Turkey, we will meet soon!

The Story Behind My Triumph

I actually cannot remember the details how I got the information of Turkiye Burslari. All I can remember is that in one of my facebook sprees, I opened a page of Filipino students studying in Turkey and one member posted an update about the application for graduate studies. That’s when I clicked their link and redirected to their official website. It’s like serendipity! Ah oh, this happened in March so technically I was still in college.

I have no friends to ask as to what should I do to win this scholarship. As I scanned that FB page, a familiar name appeared but we only had acquaintances and I doubt if he can remember me. Without saying much words, I discovered the perks of this scholarship myself. I have downloaded their application guide and that’s where I learned the procedures. It was a lengthy guide going into specific details. Since I was still in college that time, the documents I submitted were unofficial. For my grades, I attached my evaluation sheet with incomplete signatures. I was so lazy to get my papers signed by our college secretary and the university registrar. Haha!

What is so funny is that since I have no one to seek for an advice, for the university choices, I just randomly selected any university that has a Biology program according to their system. Until now I am not sure what universities did I select, but I think my top choice was Istanbul University. I hope so.  

To make the short story still short, I submitted my application one week ahead of the deadline. And no one knows about my application to this scholarship.

The Waiting Part

I thought my application didn’t make it because they never contacted me until after two months! And the content of the e-mail wasn’t informative that much because it said that my application is under evaluation and that I have to wait for the interview results! I was like “INTERVIEW RESULTS! When did I have my interview!” To convince myself that I can win this even obviously I have the slimmest chance, I try to reread my answers several times in the essay part trying to convince myself that the scholarship committee may reconsider my application by just basing on my essay.

In Allah’s good grace, they called me May 28, 2013 around 8:53 PM. It was an impromptu phone interview. I was really caught by surprise and since I was surprised expect major stuttering moments and the “Pardon me Sir. Could you repeat the question.” That moment I felt like I had some hearing problems. The first question was a casual one. “How are you?” said the person on the other line. “I’m very fine sir” said I. They asked me of easy questions, easy in the since that they were same questions of the Essay part. But the way I answered was a mess (di ba nga surprise). The other questions were: (1) What will you do after graduation if ever you were selected? And (2) Why do you choose Turkey?

Here’s a funny part of that phone call regarding that “graduation” thingy. I wasn’t able to understand his question so I assumed he was asking about whether I am still in college. I said “I just graduated from college with a degree in Zoology.” But I realized I didn’t hit the bull’s eye so at least I was able to make some innovative measures.

Now that I had my interview, the intense pressure fell unto me. I was hoping to win it but of course I was expecting to get rejected. So the counting of days commenced that day. And the waiting part almost drive me crazy!

Turkey, we will meet soon

I remember that in the application, I was asked to enumerate the reasons why I choose Turkey for higher learning. Here is my answer: “I’ve read in my research that Turkey is the only country that is both part of Europe and Asia. This geographical fact is promising as it offers a blend of the European and Asian culture. Aside from my aim to increase my education for my professional growth, I also wanted to explore different culture, travel to a different land and get accounted with its people, learn a new language, and participate in communal customs and traditions that are different from mine. These goals for my personal growth can be achieved if I study in Turkey. The rich culture of Turkey expressed in architecture, fine arts, music, and literature is another learning opportunity. The fact also that majority of the Turkish are Muslim is one factor why I consider pursuing higher education in Turkey. I hope that my interactions with Turkish Muslims would increase my faith.”

Now that I have the confirmation e-mail and all I am waiting is the invitation letter for further instructions, what I do lately is a lot of research about Turkey. The more I know, the more excited I get. First of all, I thought Istanbul is its capital city but I was wrong. It’s Ankara! The population is predominantly Muslims (98%) but Islam is not its official religion. Actually, they do not have official religion. Their government is a secular, united, and democratic government. The separation of church and state is crystal clear.

