BY ŞEBNEM TÜRE (PSYC/II) sebnem.ture@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
The new semester at Bilkent has begun! By now, we’ve all been through course registration; this was my eighth one. It reminded me how things all started, one day on the Bilkent campus, not knowing how to use a VPN to make course selections at home. The pandemic conditions have made this and many other such memories even more emotional, because I would have loved to come back and enjoy the campus with the same freedom as before for this one last semester.
Thinking about all that and scrolling on social media, I realized that many seniors like me have similar feelings. It’s unbelievable to leave class one day and not go back to campus for a very long time – not knowing whether we’ll ever be able to go back again in the usual way before graduation.
With that in mind, I randomly reached out to some seniors from various departments and asked them what comes to mind when I say “Bilkent campus” – what they miss about it, and what they know will stay in their minds in the future. I personally remember being wowed by how birds perch on the statue of İhsan Doğramacı. I know that this image will stay with me, no matter how far I fly away from Bilkent one day.
Adil Berkay Temiz / EE:
Cherry blossoms: wherever I see a cherry blossom tree, that reminds me of the campus. They’re always there, right beside the fountain, calmly following the seasons, regardless of all the rush of Bilkent. And every year, just at the right time, they show their beautiful blossoms, regardless of whatever else is going on the world. Working like clockwork, just like Bilkent.
İnci Işık / MATH:
One of the things that reminds me of campus is how we have fun! Walking down the stairs of F Building onto Main Campus and seeing all those young students chatting, laughing, listening to music in front of Speed Cafeteria. I also see thousands of people bouncing around on the Spring Fest area and having fun during the Open-Air Party. Spring Fest is my happy place, but I’ll also remember the nights we had fun in the dormitory areas until morning. Overall, campus reminds me of fun, music, the rush hour between classes, and cold! Because everybody knows that Bilkent is the freezing hill of Ankara. 🙂 Thank God we had youth to warm each other up!
Faruk Tayyip Yalçın / PSYC:
Even if my lack of sleep will one day make me an Alzheimer’s patient, I don’t expect to forget where my fondest memories were recorded – I’m talking about the campus. I’ve experienced the delight of looking at the city skyline, breathing clean air in the nation’s second busiest city, and getting to know amazing people, all thanks to the Dorm 76 lawn. I’ve felt the peculiar joy of pretending that I’m a sitcom character while sipping coffee and chatting with my friends at the Coffee Break on the top floor of the library. Would it have been possible for me to feel that unique emotion if Coffee Break didn’t have orange walls and comfy sofas? I guess not. Most of my “pleasure” has indeed come from the social content of my experiences. Yet, I can’t deny that those experiences wouldn’t have been as enjoyable as they were if Bilkent’s campus hadn’t been such an appropriate context. I know that I’ll miss that context. I know that I’ll miss the Bilkent campus.
Ece Nur Armağan / LAW:
Four years of the Bilkent journey was like taking a tour through the campus flora with HOP. Fast and educational. At the beginning, I was a tree with only one root in the ground, unconscious of the possibilities in the hidden depths. Now approaching the end, I feel grounded with many roots, and realize the opportunities that may exist where the roots are leading. Once I believed that talent would be required to utilize those possibilities, but now I believe in learning. Spending time on the Bilkent campus can have as great an influence on you as the university’s education system, so I recommend to future Bilkenters that they take advantage of both.
Dorukhan Yeşilli / IE:
Bilkent University has one of the largest and prettiest-looking campuses in the world. There’s no way you won’t remember the days spent having fun with your friends or studying on our campus. What would be some things that will make you remember the campus? Perhaps the giant Christmas tree in front of the Bilkent Library that instills hope in the students for the new year? Perhaps Spring Fest, home to parties and to casually chilling out with friends? Or perhaps the Bilkent Library itself, which has become home to many on the quest for knowledge? No matter how different everyone’s opinions are about their favorite places, there can be no argument that you won’t be reminded of Bilkent whenever you see a “no smoking” sign. Hopefully, we’ll return to campus soon with our cups full of coffee and our hearts full of excitement.
Emine Aybala Deniz / MAN:
Our campus really is great, enough to give me joy and remind me how nice it is to be alive. But if I were to choose one thing about it, I’d love to remember Bilkent by the amazing view of the blossoming trees of spring in front of SA Building, with all their shades of pink. I’m so sad that I won’t be there when they blossom again; yet, that breathtakingly beautiful scenery will always stay with me.
