About Me: My Background Information

I attended an elite boarding school in Switzerland called Institut Le Rosey, where I had an international high school experience and completed the IB program. Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, I studied at Koç School until 10th grade. My mother is the founder and CEO of Turkey’s top landscape architecture and application company, which instilled in me an entrepreneurial spirit and a drive to achieve great things. From a very young age, my father —who has taught at a university— nurtured my passion for learning.

In primary and middle school, I was deeply interested in math, competing in national contests. In primary school, my school administration invited me to take additional private courses alongside my regular coursework. In 4th grade, I invented a new mathematical technique, which is now trademarked under my name. In 6th grade, I won 2nd place in the national Kangaroo competition. However, as I entered high school, my interests shifted toward economics, political science, and art.

Now in college, I am exploring the intersection of these diverse fields by double majoring in Economics and Statistics and Data Science. Statistics combines computer science and math, complementing my passion for applied learning. I still make time for artistic exploration and contribute to the creation of a campus mural. While I haven’t been practicing as much lately, I have played piano for over 13 years and have a longstanding passion for music.

My Reasons to Choose to Study Abroad—Especially in the US

It was the best course of action to take. My family has always stressed the importance of investing in your education and interests. Although I grew up in Turkey, studying abroad presented more opportunities, both professionally and academically.

The US provides a wealth of extracurricular and supercurricular activities. The spirit of Yale, for instance, is choosing “and” over “or”. That is, taking science and humanities classes, rather than or; doing dance and portfolio management; speaking French and Portuguese.

US colleges, unlike many other countries’ systems, have an active commitment to a diversity of knowledge. The liberal arts curriculum prepares students to be critical and independent thinkers in a democracy.

This entails taking full ownership of your academic journey. Students can choose any class to fulfill their graduation requirements and are not prescribed a set curriculum by their departments. I, for instance, am pursuing a career in finance. Yet, I participated in a year-long program about the Western canon.

I also considered studying in the UK. I have been fascinated with Cambridge for a long time. Their educational resources are truly unmatched. Yet, I ended up choosing Yale, for the reasons I will mention later.

Me Outside of Class at High School: My Extracurricular Activities

I had a lot of breadth in my extracurricular engagements. While applying to college, I was a political science and art double major. Thus, I had two internship experiences, one at a Turkish political party, and another at an environmental nonprofit organization. Shoutout to Yuvam Dünya. I took IB Global Politics Higher Level, which enabled me to blend coursework with real-life political engagements.

I had been creating ceramic sculptures for 2 years, and had an IB exhibition. I submitted an additional art portfolio, which was deemed excellent by the professor reviewing my file. I participated in Model UN conferences, and was active in student representation on campus.

I contributed to 2 college-level research projects at Istanbul University and Acibadem University, one being on cancer cell culture, and the other being on experimental neuroscience. I was also the lead singer of a student rock band and had been playing piano since kindergarten.

I’d say that my profile included a variety of different interests, instead of being too one-sided. With my politics-related extracurriculars, art, and STEM research, I guess I had three main areas of focus, which is not very common for most students. I think this is one of the reasons I stood out in the applicant pool.

Reasons to Choose Yale to Get My Bachelor’s Degree

There are two main reasons: the residential life and the spirit of inquiry.

For one, Yale has a residential college system, which sets it apart from nearly all other undergraduate institutions. At Yale, there are 14 colleges under the university. Your college is where you live, socialize, get meals, and receive academic mentorship. This gives a personalized experience. It’s not like other colleges, where students often feel lost in a swarm of peers. Yale succeeds in providing a boutique experience in a truly massive university.

That said, I also find it important to mention that Yale has an outstanding reputation when it comes to student life. Colleges give CPA grants, which support students to set up artistic projects. There are summer fellowships, like the Summer Experience Award, which give students the liberty to pursue experiences without having to struggle financially. Not to mention, the college has the strongest financial aid program in the country.

Second, the spirit of free inquiry is apparent the minute you step foot on campus. A Yale student, perhaps different from other Ivy League students, thinks, writes, and reads freely. The level of intellectual curiosity and discourse at Yale sets a really high standard.

The Beinecke Library has original Gutenberg copies and a near-perfect facsimile of the Voynich Manuscript. The school has over 150 Steinway pianos. There are secret societies dedicated to various pursuits. Yalies will write articles, debate political matters, and speak with professors at a level of intellectual rigor that is hard to find elsewhere. I suggest you try emailing a Yale professor about a matter you find interesting. After that, good luck trying to end that conversation!

My Stats When Applying to Colleges

I applied with a 44/45 IB predicted score. I have a 1570 on the SAT and a 34 on the ACT. I also took the IELTS, but did not submit it since I took Higher Level English Literature. I was near the top of my grade, but my school did not do an official class rank.

My Common App Essay that got me into Yale

My Common App essay is quite personal to me. I wrote about the motif of lungs, and the different ways it appeared in my life. I was born with underdeveloped lungs. I took Ventolin and Aerius, asthma medication, for a good portion of my adolescence.

I won’t share too much. But here’s my final paragraph:

My Application Process and How I Structured It

Finishing the Common App writing portion took me around 4 months. I prepared for the SAT for around a year. I submitted an art portfolio that took me 2 years to finish. In all, I worked on different components on different timelines.

I started my college application journey in the ninth grade. At that time, I was interested in sustainability, and my goal was to go to Stanford Earth. But, I discovered new academic interests along the way. That is thanks to my outstanding teachers and mentors at Institut le Rosey. The people I met and the classes I took there really changed my life trajectory.

