in sport and play in a basketball team during my high-school years brought the sport ındustry to the fore among my targets. Yet, after taking one of my departmental elective course called ‘Integrated Marketing Communications’ and with the help of the lecturer, I discovered my interest in marketing and then, I told myself: ‘I should continue my career as a part of this sector.’ With this thought in my mind, I completed my internships respectively in Logos Strategical and Gastronomic Communication Agency and in Corporate Sales and Marketing of Turkish Airlines.

In my last semester at the university, I went to Poland by Erasmus Program with the help and directions of my instructors and head of department. After coming back to my hometown, I lived the graduation joy and proud with my friends.

After a short rest, I began to work in Marketing Department of Turkish Basketball Federation. This means that I work both in marketing sector and sport industry of what I always want to be a part. Now, I became a natural part, an element or even a loyal customer of tourism due to the business trips I join at about every week.

İNAN GÖRMAN (2018 graduate)
Allow me to begin with my quite simple yet accurate education life. I completed my education life in Istanbul by knowing that I’ll be in the hospitality industry for rest of my life from the beginning. I also had my very first and “real” hotel experience within this period even though I had to delay my graduation for a year. Yet; I never regret with the decision I made. Although it was hard to study and work at the same time, I had amazing opportunities over these 2 years of experience. First of all, I knew that it was going to be a big advantage for me after the graduation besides that all the people I got the chance to meet with and managers from different nationalities helped me to improve myself in many ways. I must add for those who doesn’t enjoy what they are doing, counting your minutes to go home, start looking for another career for yourselves. There will be times that you will realize you had been working for 16 hours yet instead of going home you will be focusing on your tasks. Of course it doesn’t mean that all the hotels or all the seasons are busy that much. This is also why it is so important to do your internships properly. If you are wondering where I’m working right now, after graduation I took my way to the Arabian Peninsula. The hotel I once seen during one of my classes as a case study with its famous motto is now the brand I work with. The Ritz-Carlton considered the highest level of luxury segment within Marriott brands as well as all around the world. 374 rooms and its impeccable service is of course coming with its own responsibilities that I enjoy every single second. My suggestion for you will be no matter where either domestic or abroad you should make sure to choose the correct brand, the one that fits for yourselves.

MERVE BABAOĞLU (2018 graduate)
I began my university education at İstanbul Bilgi University in 2013. I had studied at Tourism and Hotel Management Department with 100% scholarship thanks to my success in university entrance exam.

We established a student club with my friends called BİLGİ Tourism Club in our second year. Our aim is to introduce the tourism sector to our friends in the same faculty or in other faculties by the events.
I had been studying in Poland by Erasmus Program for one academic term in my third year by having a break my activities in the BİLGİ Tourism Club. I was able to enhance not only my curriculum vitae but also my cultural background thanks to Erasmus Program. In the meantime, I started to do a minor in the International Finance.

During my education life, I have had a chance to be affiliated to tourism associations called Skall
Istanbul and SITE Turkey with the help of our mentor in the faculty. Recently, I am still the “YoungSkall” in the Skall Istanbul. Besides, I have had another chance to know and work with leading persons in the sector thanks to a project based lesson that be conducted in cooperation with SITE Turkey. With this way, I had experience in an organization company except my internships.

I had tried to intern in different hotels and the departments. I experienced one of my internship in the Finance department of Conrad Istanbul Bosporus, which is in the luxury segment of Hilton Group. In addition, I accomplished other two internship in Food & Beverage of the Edition Istanbul and in Front Office of W Istanbul that are in the special luxury segment of Marriott Group. I would like to highlight that I skipped the job hunting process easily by help of internship lesson in my last term. Now, I have been working in a DMC (destination management company) called ODS Turkey. I have gained these achievements by the opportunities which the İstanbul Bilgi University and the academician in the university.