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From the editors
Index
Dear readers,
A Closer Look at One Department, 3
After a long break, we are back with our fourth issue. This one has been prepared by some of our experienced writers and also newcomers.
Civil Engineering
In this fourth issue, two of our students prepared a detailed article interviewing a member of the Civil Engineering Department, four students at that department and two candidate students who are in the English preparatory program. One of our students sat at a table on Pierre Loti, a hill named after a French writer and overlooking the amazing view of the Golden Horn, and wrote about their experience there. Another student, who is in Chicago now, wrote about his impressions of St. Patrick’s Day. One of our students working in the Social Cultural Center elaborated on how students can benefit from that center. If you are not a part of World of Warcraft, but have sometimes wondered about it, you can find a beginner’s starters guide about it here. Moreover, you can get some creative ideas to utilize your rubbish at home.
Pierre Loti Hill
A Landmark, 12
St. Patrick’s Day, 15 Impressions of a Student in Chicago
Social Cultural Center, 18 Anything for Everyone
The Case for Games, 21 World of Warcraft
The Case for Recycling, 24 Do It Yourself
In short, it is another interesting issue with a variety of topics to enjoy. the cover photo by Yasin Baktır
Happy reading,
İlknur Karaman Meridith Paterson bee writer ITU Writing Center Student Magazine
www.writing.itu.edu.tr writing@itu.edu.tr
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A Closer Look at One Department
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his month Bee Writer Magazine interviewed Prof. Mehmet Özger from the Civil Engineering Department at Istanbul Technical University (ITU), two preparatory students at ITU ( Elif and Sarper) and four students who have been studying Civil Engineering at ITU (Ozan, Berrak, Kübra and Dicle) as a part of the series of articles introducing new ITU students to the different departments. We tried to show preparatory students’ expectations, undergraduate students’ experiences and hopes for work life. Besides, we visited Prof. Mehmet Özger to obtain information about the Civil Engineering Department.
Interview with Elif, preparatory student at ITU, who will study Civil Engineering.
Both a high salary and a good career like everyone else wants.
Why did you choose ITU? What is your expectation for ITU? The most important reason for me is that ITU is an international university. At the same time, I think it will be an important part of my future career to graduate from ITU because it’s one of the most prominent universities in Turkey.
Are there any sub-disciplines of Civil Engineering that you want to especially specialize in? I haven’t thought about it yet. However, the people who specialize in steel structure suggest that they can get a place easily in the sector. Hence, I can consider it.
Why did you choose Civil Engineering? Actually, right from the start I wanted to study Architecture, but my exam score wasn’t good enough to be accepted by ITU. Moreover, I’ve wanted especially to study at ITU. Consequently, I thought that I could study Civil Engineering because it is similar to Architecture in terms of the sector. At first, I was hesitant, but now I’m satisfied.
What is your expectation for this profession?
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Do you think that you will have problems in this department as a female? In other words, do you think you will be more behind the scenes than a male? Some old-fashioned people say that “If I were an employer, I wouldn’t employ a female civil engineer instead of a male civil engineer because women can’t do anything men can do.” Yet, you mustn’t think of only building sites as part of this job. There are a lot of civil engineers working in project offices instead of building sites. If I have so many difficulties, I will spend more time in the project
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office, and when it is necessary to go to a building site, of course I will go there, too. Besides, the person to do construction work is not me, so no problem.
Do you think that having just a degree is enough to earn a satisfying amount of money? I think it is not enough. You must evolve yourself even more. At least, you must have a Master’s degree.
What do you think about the significance of English in Civil Engineering? I think the important language is not English. It is a little bit Arabic and other languages. I mean when you go to Dubai or Qatar, it’s necessary to know Arabic. English is clearly important, too because of being the universal language. However, I think it’s necessary to know it well enough to express yourself.
Interview with Sarper, preparatory student at ITU, who will study Civil Engineering.
Why did you choose Civil Engineering? I thought that Civil Engineering is one of the major departments in which I can succeed; furthermore, I think ITU is obviously the best university in this department. Hence, I decided on it.
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Was your aim Civil Engineering all along? It was studying one of the main engineering disciplines at the best university in Turkey for this engineering discipline. Thus, it came true.
