Hello, Eda here: full-time learner, part-time writer, and pretty much a happy amateur at everything else. My hobbies include reading, discovering new movies, and looking at the pictures of my cat. On campus, you can find me peer supporting for the Mental Health Union and SAPA, writing for Spare Rib, doing research in psychology, or listening to Turkish & English alt-rock. Feel free to ask me about taking a gap year, transitioning to a new cultural space, or college in general!
This class discusses the concepts of sex and gender in the broader context of issues related to race, class, national identity, and more. I loved this class because it helped me better understand how systemic inequality affects individual lives and made me think about ways to change it. Professor A'Ness is such an inspiring prof!
In this first-year writing seminar, we discussed how avant-garde movements from futurism to punk rock have constituted a rebellion against the status quo. I loved all the readings for this class and Professor McCann inspired me to take more courses in the English department!
In this course, we learned all the basics of fiction: character, plot, setting, etc. My favorite parts of the course were receiving feedback from other students, reading my peers' work, and having fiction readings as assigned course work! I also appreciated all the guest speakers we had, who were experienced writers in their respective genres.
As an aspiring clinical psychologist, this course has been one of the best classes I have taken at Dartmouth so far. The class focused on the etiology, diagnosis, characteristics and treatment of various mental disorders. Professor Hudenko has been one of the greatest lectures I had the pleasure of meeting. As a clinical psychologist himself, he had extensive knowledge in not only the theory, but also the practice of clinical psychology. He also succeeded in making a lecture-based class feel interactive and dynamic.
We covered the complex neural and biological mechanisms of multiple mental health disorders ranging from common conditions like anxiety to more complicated illnesses such as schizophrenia. In addition to reading about the cutting-edge research in this area, we also read memoirs and watched documentaries about the mental illnesses to focus on how these conditions are affecting people in real life. Professor Funnell is one of the best profs I had!
As an aspiring clinical psychologist, this has been one of my favorite classes at Dartmouth. We learned about different therapy methods, how and when to use them, their advantages, and shortcomings. The class was incredibly engaging with Professor Hudenko's frequent demonstrations of methods, therapy videos, and guest speakers. I would recommend this class to every psychology major.
I worked at Dimock Health Center as part of my community health internship. I was part of a team of summer interns who were college students like myself. We worked as patient advocates that helped people reach out to resources regarding housing, food, utilities, etc. Most of our work involved calling patients, helping them fill out forms, and researching resources. I learned so much about community health resources and how to communicate with a diverse set of patients. It was an invaluable experience!
I took classes in the School of English and Drama at Queen Mary University of London. My favorite class of the term was called London Performance Now, which involved going to different performance events in London and discussing them in class. It was the perfect opportunity to explore the cultural landscape of London.
As the title of the course suggests, this class was about food: its history, economics, and cultural practices. I learned a lot through this course thanks to guest speakers, thought-provoking readings, and engaging assignments. My favorite assignment in this course was writing about a family recipe; I learned so much about my family's history as well as the cultural conflicts in my home country. Overall, it was among the best classes I have taken at Dartmouth. Plus, we even got to eat delicious food cooked by our classmates!
As you may already know, I am spending this summer in Boston unlike most sophomores. Instead of taking classes for sophomore summer, I am doing a Dartmouth Center for Social Impact (DCSI) internship. Still, I have been visiting Dartmouth quite often this term to see my friends and partner on campus. It's a change of pace to see what weekends are like in summer with so few people in Hanover. Here is how I have been spending time on campus on sophomore summer weekends!
Spare Rib
I have written about Spare Rib, the intersectional feminist zone on campus, many times before. This summer, the wonderful sophomores in Spare Rib were kind enough to schedule leadership meetings during the weekends, which meant I could also attend them. Before I could start attending meetings during the weekends, they did all the planning for our termly tradition sip n flip, during which we flip through our newest addition while sipping something delicious with some snacks. So far, we have been planning socials, such as movie nights, board game nights, hikes, and small excursions. Spare Rib has also been collaborating with the Dartmouth chapter of the Sunrise movement to plan a reproductive justice awareness week. I may write more about that once it comes to fruition, so stay tuned!
Catching up with friends
Since most of my friends are international students, I do not have as many friends on campus who are currently taking classes, but luckily for me, one of my best friends happened to be on for sophomore summer. She is a Studio Art major, who is currently taking two studio art classes: SART 15: Drawing I and SART 23: Figure Sculpting. She is also leading the Dartmouth chapter of Sunrise. At the beginning of summer, Dartmouth finally opened a free thrift store on campus, which has been a work in progress for a few months now. My friend has receives funding from the sustainability office to complete this project. I'm incredibly honored and grateful that I know such an inspiring human being. Here is the link to her art website with projects she completed in studio art classes: https://www.gracehillery.org/
Exploring the Upper Valley
As a rising junior, I finally know enough people with cars that we can take small weekend trips to nearby towns. Last weekend, I finally got to eat at the Turkish restaurant in White River Junction, Vermont, a 15-minute drive from campus. There is also a small gift store across from the Turkish restaurant that sells little trinkets, spices, and products from Turkey. It feels so special to find little pieces of home an ocean away.
Water!
As temperatures rise and the water no longer freezes one to the bone, it is the perfect time to make the most of what the Connecticut River has to offer. You can rent canoes, paddleboards, and kayaks, or just dip in the river to escape the summer heat.
There's a lot to do on campus during sophomore summer, from attending free outdoors Hopkins Center for the Arts events to going on Dartmouth Outing Club trips. Read other sophomore bloggers' blogs to see what they are up to!
It's easy to forget how easy it is to access walking trails during the hustle of a Dartmouth term. As graduation nears, I am reminded of how special it is to step off campus and enjoy quiet moments in nature.
With a solar eclipse sweeping across North America for the first time in nearly seven years on April 8th came a road-trip with hundreds of other Dartmouth students to a zone of totality near campus: St. Johnsbury, Vermont!
