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!
There have been so many moments where I stopped and said to myself: "I am glad I am here." I have written about a few of them before, which you can read by clicking here. This time I wanted to talk about academic opportunities that made me realize Dartmouth was the right fit for me after all.
Visits to the Hood Museum and Rauner Library
What I appreciate the most about classes at Dartmouth is that they are never restricted to the classroom. For my first-year writing class and first-year seminar, we visited the Hood Museum multiple times. We visited different galleries to learn about the Hood Museum's approach called Learning to Look, designed to inspire viewers to think critically about works of art. Not only that, but we have also been to Bernstein Center for Object Study, in which we viewed a wide range of artworks from the 65,000 works in the Hood's collection that are mostly available for students to see. For my Sex, Gender, and Society class, we have also been to the Rauner Library to see Dartmouth's archives and view documents related to Dartmouth's history of going co-education. Such resources enriched our class discussions and made the learning experience much more engaging.
Visitors, visitors, visitors
For my EDUC 20: Educational Issues in Contemporary Society class, Professor Wheelan brought a range of speakers to class from different backgrounds working in education or education policy. It was a great opportunity to see what the actual experience of teaching and public policy in education was like from teachers, administrators, principals, and legislators. For my Writing and Reading Fiction class, we have read Detransition, Babyby Torrey Peters, who was invited to campus. I had a chance to attend her craft talk at Still North Books, organized by the Office of Pluralism and Leadership (OPAL). Hearing an author talk about their craft changes your entire perspective on how you view their work.
Grabbing coffee with a prof!
In the fall term, I had a chance to grab coffee with Professor A'ness at Still North Books, who is teaching Sex, Gender, and Society. We talked about theater, the international student experience, our favorite books, and more. That's when I realized Dartmouth professors are truly invested in learning more about their students beyond the classroom.
Through Dartmouth's Guarini Institute for International Study, I am getting to take classes and experience life at Wellesley College, an all-women's school!
Academics can be challenging at Dartmouth. But there are lots of groups across campus here to support you through your academic journey. Read on for my experience asking for help and a few organizations that might be helpful to you!
Every Dartmouth student is required to demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English. Here's my experience navigating the language requirement!
