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!
I have been at Dartmouth for nine terms now, so I had plenty of time to discover some hidden gems of our campus. Let me tell you about a few of them!
The Greenhouse
A beautiful greenhouse sits atop of our Life Sciences Center.The Life Sciences Greenhouseencompasses 6,000 square feet and has a variety of collections, including Brout Orchid Collections, tropical plants, sub-tropical plants, and cacti and succulents. One highlight of the greenhouse is Morphy - the corpse flower. The corpse flower, or morphophallus titanum, goes through three growth phases. Initially, it grows a large leaf to store energy in its underground corm. After this leafy stage, the plant enters a dormant period with no visible parts above ground. Eventually, it produces a striking bloom instead of a leaf. This bloom features a tall, yellow spadix surrounded by a deep purple spathe and emits a strong smell similar to rotting flesh to attract pollinators. Typically, it takes about eight years for a corpse flower to bloom for the first time, but it can bloom more frequently once it matures. Morphy's flower bud began to open at 2:30 PM on Monday, March 11, 2024 and had closed by the morning of March 13, 2024. Dartmouth continued to stream live video of the inflorescence until the flower had entirely collapsed; it was indeed a historic moment.
My first visit to the Greenhouse during my first fall!
BEMA
BEMA is an outdoor amphitheater and a beloved park on Dartmouth's campus. While many students now affectionately refer to it as the "Big Empty Meeting Area," the name "Bema" likely originates from the Greek word for "platform for public speaking," as explored in a blog post by my fellow blogger, Batuhan. The BEMA hosts several cherished Dartmouth traditions, including the Twilight Ceremony and Frost Lights. During the Twilight Ceremony, part of the first-year orientation, the most recent graduates pass flames candle by candle to the incoming class in a symbolic procession from the Collis Center to the BEMA. This event, held the evening before Fall-term classes begin, concludes with the singing of the Alma Mater and the extinguishing of the candles, officially commencing the students' Dartmouth journey. Frost Lights during winter might as well be my favorite Dartmouth tradition, which is an interactive light and sound installation. Occasionally, student groups also perform in BEMA. I remember my first spring, Dartmouth's student-run Shakespeare company performed The Tempest in BEMA. This term, the theater company I am a part of, Displaced, was going to perform Spring Awakening, our first musical production, in BEMA. We rehearsed in BEMA a few times, but due to weather conditions, we had to move to an indoor space. Still, I got a few cool photos out of the rehearsals outdoors!
This is what rehearsing at night time in BEMA looks like!
A glimpse into what Frost Lights looked like during our first winter!
Stacks - 5th Level
The stacks are levels and levels of shelves full of books sitting at the heart of the Baker-Berry Library and spanning six floors up and two floors down. The stacks are notorious for being cold and silent, as the temperature is kept at a lower degree to preserve the books. It is also where people go when they want to motivate themselves to lock in and study as quickly as possible to get out of the stacks. However, the 5th level of the stacks has a perfect view and great lighting if you grab one of the window-side desks. Plus, it is super quiet with very few people and distractions. If you ever find yourself on campus, give the stacks a chance!
Dartmouth's most anticipated spring tradition is over, prompting an influx of Green Key posts from Dartmouth students online (including this one from myself)! Join me as I reflect on the most memorable parts of this weekend!
Eastern European Easter (loads of E's, I know), a mock wedding with the Dartmouth African Student Association, and of course, Green Key! What a busy week!
Green Key: A quintessential Dartmouth tradition along with Homecoming and Winter Carnival—and the one remaining tradition I had yet to experience as a freshman. Here are my impressions of my first Green Key weekend!
Green Key Weekend in Berlin! My experience at Karneval der Kulteren was amazing, a festival of cultures that lasts four days. It is very different from Green Key at Dartmouth, and it proved to be a great experience!
With Green Key quickly approaching, student band Read Receipts prepares to perform as the opening act before musicians Young M.A. and Shaggy take the stage. Here's what guitarist Jackson Yassin '26 had to say about this surreal opportunity!
As my first year at Dartmouth comes to an end, I am looking back at my experience with Great Issues Scholars, a first-year program with the Dickey Center for International Understanding.
