BY SERA ULUSOY (MAN/IV)
sera.ulusoy@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
First off, don’t let the title fool you; I do not have the blues—not just yet. In fact, I believe this is the happiest I have ever been about the commencement of a school year. I have missed my faculty, my friends, my professors, and even felt longing at the very idea of studying and writing reports. What’s more, I’ve missed the very unreasonably designed registration process and period, and the complications we face during this period—which transforms the school into the Amazon, and us students (pardon me for the analogy) into the wild animals of the Amazon.
This “longing for school” attitude of mine is, I believe, based on two main reasons. One, I had to work for about three months and didn’t get the chance to actually have a summer holiday, unlike majority of my friends—hence I have been looking forward to spending some time with them, especially those at the faculty; and two, this is officially the beginning of my senior year at Bilkent, and even the thought of it is saddening. The majority of those who are a year behind me or who have very recently started studying at a university consider this to be a case of “temporary insanity”; there are some who associate this whole concept of “missing my faculty” with me being a “nerd”—which is quite untrue, not because being a nerd is bad or anything, but because I really am not one—and then there are some who are so eager to start working at a job and so anxious to get academic life behind them that they believe this is me being avoidant of the “real life” that comes after school.
The last idea may be somewhat accurate in the sense that almost every senior student is, to some extent, hesitant about life after college. This does not merely stem from the fact that we are afraid to leave home or the comfortable life we have been leading with the support of our parents. It is more likely due to the fact that—especially for our generation—life after college is so competitive and harsh that it seems like this ocean with endless opportunities but also wild waves, as well as sharks or little ocean creatures who are out to get you, to bite or poison you when you are at your most vulnerable. Perhaps the picture I just painted sounds a little too dark, and I really do not want to deflate anyone’s mood or dreams, but this is a very accurate depiction of how things are in the majority of sectors in today’s world.
Nonetheless, I’ve missed school mostly on account of my desire to become an academic, a scholar. I’ve been considering this career path for quite some time now, but the internship I did this summer served to perpetuate and increase my desire. It helped me realize that I was not suited for the private sector environment and that I missed researching, writing and expressing myself in a classroom situation, where one can lead and participate in intellectually challenging discussions—not that private industry does not offer you this option, but from what I’ve observed and also heard from my friends who interned at other companies, gossip is a more common form of discussion in the office. I know some might be offended, but please do not be, as I am merely evaluating my observations, and I, most probably, have always been assertive, but in a different way that is not quite fitting for that environment. Moreover, I would like to remind you of the fact that my family is in private industry as well, and I am fully aware that not every single company or every single employee or supervisor at a given company is a component of the type of slightly weird experience I went through. I am not saying that it was bad; just rather ill-fitting for me. Bear in mind that I am not defending or disparaging any particular company or industry; I am only stating my opinions based on what I observed and felt.
Putting my vaguely irritating complaints aside, I must come to the main factor that prompted me to write this, which is my praiseworthy faculty, the very faculty through which I got the chance to meet some of the most brilliant, loveliest, most wonderful people, from the faculty members to my friends. The very faculty that has enabled me to discover my strengths as well as my weaknesses, and helped me grow up even more, in the best possible environment I could have asked for. Sure, I am aware that there are better business colleges out there in other countries. I have friends who are currently studying at the likes of NYU’s Stern School of Business or UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, and yes, I know that they do indeed offer better or more extensive opportunities. Furthermore, I must admit that some of them have been my dream colleges for as long I can remember, but this does not make me appreciate my faculty any less. I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of it and to have had the chance to meet and get to know some of the most vigorous, brightest and kindest teachers there are.
For all those who are at the very beginning of their freshman year in college and the Faculty of Business Administration at Bilkent, I wish you the best four—or more—years. Make sure that you take advantage of every opportunity that the faculty has to offer, whether it is taking a course from the great Jacques Couvas, or Olga Kravets, or Örsan Örge, or Ahmet Ekici, or Barış Depecik, or another instructor—there are many more whose names I haven’t mentioned but who are much appreciated, respected and loved—or whether it is attending the seminars presented by many great companies, or exhausting the faculty’s resources for your Erasmus plans; just be certain to use every opportunity to its fullest and relish your time here. Have a great school year, everyone!