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!
In case you needed further proof that almost everyone on this campus is a major nerd about at least one thing, and I mean that in the most positive way possible, here is me being unreasonably enthusiastic about my fall term classes.
PSYC 24: Abnormal Psychology
As an aspiring clinician, it is no surprise that I am more than excited about this class. The course explores different types of psychopathology by focusing on characteristics, diagnosis, etiology, and treatment. Yeah, the class material is intriguing, but the professor himself makes the class truly engaging. Dr. Bill Hudenko is a licensed clinical psychologist, which means he teaches more than what is in the textbook because he knows clinical practice, not only theory. The first week was mainly an introduction, going over the material we have also learned in other classes, such as intro psychology or intro to neuroscience. Yet he still found a way to make such familiar topics seem captivating for cynical psych students. I cannot wait to learn more about abnormal psychology, particularly mood and anxiety disorders in the following weeks!
SOCY 35: Sociology of Mental Health
My initial plan was to major in sociology before my gap year. That's why this class was part of my Dartmouth bucket list long before I set foot on campus. Growing up with mental illness in Turkey, where mental illness is heavily stigmatized, I witnessed firsthand how social context affects responses to and policies of mental health. I hope this class will allow me to make sense of some of my personal experiences and enrich my understanding of how social factors are in constant dialogue with psychological issues. One of the best, if not the best, part of the course is how enthusiastic Professor Jason Houle is about the class material. Though he is not the exception when it comes to professors at Dartmouth, he certainly seems uniquely captivated by the course he is teaching and his students.
ENGL 51.01: Plays, Playing, and Publicity
I am currently considering double majoring in psychology and English literature. I also thought I would be a theater major while applying to Dartmouth. So Professor Alexandra Halasz's class was the perfect fit. The course focuses on the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, and more specifically, how the commercial and professional system they were part of shaped their creative endeavors. I like this class because it pushes me out of my comfort zone. I know little about Shakespeare as a regular theater kid who attended a Turkish high school, but I have close to zero knowledge about his historical context. I also enjoy Professor Halasz's teaching style as she prioritizes discussion over lecture. She also seems interested in her students as complex individuals with unique backgrounds and interests.
Every Dartmouth student is required to demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English. Here's my experience navigating the language requirement!
In addition to blogging, I work as a Fellow for the Tucker Center, which focuses on promoting spiritual and ethical life on campus. As part of this role, I'm leading the Interfaith Alternative Spring Break Trip. Read on to learn more about my work!
