Self-proclaimed extrovert Nihan Topçu has a dream of setting up her own derma-cosmetics brand and tells feature writer Sara Doktorova about her long journey.
Nihan has been sitting in her room in the Turkish city of Samsun, thinking about the next steps in her life, whether to stay and study in her home country or move abroad. She decides to study at De Montfort University International College in Leicester, having discovered that city is known for being multicultural.
“I researched many universities and I picked De Montfort University in Leicester because I heard it’s very social and I love to go out to these social events,” says Nihan.
The 21-year-old has now been studying pharmacy at De Montfort University International College since September 2025.
“The first thing I realised when I came to this country was that everyone smiles at you and tries to help you in every way and everyone is very accepting and that comforted me a lot,” says Nihan.
“The native/local people don’t feel the cold; they don’t even wear a jacket. They’re totally fine with this, this is what I was most shocked about,” she adds.
Nihan’s biggest challenge is the language barrier, although she is very active and social, she still struggles with her English and is trying her best to improve. “I don’t think that my English level is good enough, ” she admits.
“My friends know English better than me and sometimes they complete my sentences for me,” she adds.
“I’m still struggling a lot with the language barriers, but working on my writing helps a lot because I don’t know academic English that much,” she says.
Turkey’s educational system is, of course, different to the UK’s. Nihan has noticed that there are good differences between the systems, and you need to complete a foundation level course before you get to do the first year.
“In my country, the education system is very different, after year ten, you must pick from two sides, either science or literature classes. Since I was very good at biology and chemistry, I picked science and after coming here, I realised that it helped me a lot while studying since I know it so well,” says Nihan.
In Turkey, students must take a very difficult exam before they can go to university. “I prefer the education system here rather than my country because we learn everything in detail and that helps us to prepare for the next year,” she adds.
“I recommend studying abroad rather than in your home country because in the end you can get a job way more easily than in your home country, it’s harder but it’s worth it,” she says.
During the lessons, students get to know about their cultures and traditions, which helps them to understand each other a bit more and build their teamwork during the group projects.
“Since our class is international, we often share our traditions and cultures – yesterday, I talked about our traditional Turkish dance, and they told me about theirs and I think, I just love being in a traditional environment,” says Nihan.
“There are a lot of international students here and knowing that helped me adapt more naturally,” she adds.
During group projects, communication is key, therefore Nihan knows that they must agree and communicate with each other during the labs and make sure everything goes as planned. “We do every step one by one and check everything so that everything is correct, and I think that I enjoy group projects more than doing an experiment alone,” says Nihan.
The main reason why Nihan chose pharmacy was because it really interested her and fascinated her to the point she became really invested in medicine.
“I’m really interested in products, what is inside of them, and what they do inside of our bodies, and the same with medicines,” says Nihan.
“After graduating I want to work in a derma cosmetic company and then I want to create my own brand, and I think that having a good educational background should be very beneficial for my future career,” says Nihan.
Nihan lives in a student accommodation near the DMU campus, and said she doesn’t feel homesick very often, as her father lives and works in Leicester, but sometimes she does miss her family and friends back in her home country.
“My dad lives and works here in Leicester. My mum and my little brother live in Turkey therefore I usually call them and sometimes they come to visit me, as for my friends in Turkey, I connect with them through social media,” says Nihan.
“I don’t really miss my home country but sometimes I do. I have lots of Turkish friends here and my dad is here too, so it’s not a big problem for me,” she adds.
When Nihan does feel a little homesick and craves her mum’s cooking, she simply recreates it at her flat or she goes to a Turkish restaurant, which is not hard to find in Leicester and is located near the DMU campus.
“I usually cook in my accommodation flat, but since I am a very picky eater, I usually eat basic salads and fast foods. My friends like to go to international restaurants, so I often go with them and try their traditional foods. When I miss my traditional Turkish food, I just go to a Turkish restaurant and order my favourite food which is called Doner kebab,” says Nihan.
Nihan’s hobbies are singing (she started when she was ten), dancing and fashion. She has joined the music society, where they do karaokes, and performances, which Nihan really loves doing and maybe in the future she could make a career out of this.
Nihan would like to encourage international students to come and study in Leicester. “I would like to say that it’s a good opportunity because there are lots of other international students here, so they would feel more confident and feel safe around the city centre,” says Nihan.