One thing that sets me apart is the unique voice with which I express myself. That’s why the writing portion took me the longest time to finish. But, I also tried hard to get a good score on the SAT. I remember memorizing lists of words in my junior year of high school. Quizlet and Anki were my most used apps.

My Perspective on Education at Yale

I am double majoring in Statistics and Data Science and Economics. My schedule includes classes in math, economics, statistics, and sustainable energy. I am interested in capital markets and data analytics.

Overall, the variety of academic opportunities presented at Yale has been wonderful to experience. Sometimes, it gets difficult to manage the course load. There have been times when I felt cornered by deadlines. I have consistently raised my GPA every semester since freshman fall. With practice, I have learned the study and organizational skills to maintain high grades.

In many academic departments, introductory courses are taught extraordinarily well at Yale. One critique I have, however, is that I have not had as positive of an experience in introductory courses in math and STEM. I think higher-level courses in these fields have more resources than introductory courses.

Going to Yale has improved my writing and communication skills drastically. It also gave me a stronger sense of purpose. I have started more personal and professional endeavors. The community is supportive and collaborative.

My First Week at Yale and the Adaptation Process

Quite frankly, it was the busiest two weeks of my life. Everything was new. Every sight, every class, every reading felt like a step into freshly piled snow. A friend once made fun of me for using Google Maps for a 5-minute walk. Eventually, I internalized my schedule.

Outside of Class at Yale

I participate in a variety of extracurriculars. I am a Finance Manager for the Yale College Council. I am part of a team that allocates 400k in grants to extracurricular activities every year. I write for the Yale Daily News, and have previously helped run its social media page. I help manage a portfolio of 90k at the Urban Philanthropic Fund —Yale’s only philanthropic portfolio and pro-bono consulting group. I am also part of Yale’s chapter of Scholars of Finance, a leadership program committed to fostering ethical leaders in banking and consulting. I am also a cheerleader: “Go Yale! Beat Harvard!”.

Academic Workload and Work-Life Balance at Yale

The good part about managing academics is that you are in control of your courses. With feedback, advice, and trial and error, it becomes easier over time. Developing sustainable study habits has been useful to me. I do spaced repetition and active recall after class. But, academics are just one part of the college experience. Maintaining a social life and hobbies can have a positive impact on your classes.

At Institut le Rosey, Natasha Devon, author of “Yes You Can — Ace School Without Losing Your Mind” once gave a speech about study habits. I had the chance to speak with her backstage. She generously gifted me a copy of her book. Turns out, science says that studying 24/7 is quite unproductive.

Making Friends at Yale and Tips for Connecting with Networking

The residential college system is really helpful for making friends. Overall, I think Yale is good at helping students adapt. There are many mentorship opportunities.

But, I would suggest taking it easy. In my freshman year, I remember overthinking the friend group I was going to be part of in college. Over time, I found it most useful to let friendships happen, rather than forcing them. There are many people from my first year that I was close with, that I do not speak with as much anymore. I used to try to schedule meals with all of my friends, and stay in close contact. That’s probably not realistic.

The most useful resource I have at Yale is my inner circle. I can’t stress enough how important it is to have good close friends. I’m the type of person who values my close friendships tremendously. Being a trustworthy and honest friend is important to me. But, of course, you won’t click with everyone. Just trust the process.

In terms of networking, I have a two-step formula. This makes me sound superficial, but just let me explain. First, I ask for referrals from people I already know. Occasionally, I send cold emails to people who work in my fields of interest. We live in a small world. I think it is easier to ask people in your network to connect you with others.

Second, I stay in contact with my professional network. I will send articles, email past professors about new courses I have taken, and get coffee with previous classmates. This part is equally important. I have a close family friend who has an infamous saying: “Networking drives your professional journey as surely as the sun rises every day.”

My Future Plans After Graduating from Yale

I am currently pursuing a career in the financial sector. I have had internship experiences in investment banking at QNB and audit at Deloitte. I have met amazing mentors and worked on large deals at these companies. QNB and Deloitte provided me with extremely valuable skills.

I am also interested in corporate or M&A law. Going to law school has been a dream of mine for the longest time. I have still not decided if this is the right path for me, however. I am planning to take more classes on corporate finance and law in the coming semesters. Let’s see if I have my Mike Ross breakthrough in the coming semesters.

Best Piece of Advice for Students Who Desire to Study Abroad

I would recommend maintaining close relationships with your college counselors. My counselor, Andrew Whyte, was an invaluable resource throughout my college application process.

Campus Life and Environment at Yale

The campus is buzzing with opportunities. To put it frankly, there are so many interesting societies, classes, and people —FOMO is inevitable at some point. In terms of extracurriculars, we have a cappella groups, secret societies, and pre-professional clubs for journalism, consulting, and finance.

In terms of lifestyle, the food is quite good, although I will say that last year’s menu was better compared to this year. In my day-to-day life, I take trips to New York and Boston, since I was raised in Istanbul —a city of 16 million.

To touch on academics, I find many opportunities to ask questions and attend speaker engagements. One thing that my first-year counselor taught me was that Yale is a“lecture school.” Yale lectures could change your entire life perspective in a sitting. Teaching is taken quite seriously here. If you get admitted and invited to Bulldog Days, Yale’s admitted student event, I recommend you visit some lectures by faculty. We have legendary lecturers like Professor Kagan and Professor Polak.