What is your expectation for this profession? My expectation for money is really very high for this profession. It remains to be seen how much I will earn.
Why did you choose ITU? What is your expectation for ITU? My expectations for ITU are meeting new people who have different opinions, having an international degree and being classmates with the most successful people in this sector in the future.
Are there any sub-disciplines of Civil Engineering that you want to especially specialize in? Not yet, but I know that geotechnical portion helps you earn more money.
What is your viewpoint about a female Civil Engineer? Being a Civil Engineer means having a close relationship with workmen or unlettered people. Modern people maybe don’t see this situation as a problem; nevertheless, a workman can say that “I 4
can’t work under orders of a woman.” Moreover, you can’t rebuke him for this. I have no prejudices against any female Civil Engineers. Nonetheless, if I were an employer, I would hesitate to employ a female Civil Engineer.
Do you think that having just a degree is enough to earn a satisfying amount of money? I think, it is absolutely not enough. Only a diploma of civil engineering is not enough. In addition to it, if you have a Master’s degree or double major in management, you can be more effective.
What do you think about the significance of English in Civil Engineering? It is important for not only Civil Engineering but also each department. It’s necessary to know a few more extra languages. Only English isn’t enough.
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Interview with Berrak, 4 year student, who has been studying Civil Engineering at ITU. Dicle, 3rd year student, who has been studying Civil Engineering at ITU. Ozan, 3rd year student, who has been studying Civil Engineering at ITU.
Berrak: Actually, civil engineering wasn’t a department that I wanted. When we consider the education requirements, nobody can make a choice consciously. At first, I wanted to study in the health sector. However, even if my exam score was high, I couldn’t study there because my family wouldn’t allow me. However, I’m not regretful. It has become a department which I grew to like over the course of time. I made the right choice, and I like this department. Dicle: I’ve wanted to study civil engineering since the beginning of high school. I prefer it although I was unsure sometimes because there are some civil engineers in my family. I’m never regretful. I like it despite its difficulties. Kübra: I’ve had civil engineers in my family, too. Also, I’m a bit of a masculine girl, so a building site has seemed to me more attractive. Moreover, I realize that I want to be there whenever I go on technical tours. If I had one more choice, I would choose Civil Engineering again. Ozan: My reason for choosing this department entirely results from ITU and wanting to make a pile of money. From time to time, I’m sorry for this choice, but mostly I’m satisfied. However, I know that it’s not a department which can be chosen unconsciously. Before choosing it, it’s necessary to deliberate wisely.
Kübra, 2nd year student, who has been studying Civil Engineering at ITU. Why did you choose Civil Engineering, and are you regretful? bee writer ITU Writing Center Student Magazine
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Why did you choose ITU? Berrak: It’s the top 46th in the world as a civil engineering department, and it’s in Istanbul. Dicle: At first, I couldn’t decide which university to choose. Nevertheless, everybody in my social circle said to me “Don’t hesitate. You must choose ITU” because while ITU is better in practice, other universities are more theoretical. Kübra: I think whereas other universities focus their education on the office part of the job, ITU is more appropriate for technical education and practice. When one who has graduated from one of the other universities starts to work as a civil engineer, he/she feels like a fish out of water. Nevertheless, the one who graduates from our university doesn’t feel unfamiliar with the job. Ozan: I chose ITU because it is 30 per cent English instruction. Besides, the faculty includes the maximum number of academicians.
What do you think about the importance of foreign language? What languages are significant in this sector? Berrak: Russian, Arabic and English. Dicle: Russian can be important. I think it is necessary to know English very well. Besides, Arabs know English, so knowing Arabic just makes them satisfied. Those who work in building sites do not need to know an extra language. As an example, most people working in building sites in bee writer ITU Writing Center Student Magazine
Russia are not Russian, and they do not know Russian. My friend who has worked in a building site in Russia as an intern told me about his experiences. He said that they communicated with each other with an interpreter. Ozan: I think it depends on where you want to work. If you want to pursue an academic career, you need to know the country’s language where you work. Nevertheless, if you say that I will be a part of a building site, Russian and Arabic can be advantageous for you. If you work in Turkey, you don’t have to know any language. It is enough to know how to use your body language.