Turkey has a rich history as well. It was the capital city of the Ottoman Empire. I read of the Ottomans in my high school social studies book. And to be honest, I don’t remember much of their reign of power. It plays a significant role in the rise of Islam in Europe. The Ottoman Empire ended in 1922 and from then on the so called “Modern Turkey” flourished. Along with the on-going modernization, there was a change of language from Ottoman Turkish to just Turkish. The former is so hard that only the upper class can speak and write the language. In an effort to bridge the gap to the people, a much simpler Turkish language was introduced which is agglutinative in nature.

Turkey seeks full membership in European Union since 2005, a member of NATO (an international military organization), the 6^th largest economy in Europe and the 16^th largest in the world. They also boast a number of UNESCO world heritage sites.

Education in Turkey

According to their website (www.turkiyeburslari.gov.tr), about 36,000 international students are studying in Turkey at different levels and about half of this is through Turkiye Burslari (Turkey Scholarships). The language of instruction in universities is usually Turkish however some universities have programs either in English, French, or German. Turkey universities run on a two semester arrangements, known as fall and spring semesters. Besides, some universities have summer school programs. Academic performances at the universities are determined on success and attendance. Universities test students' academic success with different examinations such as two midterms and one final or one midterm and one final. Some universities implement different different systems such as make-up exams or summer schools. In addition to exams, various homeworks and reports are efficient in taking grades. Passmarks in the universities are usually 60/100 (2.00/4.00) (These grades may differ among universities).

Higher education in Turkey consists of universities with associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs, faculties, institution, conservatories and vocational schools. In total, 103 of 176 universities are state universities, the rest of them (73) are private ones. According to the data of recent years, the number of university students with the number of the students in formal education and distance education is about 3.5 million.

Here is a general information about Department of Biology from their website. So to all people who want to study MS Biology, here is a little idea about their department.

 

Department of Biology

There are innumerous species of beings in the world, and they cannot survive independently. Therefore, for the basic science of biology, the relationships of these beings to each other and the environment constitute a very important subject of examination.

Biology examines the anatomical and physiological structures of the creatures living in the earth, and how they interact with each other and with the environment. Environmental issues, biological breeding methods, biotechnological studies and advances in medicine further increase the importance of biology. For this reason, it can be said that the future of biology-based sciences in our Turkey and in the world is extremely bright.

Why Department of Biology in Turkey?

Biology departments in Turkey offer their students opportunities for modern biology-based training and research. Biological events and systems are dealt with at the molecular level, and given the universal position of biological sciences, this is the ideal way of approaching this subject.

On the other hand, the increasing number and importance of research and medical laboratories makes Turkey an attractive option for biology education. In light of this, Biology departments in Turkey convey the basic teachings of life sciences to their undergraduate and graduate students as well as scientific teachings, findings, knowledge and experience with which they can aim to identifying the biological riches of Turkey that must be preserved intact for future generations as a world legacy. Identifying the species of plants, animals, and microorganisms, determining their geographical and biological prevalence and their biological structures and how these structures function, shedding light on their genetic structures, finding out the ecological issues that jeopardize them, and generating solutions for these are also concerns for biology education in Turkey.

Biology Education

Having a very wide field of research, biology has a number of prominent basic sub-areas, such as botany, biotechnology, ecology, hydrobiology, molecular biology, and zoology.

Departments of Biology offer education at associate, undergraduate, and graduate levels. The students of the department take courses such as general biology, molecular biology, bio-statistics, plant anatomy and morphology, plant physiology, microbiology, cytology, histology, genetics, animal physiology, biochemistry, and organic chemistry.

Students of Biology can obtain a double major in Genetic Engineering.

Qualifications Required of Students and Job Opportunities

A prospective biology student, first and foremost, is expected to be a curious observer and a patient researcher.

Biology graduates are given the title "biologist". Biologists can work in laboratories, public and private hospitals, IVF laboratories, forensic science, and the production of medicines and pharmaceutical raw materials. They can also be employed in the manufacture and quality control of cosmetic products, food industry, environmental protection, organizations engaged in control and ecological planning, municipal wastewater treatment plants, nuclear plants and enterprises that use radiation, the research and development work and production activities of institutions and organizations engaged in biotechnology, hydrobiological research centers, hydrobiological and R & D activities related to fisheries, and zoological and botanical gardens.