ÇEVRE HIGHLIGHTS - 25.SAYI

37 OCAK 2024 1) Which university and department are you studying at? How is your educational life going? Hello, I am Erenalp Gökdereli, and I graduated from Çevre College in 2023. Currently, I am studying at Boğaziçi University in the Business Administration department. This year, I chose to attend the preparatory school to get accustomed to university life, participate in clubs and university events, and develop myself in other areas. Let me give you an overview of Boğaziçi University. It has a rich history and is one of the universities in Turkey with a limited number of student communities, which I realized from my first step. In my opinion, the biggest difference between Boğaziçi and other universities is that students contribute significantly to the school’s prestige. I remember when I first arrived, they directly reminded me, “Remember, you are now in the Champions League.” It truly is the Champions League, but it’s an environment where people are tolerant of each other despite the competition. Now, let me tell you what I am doing in the preparatory year. I’ve acquired different hobbies such as mountaineering, snowboarding, etc., which I had never tried in my life. I joined career clubs for the opportunity to network early and participated in volunteer-based projects that involve traveling to Europe. In two years, I managed to brush up my somewhat rusty English - it wasn’t too difficult. Overall, I am very happy that I got accepted to this university. 2) “Do you feel the difference of being a Çevre College student in the school you are currently attending? - Absolutely, I feel it. Firstly, there is a significant difference, especially in terms of English. Whenwe were at ÇevreCollege, they used to tell us from the 9th grade onwards, ‘You are studying English at a university level.’ Of course, at that time, I wasn’t fullyaware of everything, but now I can really see that my English proficiency is much higher than others, and this is evident in every aspect. Whether in speaking, presenting, or writing texts, there is a noticeable difference in all forms. Apart from that, I have seen that my school provided more opportunities. The best example is Model UnitedNations (MUN). I participated in one international MUN, and I was about to participate in another when the pandemic disrupted everything. When I mentioned MUN at Boğaziçi University, people didn’t even know what MUN was. Finally, the student atmosphere, both in terms of tolerance and freedom, is similar to the student spirit at Çevre College, which has greatly facilitated my adjustment to university life.” 3) What study schedule did you follow while preparing for the university exam? - If a program is to be prepared for the YKS, I think the most important thing is to create a flexible yet uncompromising schedule. In other words, a situation where topics may not be covered in case of an emergency or finishing earlier than expected can create issues in your program. For example, a topic in mathematics may finish faster than planned, and the time allocated to it in your program may go to waste. Therefore, my suggestion is a flexible study program. I maintained this flexibility by updating the program every day. While emphasizing flexibility, I also want to underline the importance of not compromising. The fact that a topic may finish easily or quickly does not make it less important. One mistake I observed is not giving enough emphasis to mistakes in the program and postponing challenging topics. In other words, if a certain topic is really rusty occasionally, you need to be willing to give it more focus or handle two topics together, andwe will do this through planning. Of course, this is very difficult. I had moments of desperation where I wished for the day to be 36 hours and a little more time during the exam period, but the day is 24 hours, and the practice exams are not my real results. That’s why I studied, trusted, and didn’t succumb to the idea that I couldn’t succeed. As long as you put in the effort, you will either win and be happy, or you will lose and learn. Both outcomes are in your favor. 4) What do you recommend to candidates who will take the exam for their success? - What I’m about to say may sound cliché, but if someone who has reached every goal says it, there must be a reason. First and foremost, not giving up is crucial. I also felt upset about my mock exams; I said I could do better. I couldn’t, but not being able to was actually giving me a reason to do better in my next attempt. Maybe the next one will be worse, or maybe it will be better, but the challenging part of this process is realizing that you are improving internally even if there is no concrete evidence. Another piece of advice is to be serious. Yes, we tell you that exams are not everything, that every poorly performed test is an opportunity to improve, a chance to see your mistakes. At the end of these tests, a leap is needed. Nomatter howwell-prepared and confident you are, there comes a point where you need to take it seriously, ask yourself what you are doing, or else accepting it becomes easy. Our goal is to stand strong at the breaking point and keep going. In 9 or 6 months, you will be studying at a university, but your current state will determine which university it will be. Finally, let me give you concrete advice, not just about motivation and your approach to the exam. Your sleep should never be irregular; going to bed at 1 and waking up at 7 will deplete your energy early andmake you less disciplined. A tactic that worked forme is starting practice tests early, the same goes for the TYT and AYT exams. My reason for starting early was my ability to grasp concepts quickly; if you are doubtful about such an ability, I do not recommend it much. Do not give up something you really love as a hobby, but shorten it. For me, sports were crucial. I reduced it from3 days a week for 2 hours to 2 days a week for 1 hour and continued. I had decided to quit halfway through the year, and my scores dropped, and my fatigue increased significantly. Do not make the same mistake as me withmy current mindset; I would have quit around the last 3 months. Pay attention to your diet; you will always be in libraries, schools, and getting sick becomes very easy, so be careful. My final concrete advice is to solve all the challenging and incorrect questions in all the tests you take, whether they are related to your field, school, or even in your own test book. I would try to solve a question four times, attempting it initially, then watching a video solution or asking a teacher, and then solving it again. I found this tactic very beneficial.” Erenalp GÖKDERELİ