ENTER THE HAGGIS!
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BY CEREN TURAN (CS/IV)
It's really hard to believe that this is my senior year in college. It definitely hasn't been like high school. As a high school student, I used to spend most of my time daydreaming about college, convincing myself how amazing it would be when I finally graduated and went to college. In this paradise, I would get to choose what I wanted to study, and even though I was the one who would choose what courses to take, I still wouldn't have to go to class if I didn't feel like it. Like all of my friends, I believed in this myth -- at least until the end of my freshman year at Bilkent. My advice to you is: don't believe it. I'm not going to say you have to study hard so that you can get a high-paying job or be admitted to a well-known university for a master's degree. We all know this is true, so I want to focus on a different issue. Two words: Exchange Programs.
I spent the spring semester of my third year at university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was an amazing experience and (unfortunately) once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As for my reasons for studying abroad, I have always been interested in exploring new cultures: learning the languages the people speak, getting familiar with their habits, tasting their cuisines and listening to the kinds of music they make. In addition to the cultural aspects, I'm also interested in meeting new people, especially ones with a different background from that of the people I already know. Both for cultural exploration and for meeting people from other countries, studying abroad through an exchange program is the best option. And by doing so, you not only get to meet people from the country you go to -- there are students from all over the world who are likely to become your closest friends for at least a couple of months, because they are as lost as you are when you first arrive, and you probably have more in common with them than you can imagine.
Another reason for studying abroad is that the friends you have when you are abroad function as your family during your stay. Although studying in your country of origin is advantageous most of the time, it also has its drawbacks, such as the limitations imposed by living with your own family. Most students see living alone as not having to report to someone when they decide to go out, or being able to come home late. However, it's a lot more than that. Being with people who speak the same language and who will try to help you in any way they can always gives you confidence. But when you're miles away from those people, you have to learn how to take care of yourself, from deciding what you'll eat for dinner to remembering whether or not you've locked your door. I can say that this sense of responsibility that comes with independence is one of the greatest gifts of studying abroad. In short, being an exchange student advances your personal development -- plus, having this on your CV is likely to impress potential employers. Individuals who have multicultural experience tend to be preferred to those who have spent all their lives in one country, both for their broader vision and for their fluency in English, which can't be acquired without practice.
Those being the general reasons why studying abroad is appealing to students, I had my own reasons for choosing Scotland from the long list of countries given to the students by the Computer Science Erasmus coordinator. As I've already mentioned, I'm always fascinated by seeing new places, and therefore traveling is a hobby of mine. When I had to pick the country that I wanted to spend five months in, my initial thought was that I would probably have plenty of opportunities later on to go to England or the USA. As for most of the other countries, there was a language barrier, so there weren't many choices left.
That being the formal explanation, I must admit that I believed in the charming image of Scotland: endless green valleys; numerous castles; chubby guys with big bellies and red cheeks, sitting in pubs in their kilts drinking beer all day long and talking with an accent that's appealing to the ear but almost impossible to understand; and of course, people playing bagpipes on the sidewalk. Although I wasn't exactly thinking that all this could really be true, it was nice to imagine nonetheless.
It would require at least three times the length of my column to draw a picture of Scotland in words, so I'll try to explain it in one sentence: I couldn't have been more right! Going to Scotland was one of the best decisions I ever made in my life, and I strongly advise anyone to visit it if they get the chance. My second suggestion is for students who are thinking of studying abroad: go for it! Because, college isn't like high school. Once you get in, you don't even realize how quickly the years go by. Why not spend that time in the best way you can?
P.S. For those who might be wondering what the title is about: haggis is a traditional Scottish dish, while Enter the Haggis is a Canadian/Scottish folk band.