What do you think about Erasmus, Master's and Doctorate? Berrak: A master's is absolutely essential. I think you must pursue this after you start to work and decide which sub-disciplines you want to specialize in, but some say that going back to school again is very hard after beginning work. Dicle: I think Erasmus is very crucial really. I talked with a human resources manager in a company. He said to me that Erasmus is important to be accepted for a job. Employers think that a person who goes to another country with the Erasmus program experiences and succeeds in a lot of things, so this person can be successful in this job, too. Ozan: Also, you get familiar with a new culture, recognize different people and gain important experiences thanks to 6
Erasmus. In addition, I advise going for a master's. Civil engineering is really a wide department, so specializing in any subdiscipline must provide many advantages.
Is ITU active in clubs about Civil Engineering? Kübra: Yes, there are a few clubs about Civil Engineering. As an example, MHK (Mühendisliğe Hazırlık Klubu-Preparation for Engineering Club) is a very essential club, and it is the first club at ITU. Firstly, it had included every engineering discipline, and then it specialized in civil engineering. It organizes technical tours. In this way, you get a chance to see what you learned at lesson in practice. Also, you get a chance to meet people who are in high positions at important companies. For instance, it organizes an activity called CivilCon, and it hosts prominent names from important companies. Thanks to clubs, you can understand what you will face with when you graduate. Berrak: What makes me like my department is this club with seminars and technical tours which it organizes. The room of the club is like my home. I can’t go to class before visiting it every day.
Do you agree that female Civil Engineers are more in the background than male ones? Berrak: No, I don’t. Conversely, it has many advantages. For example, women can see details that men cannot notice. bee writer ITU Writing Center Student Magazine
Kübra: I think it depends on the company and country. If you work in Arabia, they want to keep you in the background. However, in Turkey, it is not common. The number of female civil engineers is increasing day by day. Ozan: In professional companies, it is not a problem, but in subcontractor and small companies, I think that women can have difficulties because workmen can be rude. However, I agree with Berrak. There must be female civil engineers. Sometimes, they can see what we can’t notice with a more aesthetic perspective, so we get a chance to correct mistakes easily. Berrak: Actually, they speak more respectfully. They address you as “chief”. They speak to you carefully.
What do you think about doing a DMP (Double Major Program) ? Ozan: I think, these things cause you to have difficulties. It is very hard to study one more engineering discipline. Moreover, it restricts your social life. You have a very busy schedule all the time, so life is getting harder. However, there is no doubt that you gain advantages because in business life, it is better for you to be as knowledgeable as you can. Teachers say “you’ll exit here with a basket. The more you fill it with knowledge, the more it will be for your benefit.” Dicle: You learn new things, but I’m sure, you will specialize in only one of them. To illustrate, you can’t sign onto a project as
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both a civil engineer and architect. Hence, it’s not meaningful for me.
Dicle: I haven’t made a decision yet. As you take lessons about different disciplines, you realize which subdisciplines you want to specialize in.
What is your money expectation for this profession? Dicle: My first salary will be probably maximum 2.500 Berrak: I think it will be between 1.500 and 2.500. If you work in the private sector, you’ll slave away all your life. Nonetheless, you earn very little despite your excellent labour. Dicle: Teachers usually say that you all will earn a satisfying amount of money in the future anyway. You will be in a good position. However, while the work is being done, some people must consult one person. We try to educate a person that will be consulted. One of you will be good at mechanics; the other one’ll be good at materials science. Eventually, all of you will make good money. People who graduate from our university come to visit our school, and say that they make good money, but are tired.
Which sub-disciplines of Civil Engineering do you want to specialize in? Ozan: Geotechnical Engineering because the ground always seems mysterious for people. It is mystical, so it attracts a human sense of wonder. Berrak: I am interested in water resources engineering, too.
