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!
For this blog post, I want to talk about a few special people I have met thanks to the opportunities Dartmouth provides. I cannot make justice to all the amazing, inspiring, and unique people I have met on campus. I will not be talking about really close friends, roommates, and the like. Instead, I want to focus on people I have met through unexpected circumstances.
Dearest Diane
When I signed up for the International Friendships Family Program, I did not know what to expect. I signed up because the closest family member to me was thousands of miles away, and I felt like I needed to at least catch a glimpse of a family living nearby. Also, it seemed like a good opportunity to get to know people in the Upper Valley. I was matched with Diane, who was a professional orchestral musician. She traveled all over the world, from Finland to Italy, and from Germany to Turkey. I was delighted to learn that she had a special connection with Turkey; She has seen more of it than I have and has even considered living there in the past! I have been meeting with Diane every month or so when we are both in the US. Our conversation topics range from literature to politics, from music to family members. She is a very inspiring and affectionate individual that I am lucky and privileged to know.
Adithi
I met Adithi, who was a sophomore back then, in my first-year fall when we were both taking PSYC 1: Introductory Psychology. She was sitting next to me, and we would chat before and after each class. I did not see Adithi for months after our psychology course ended. Flashforward to 22F. I ran into Adithi in our dining hall. To our mutual delight, we discovered we were still both psychology majors. We decided to grab a meal, and learned we had much more in common than we ever thought. We both wanted to become clinical psychologists, working roughly in the same area, and had similar visions of what we wanted to change in our lives and the world. I am taking a class together with Adithi this term called the Neuroscience of Mental Illness. I am ecstatic to share a classroom with Adithi once again, who is one of the strongest, coolest, and most inspiring people I have met, not only on this campus.
Coworkers <3
Before coming to campus, I had never worked to earn my own money; Student jobs are just not accessible in Turkey. I had no idea what coworkers were usually like. But I believe I have been extremely fortunate that I had two amazing coworkers in the lab I work in: the Reading Brains Lab. My first coworker was Laurel, who was a senior when I was a first-year and brand new to everything. I learned a lot from her work ethic, her sense of humor, energy, and enthusiasm for everything she did. When Laurel graduated, I got a new coworker, Meg. We quickly learned we had a lot in common: our ideologies, music tastes, and mutual interest in theater. Chatting with Meg and our professor while waiting for the participants has become one of my favorite interactions to look forward to. I hope my friendship with Meg will outlast our job at the lab because I have much to learn from her. She never ceases to make me laugh and inspire me. This term, we have got a new coworker, Daisy, who is one of the coolest '26 (first-years) I have met. In addition to working in the lab, she is also dancing for Sheba, one of my favorite dance groups on campus. I cannot wait to get to know Daisy more.
These were just a few examples of how you meet the most amazing people in different places at Dartmouth. There were countless more I could not mention, but keep reading my blogs; you might run into them!
I applied through Questbridge's National College Match, but did not match. To others who also did not match, this is not the end of your application process! Here's what I did following match decision day.
Unlimited buffets, flavorful drinks, an assortment of breakfast pastries—Dartmouth has so many great food and drink options to choose from! Join me as I rank my favorite ones.
Walking around the Wellelsey campus, it's clear that it was built with intentional incorporation of the surrounding nature. The architecture of many buildings were also mindfully crafted to support Wellesley's unique principles.
