I moved here as a 22 year old...I am headed back home (NC and NYC) for the first time in 2 years in July. I will miss Istanbul A LOT.

Anyways, my general advice is this:

• If you are aiming to learn Turkish, then live with people who speak Turkish and live in a Turkish environment. Erasmus housing is not the way to go for this, especially if all your courses will be in English. I worked in an all Turkish environment and it helped my language loads. At home I was surrounded by English speakers and it really held me back.

• If you don't care at all about learning the language, then pick a place with other Erasmus students. You may end up getting overcharged for a nice place with other Erasmus students...but you only have one year in Istanbul...and it is probably worth it to live with other foreigners. I paid 750YTL a month to live in a house with 22 Erasmus students for a year in a half. I met their friends that were visiting, traveled to their native countries to stay for free, made some really awesome lifelong friends, wound up in two awesome romantic relationships and lots of peripheral ones, etc. etc. This is definitely the way to go if you have a 'I want to max out on the European experience' route. So many possibilities in regards with people to meet and things to do. Who cares if it is more expensive.

• As a male, who was here for two years, I made very FEW Turkish male friends. The general male attitude on a lot of things (I realize these are sweeping generalizations, but they are ones I have formed over the past two years and as someone who has been to the country at least a dozen times previously) is hard to relate to as an American guy who just wants to go out to have a good time and not to aggressively pursue any female (especially foreign ones). Watch out for dudes befriending you just to meet your foreign female friends. I am half-Turkish and found myself feeling really alienated from the viewpoints of most of my brethren. That being said, there are some gems out there and most of the girls are really awesome and interesting.

• I realize I just assumed you are male. If you are female, be weary. Turkish dudes can be a lot to handle. Travel with your friends, don't be afraid to put dudes in their place...they fucking deserve it.

• The food. Eat and try everything. I used ZERO caution when trying street food and was never sick from it. Some of the most delicious food I have had here is from the people just selling it from kiosks or on the street. Some must-eats include: -Midye (mussels on the street). Make sure you ask the price in advance because they like to rip you off.
  -Lahmacun - Turkish...pizza salad wrap things. Sounds weird, but super cheap and delicious. -Kebab, Doner, Kofte - Meat eaters dream foods here. Just hunt around and you will find a place that you end up constantly frequenting. -Çorba - Soup! The most important food to eat here. I eat it 3 times a day usually, as I love it. Ezogelin is the best. -Ayran - You might hate it at first, but eventually you will be a die hard fan. Try this more than once or you are throwing away one of the best items in Turkey. Experiment and you will find lots of other stuff, but these are my favs.

• Taxis. If you look foreign, prepare to be jerked around A LOT. Their general response to you calling them out on their shit is to just look forward and ignore everything you are saying with this oblivious expression. This infuriates me to the point where I have almost boxed drivers in the face. Just threaten to call the police, be rude if you know you are in the right, etc. Especially be wary of these guys in Old Istanbul and when you are absolutely drunk (I have had them rob drunk flatmates on more than one occasion). Always watch where you are going and NEVER get in an unmarked taxi unless you called for it in advance

• Take the boat to cross over whenever possible. If you aren't crossing over a few times a month, you are probably not exploring Istanbul enough. Lots of gems hidden on the Asian side, especially in the Kadikoy and Moda area. A change of scenery after being on the European side is really nice.

• Dance, stay out late in Taksim/Bebek, etc. As someone who hates the club scene in the states, I have found some really fantastic clubs here that have people in the college age range dancing (not grinding) to world music. Find yourself a nice rooftop bar.

• This is a given, but represent the states well. You will hear things that upset you either politically or just general social beliefs. However, it is a two way street. So watch your mouth, don't be a dick for no reason (it is amazing how many Americans I have met that fill our negative stereotypes while here) and let yourself go for a bit.

I think that is aboutttttttttttt it.