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What features do you engineers should have?
think
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Berrak: They should be patient, and their communication skills should be very good. I worked in a building site as an intern. I noticed that this profession requires that you must speak with both workmen and senior people. Thus, you must know how to speak with them. Additionally, civil engineers don’t have a regular work life. For example, sometimes, it’s necessary to be at a building site to pour concrete at night. You need to settle for this kind of life. Kübra: You must be compatible. In the building site, you need to get along with both workmen and your own chief. Dicle: There is a head of the every household, and it is usually the father in Turkish society. In the building site, this person is you. You keep your eye on everybody there. They ask you everything, even if it’s not about work sometimes. You must know how to manage them. When they like you, they start to respect and listen to you. You must know how to make them accept you. Ozan: A teacher said to us “if you want to be successful in a building site, it is not enough to know only one language. At the same time you must know the language of ironworkers, foreman and others.” 8
Secondly, you must know how to make them obey your orders. Most who work in building sites are illiterate people, and they are not very careful while working. Moreover, you are responsible for occupational safety and health. Hence, you must know how to organize them.
Is there anything that you want to add? Dicle: Students who will study Civil Engineering mustn’t come with high hopes. Ozan: I want to say that I’m sure one day, everybody receives a recompense for their excellent effort in this department. Plus, everybody asks which architect designed this building when they see a beautiful structure. I wish someone would ask which civil engineer built that.
Interview with Mehmet Özger, who is a professor at Civil Engineering in Istanbul Technical University.
Where can we find a job when we graduate from civil engineering? There is a wide range of civil engineers. Our graduates can find jobs in different sectors. There are a lot of opportunities in the state sector and the private sector. Also, our graduates can build their own bee writer ITU Writing Center Student Magazine
businesses. I have never heard that an ITU graduate cannot find a job.
What is the position of ITU graduates in our time? ITU graduates are really effective. Our engineers are in management positions now and are very popular in the market. Besides, they are helping each other. Their connections are very strong.
Should we go abroad for education? If the answer is yes, which countries might be beneficial for us? The education in our country is getting better and better. In fact, I am a person who studied abroad, but I think the education of our country is at a suitable level. There is no advantage of studying abroad for us. Instead of technical education, maybe learning a new language can be an advantageous. However, in my opinion the education at ITU is really sufficient.
Most people think that the most developed countries for civil engineering are Africa, Egypt, and Russia. Despite that, do you think English is the most important foreign language for civil engineers? Yes, it is, because English is spoken everywhere. It has become an international language. Therefore, the civil
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engineer who can speak English can communicate with everyone.
Many English instructed faculties are closed at ITU and focusing on the Turkish instructed education. What are the causes of this? Civil Engineering is not one of them by now. What do you think about the future of English civil engineering at ITU? Actually, if we check out the fundamentals of English education, it is not fitting with ITU’s goal. ITU always cares about the Turkish education. There is also another situation that the English faculty was opened to select students who nearly finished high school. It can continue, and I support the English education. However, we must accept that there are many advantages of Turkish education. In spite of these advantages, the English education has to continue to be an international college.
Should we learn a second foreign language? If the answer is yes, which foreign languages might be beneficial for us? It might be German because Germany is in the forefront of using developing technologies. Also, if we check out ITU’s history, ITU’s education is like a German education style. Therefore, in my opinion, German might be beneficial for our students. Besides, there is an improving sector in Russia, so Russian might be beneficial for civil engineering students. bee writer ITU Writing Center Student Magazine
According to many people, ITU focuses on educating people whom are good at technique and theories. Do you agree with that opinion? A reason why ITU is technically a very good college is we have lots of laboratories in all faculties. For example, there are 7 sub-sections in civil engineering and all of them have lots of laboratories. Technically, we provide many facilities to our academicians. Therefore, a student who studied well technically might be successful at management.
Many Civil Engineering students want to improve themselves in management. How does a civil engineering student improve himself in this area? Personal successes are really essential for this. After we generate the basics of engineering, our students should improve themselves because management skills are also important. We should not forget that the person who knows the skill well always manages well. Therefore, technical fundamentals are the most important factors of management
Not only ITU but also many colleges in Istanbul organize a lot of symposiums which students can earn a certificate from. Do you think those are beneficial for us? In my opinion, that is a big opportunity. When our students join these activities, they see their future positions. They can meet people and join this environment. 10
Also, they are informed about developments around the world. Meetings like this are always beneficial for our students. I think they must be organized more frequently.
