Hey all! I'm Batu. I'm a '26 from Istanbul, Turkey, and I am passionate about the cognitive science of design, developmental psychology, aesthetics research, postcolonial literature, and social media marketing! Be sure to reach out with questions about exploring the liberal arts, learning a new language at Dartmouth, cafes in town (one of my favorite blog series dare I say), study abroad programs, and research on campus!
In an earlier post about my first month at Dartmouth, I mentioned my love for journaling and shared excerpts of my journal from Fall 2022. Recognizing the anticipation many of you might feel as decision day's right around the corner, I revisited my journal from April. My quest yielded much insight, so I figured I would share how I arrived at the decision of committing to Dartmouth!
April 2, 2022
"What do you mean there are no decisions left? I feel lost. I know my top choices, but I am overwhelmed right now. There's probably a right choice. I guess. I don't know if that school's for me though. Their financial aid's also a little off OMG I NEED TO SLEEP OVER IT I CAN'T!"
As relieving as the end of college decisions sounds, it gets you staring into an abyss. To avoid making a rushed decision, I decided to defer doing further research to the next week. I was also fortunate enough to have a supportive counselor at school who helped me compare financial aid packages across schools.
April 7, 2022
"Boy was I nervous last weekend. I came in and talked with Ms. Okman (my awesome counselor), and I feel much more confident about what to consider. I feel like I reduced my choices to three, even two honestly. I also started going to schools' virtual programming. The campus tours are so cool. I wished I could visit in person, but I appreciate being able to get some sense of the campus vibes."
Okay, much calmer now. Dartmouth was obviously among my top choices, to begin with. However, thinking about what I want from my college experience solidified my judgment. I wanted to be a part of a community at a campus school. I wanted the experience to be worth-it but also as financially feasible as possible. I particularly enjoyed the sample class for Design Thinking (which I took this past term!), and the virtual campus tours for which current students walked around with an iPad on campus. The spontaneous interactions and the countless greetings the students got from people passing by felt authentically Dartmouth.
April 17, 2022
"I promise I'm gonna get back to talking about non-college stuff here. I think I know what I want to do now. I feel like it's Dartmouth. I like the campus and how approachable current students are. I don't know when I want to commit though."
I ended up waiting for my dad and sister to join me over Zoom and committed to Dartmouth the next day! Putting different schools up against each other's a difficult task, but I hope you will end up with much-needed clarity to decide when the time comes.
It's hard to believe that it has been a year since I wrote my first end-of-fall-term reflection. It felt like only yesterday that I stepped into my dorm room this September, eager to reunite with my friends.
Applying early to a university can be overwhelming and confusing. As someone who did not apply to Dartmouth through early decision, here are a couple tips that I could have used when thinking about applying early to a school!
