 Wake Me Up When Summer Ends
I didn't expect that it would be possible for me to miss the difficulty of finding a
starting sentence for this column, but I guess I've solved the problem for this week,
though this one is too long for a start and I'm making it still worse. To be honest,
there's nothing new to tell--it's September again. Even with all the good and bad events
that have happened all around the world since May, it's hard to forget the ultimate
experience of the summer: Seeing how Can Tanrıyar looks when he tries to pretend he's
surprised.
However, I'm aware that this summer wasn't that routine for many others. Lots of people
took the university entrance exam, waited for their results to be announced and then chose
what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives. (I must say, I hate this
exaggeration.) As you know, hundreds of them decided to come to Bilkent, including more
than 30 of the top 100.
When I thought about the situation new Bilkenters are in, I remembered the first time I
came to this campus. Though I'm sure there are many people with more experience than me, I
decided to make a list to make the new students' lives a little easier.
Hope this helps:
Wear something thin
inside your sweater if you're going to study in the computer labs.
Check your Bilkent
email, there are instructors here who use it really effectively.
Beware of the water
drops around the Science Faculty building when it's raining.
Learn how to use the
library and the sport halls.
If you have to borrow a
book from the library for an assignment, don't be late doing it. Otherwise, you might find
out that all of the copies have been borrowed by others for the same assignment.
There are three places
with the greatest imaginable importance: 1) the photocopy room in the library 2) the
photocopy section in the bookstore 3) the photocopier in FEASS building.
When an instructor says
that attendance and homework are important, you'd better believe him/her. (I'm telling you
this as a person who knows the consequences.)
Join student clubs if
you want to take part in campus social life. Don't be shy about asking members about their
club, they'll be eager to tell you. Don't forget that its past record of activities is the
best reference for a student club.
You can be sure about
two things when it snows: 1) it creates amazing scenes all around the Bilkent campus, and
2) it rarely means that classes will be canceled.
Unlike in many other
places, pedestrian crossings really function at Bilkent. Use your right-of-way as a
pedestrian and don't hesitate to complain when you need to about drivers who ignore the
crossings.
That's all for now. I've tried to be as helpful as possible in this
limited space. Till next week, take care.
İsmail O.
Postalcıoğlu (POLS/III)
ismail_orhan@yahoo.com
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