Do you recommend the programs of double major, master’s degree and lateral degree? All of them are in a different category. I think a double major might be very hard for our students. If our students really want to do one of them, they can, but they must know that it requires extra effort. However, it is obvious that it has many advantages. For example, when a student graduates doing a double major, he has the authority to work in two different disciplines. Also, he generates a different business line combining two faculties after he graduates. Therefore, it can be beneficial for engineering students. If we are talking about a master’s degree, it is a totally different concept. We are directing our students to exploring this. We try to teach them what is going on in the background and we are directing our students to more specific subjects. Exactly, that is also important for our students
a lot of female students. I am very curious about if a female civil engineer can work at a building site. Generally, I get answers that she does not want to work in an office and she wants to work in the building site. This is pleasing to us. Appropriate environments for female engineers can occur with our developing country. I believe they will be more successful.
Hava Nur Yavaş Sarper Doğa Öngen
According to some people, female civil engineers start their jobs with disadvantages. Do you agree with that? What are the reasons for that? Lately, we have noticed the increasing number of female students in the civil engineering faculty. Also, I am counseling bee writer ITU Writing Center Student Magazine
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Pierre Loti Hill
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he name of this hill has been taken from Pierre Loti. It is the best area to visit so as to see the amazing view of Golden Horn. This place has a café at the summit whose name is Pierre Loti café and is one of the best touristic places in Istanbul.
Pierre Loti whose real name was Louis Marie Julien Viaud was a soldier, an author and Istanbul lover. According to sources, Pierre Loti felt that Turkey was like his second country. He often went to the Pierre Loti café, which was called Rabia Kadın at that time, and he wrote his novel Aziyadé at that café. This book was written on life in the Ottoman Empire in 1879. First of all, Pierre Loti came to Istanbul as a soldier by a French ship in 1876. Then he was impressed by the Ottoman lifestyle, so he wrote about it in most of his novels. He always thought himself as a Turk. He wrote articles in which he defended Turkey in the Balkan Wars, World War I and the Turkish War of Independence. Consequently, he won Turkish people’s love, so much so that in 1920 he was given the title of honorary citizen of the city of Istanbul by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Nowadays, his name lives on at Pierre Loti hill.
If we want to talk about this wonderful place, we can begin with its unique ambience. When you arrive at the summit, bee writer ITU Writing Center Student Magazine
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little gift shops and an atmosphere, which is not relevant to the current Istanbul atmosphere, are waiting for you.
Wooden buildings, which are restored and stone ways remind you of an old Turkish district. If you ask me, the most beautiful place here is Pierre Loti café. Even when you are outside the café, the coffee smell is enticing to you. Inside the café, photos on the walls show scenes of Istanbul in the early 20th century.
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It is a good idea to drink tea that is cooked on the glowing embers of the fire while you are looking at the photographs and pictures.
When you look out of the window, you can see the beautiful view of the Golden Horn which witnessed so much history.
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I believe that you can understand why it is called the Golden Horn after you see the view. It is obvious that this is the most appropriate place to view Istanbul in the beginning of the 20thcenture, and get away from the bustle of the city. Finally, I hope that one day you can visit Pierre Loti, and I’m sure that you will agree with me.
Mert MenekĹ&#x;e References: http://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julien_Viaud http://www.pierrelotitepesi.com/hakkimizda.asp http://www.kimkimdir.gen.tr/kimkimdir.php?id=4599 http://sevgiylegeziyorum.blogspot.com.tr/2013/05/pierr e-loti-tepesi-istanbul.html
Directions to Pierre Loti Hill Pierre Loti hill is in Eyup. You can go to Pierre Loti hill by a bus which is used to go from your location to Eyup Mosque. After that, you can climb the hill on foot or by cable car.
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St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago
Christianity throughout Ireland. He set up many churches, monasteries and schools.
There is also a common belief that St. Patrick performed miracles such as raising people from the dead and throwing every single snake out of Ireland. He died on March 17th.
As you might have guessed, that is the day when Irish people and actually most of the rest of the world celebrates St. Patrick’s Day. Originally the color associated with the day was blue, but because of the color of shamrocks which is illustrated with the Holy Trinity (The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost), the color of St. Patrick’s Day became green.
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efore explaining what happens on St. Patrick’s Day today, we should tell the story of St. Patrick’s Day and also St. Patrick. So, who is St. Patrick? St. Patrick lived in the fourth to fifth century AD. By that time, Britain was controlled by the Roman Empire. He was kidnapped by Irish pirates when they attacked his village. Pirates brought their captive to Ireland, and sold him into slavery. However, he escaped from his owners six years later when he heard the voice of God telling him to become a priest. In those times Irish people still believed in Pagan religions. Then, he studied in France for 12 years. He was appointed by the Vatican to spread
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Although the torture ended for them, they kept celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. In fact, other nationalities joined them and the day became an excuse for drinking beer.
St. Patrick’s Day is actually more of an Irish holiday because they’re very catholic and really thankful for their savior St. Patrick. Since the famine started in Ireland, they started immigrating to the United States, but they were very poor and uneducated. They were forced to do the worst jobs, treated like second class citizens and so. Therefore, they used St. Patrick’s Day as an escape. That day was the day when they didn’t care about what the other people thought of them. On St. Patrick’s Day, they were able to feel like they were really in Ireland.
St. Patrick’s Day nowadays is very different. They wear green, drink beer, get drunk and don’t remember the rest.
Realistically, you can easily see some people fighting at 11:30 am, doing real crazy stuff at 1:00 pm and sleeping on the sidewalk at 2:00 pm. Nonetheless, the cities try to stay sober and arrange some bee writer ITU Writing Center Student Magazine
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good activities for the people who are older or more responsible. For instance, here in Chicago, they dyed the whole river of Chicago green and there was a parade and lots of other fun activities.
Furthermore, the Irish bars were open all day serving green beer, cabbage and corn sausage. The streets were crowded, green and drunk. Yasin Bakt覺r
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SCC: Everyone Can Find Almost Anything Here!
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lthough there are lots of special places in our lives, one of them sometimes stands out. The Social and Cultural Centre (SCC) is the most important for me. Have you ever heard about the SCC? It was established in 1992 by Mine Canıtez Özpay and now Binnur Arslanpay has been helping with the center for more than six years. Every year ten to twelve volunteer students are chosen to work for the office, and as one of these students, I want to tell you about this centre.
To begin with, if you are a member of Istanbul Technical University, this place should be important for you, especially if you are an English preparatory student. Here we try to create a better university atmosphere for ITU students. To illustrate, when you come here, you can enjoy a variety of activities such as personal development courses, school trips, tournaments, contests, and some other activities. Latin dance, tango, salsa, drama, sound recording, diction, and pilates courses are some of the courses organized by SCC. For instance, our dance courses are given by Murat Çoruh, who is a dance champion in Turkey. He is also the one who makes many students start to like dancing; more surprisingly, he is an ITU graduate. At the end of every term, the dancers of these courses perform wonderful shows to ITU students.
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Our drama course is also given by a professional actor, Ziya Kürküt. As for the dubbing course, the instructor, Aziz Acar is the head of the dubbing department of NTV and he gives his classes in a real recording studio.
I have just started to attend his course, and I wish I had attended the courses in the previous term since his courses are not only fun but also beneficial for the future.
In addition to courses, SCC also organizes school trips. For example, last term we went to Rahmi Koç Museum, and soon we
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will go to the Istanbul Toy Museum, founded by Sunay Akın a famous Turkish poet and writer. We also take students to the theater almost every month. We buy tickets for the theater in advance, and preparatory students come to the SCC and buy their tickets easily if they are interested. As the proverb suggests, ‘first come, first served’, if you really want to go to the theater, you should hurry or the tickets might be sold out in a short time.
Moreover, a competition which resembles Eurovision has been arranged twice. It’s called Ituvision.
Also, we have a small and cozy room. Moreover, this room is possibly the most colorful room in the ITU School of Foreign Languages building which offers a lot not only to us, as SCC assistants, but also to all prep students. We, SCC assistants, call it ‘the kitchen’ as we create our activities here. We have a meeting at least once a week and we plan the activities and studies of the following week here. From time to time the former assistants join us especially if we are working on a big project. Another reason why this room is so attractive is that everybody plays some games like chess, taboo, and scrabble. Also, if you want, you can play the guitar, piano, bağlama, or darbuka.
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The students from the Mechanical Engineering Faculty won the competition last year.
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famous Turkish writer, who passed away three years ago.
However, we have a different project for this year instead of Ituvision. Our project is a kind of social responsibility project. In other words, we are planning to help a primary school which needs help in a suburb of Istanbul. We intend to fix the school building, paint the walls and build some book shelves for a start. We are also going to give some educational assistance. For instance, we will play some educational games with them and help them with their lessons. I hope we will be able to achieve our goal.
Additionally, we hold other competitions. We organize poetry and short story contests every year. It is named after Ali Teoman who started this contest. He was a former lecturer here at ITU, and also a
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Our table tennis competitions are also popular among ITU students. In the spring, we organize ’Judas Tree Fest’, in which some dance performances are carried out and various fun activities are held.
Briefly, SCC leads students into a better university life, and offers them countless opportunities. What is important is to know how to make use of such chances. You are always welcomed by the Social Cultural Centre if you really want to do something worthwhile when you look back at your university years. Don’t forget that everyone can find almost anything here. For further information, please check the website of SCC: http://www.sosyalkulturelmerkez.com/tr/ Atakan Babacan
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World of Warcraft
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irst, I want to talk about the reasons for playing online games before introducing the game, World of Warcraft. Because I am not only a researcher, I am also a writer. At the outset, playing games is not wasting time. As John Lennon said ‘time you enjoy wasting’s not wasted time’. Real life doesn’t have to be better than life in a game. Maybe you don’t have a good job, you are not a reputable or popular person, but no one knows or cares about these things in the game. Everyone knows your character. If you have good items and keyboard skills or are good at fighting, you will be the most reputable person in the world. I watched a film about an autistic boy who plays online games all the time except for the time when he is at school. No one loves him except his family; he is not handsome, not smart and everyone in his life tortures him because of his disease. However, he is very popular in the game. All the players see him as a super hero and want to be like him. This is what I am talking about. We are playing online games because in our online world we can be the person who we always want to be in real life.
Now I am starting to introduce World of Warcraft starting with the history of the game. World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) created by Blizzard Entertainment. There are 4 released games in the fantasy Warcraft universe. In 1994 Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, in 1998 bee writer ITU Writing Center Student Magazine
Warcraft: World of Azeroth and in 2001 Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne was released. Then, Blizzard Entertainment announced World of Warcraft on September 2, 2001. The game was released on November 23, 2004, on the 10th anniversary of the Warcraft franchise. Now the game has 4 expansion sets. The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm are old expansion sets. The last expansion set, which we are playing now, is Mists of Pandaria. Also, last year Blizzard announced the fifth expansion set, Warlords of Dreanor at BlizzCon 2013.With over 7 million players, World of Warcraft is the most-player MMORPG and holds the Guinness World Record in this category.
One of the most important things of playing online games is security. World of Warcraft is one step ahead against other games. As in the other games, you need to choose a username and password to log in. This is all the online game’s security system. However, World of Warcraft’s other security system is Blizzard Authenticator. It is available as a hardware 21
security token or mobile application. Unlike most anti-virus software, a device in your hands provides you more security. There are 7 numbers on your token or mobile application, when you write your username and password, if it is true, the authentication screen will open and you need to write the numbers on your authenticator. The best part of this device is that the numbers are not available after 10 seconds. You must type the numbers in 10 seconds, and then there are no numbers to log into your account until you open your authenticator again.
keeping with the story of Warcraft games, you must choose between the opposite factions of the Alliance or the Horde. Characters from opposite factions can communicate only with their factions and join their faction’s guilds. After that, you must choose your race such as orcs or trolls or blood elf for the Horde; humans or dwarves or worgens for the Alliance. Lastly, you must choose a class such as warrior, priest, shaman, mage, druid, death knight, rogue, hunter and paladin. However, some classes are special for some races.
If you want to start the game, you should buy an account. When you buy your account, it is open for 3 months, and then you must buy a prepaid card or subscribe monthly to continue playing the game. To enter the game, the player must select a server, referred to in-game as a realm. Realms are also categorized by language for in-game support in your language. Each realm acts on an individual copy of the game world. After selecting the server, you must create your character. In
Now you can enter the World of Warcraft world! You can level-up with quests and earn money and items. Characters gain various skills and talents from level to level. Players must learn their characters’ abilities to play well. After all these developments, you should join a guild because you need other players to play-. As a PvE player, I always play with my guild which I will talk about at the end of my article. Players can play 2 types of games, PvP and PvE. You must defeat monsters and complete some quests on
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both of these game types. In PvP (player versus player) a player can be attacked by an opposing faction’s player at any time. In PvE (player versus environment) a player must focus more on defeating monsters and completing quests to collect items. When you collect good items, you can collect better items.
To sum up, my guild’s name is Brotherhood of Darkness. We recruit only Turkish players because if you want to defeat bosses, you have to do some tactics and you have to talk to each other. We use a voice communication application to talk and our leader tells us about tactics of bosses. We are playing 3 days a week from 8 pm to 12pm. Therefore, we are playing for 12 hours a week and I talk to them more than my family. I know their names, jobs, ages and a lot of things about their life. I am so thankful to them for letting me feel the brotherhood.
Pallywoman, Anguyy, Delicoban, Chewbacca, firtina, chaaki, lordsoren, theronn, and padisaah… Love you all. Umut Ekerdiker Let’s talk about the top guilds of the game to encourage players. The world’s top and my favourite guild is Method. Like every guild, me and my guildies do everything with the aid of Method’s guide videos. Method’s players are invited to BlizzCon every year. They can talk with the developers of the game, and also the other players can see their idol character’s controller. I think the best guilds help developers to develop new expansion sets. Also Method’s players’ job is playing World of Warcraft. They have a lot of advertisements like mouse and keyboard companies. They earn their money from World of Warcraft.
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Recycling with “Do It Yourself� (DIY)
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ecycling is returning some materials to the production process by implementing various transactions. We should be sensitive about products which shouldn't be wasted these days when natural sources are decreasing. While the Earth that we live on cannot carry even human beings, how can we expect it to carry their products and wastes? These waste products can be separated with a lot of methods and we can use them as raw material; thus, the disruption of the natural balance can be prevented a little bit.
When used products are processed in factories again to produce the same materials, air and water pollution decrease. Dividing wasted products into nylon bags helps to decompose them. Hence, there will be clear raw materials. However, much energy is used during the process, so the important point is preventing the formation of waste products and recycling them in our own houses in order to meet our needs. Some people built a project they called Do It Yourself. The aim of this project is reducing extreme consumption and recycling waste products to use again. Everything that we use in our homes is able to be recycled. There is no need for any money or technical materials for home-made recycling. We can make new things with easily accessed equipment such as scissors, adhesive, bottles and so bee writer ITU Writing Center Student Magazine
on. Home products and ornaments can be made especially using glass, paper, aluminum, iron and wood. Paper, in particular, is a problem. We waste enormous amounts of paper every day as students who use paper more than anybody else. We can do nice things using newspapers and magazines that are already read, paper packing, and worksheets. For instance, if we cut newspapers or magazines and shape a long rectangle out of them, then little stars can be made. Also, you can do a meaningful hand-made gift by putting them into a bottle for your friends.
You can make a shirt made from colorful printed papers and write notes into it, and you can use it as a letter. Below are some pictures to demonstrate.
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Here are steps for the shirt:
Here are steps for the tie:
Firstly, lay the paper longwise in front of yourself. Fold the outside edges in until they meet in the middle of the paper. Then turn the paper upside down and fold over 2 cm from the top. Next, turn the paper over again (the striped side should be seen) and fold both top corners down to create triangles as you can see in the picture. Now the collar is ready. The next step is adjusting the height of the shirt. For this, the bottom of the paper is folded up under the collar. Then open the paper you have just folded (the height of the shirt) and flip it around so the bottom is up. Fold two of the same sized triangles by taking the inner corners and creating the triangle from the folded line in the middle of the paper. Finally, put the arms under the collar like it is in the picture. Now your shirt is ready.
First of all, fold a square paper by holding two corners and having them meet in the middle. Then, turn the paper upside down and fold the sharp tip down. Refold the triangle so it is pointing upwards again leaving a small strip still folded down. Then turn the paper and fold the triangle over the top. Finally, fold the outside corners to meet in the middle again. The tie is ready now.
Burcu Canavar
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