We Are Wellington | Alumni Voices: Zehra Bilgin

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At Wellington, our mission is to equip our pupils with the knowledge and skills to be well-rounded, globally-minded citizens. So our key metric of success is ultimately the success of our pupils. In our We Are Wellington | Alumni Voices series we showcase such successes by catching up with Old Wellingtonians to learn about experiences and insights gained in life after Wellington. In this edition, Zehra Bilgin, a graduate from Wellington College International Shanghai's class of 2020, shares her experiences at Hacettepe Üniversitesi in Ankara, Turkey as a medical student.

In what ways has your Wellington education prepared you for success at university?

The IB Programme made for a smoother transition to university. It helped me improve my critical thinking, organisation, time management and leadership skills. Writing essays and formulating lab reports have made it easier for me to complete my assignments here. The chemistry and biology courses I took in the programme also provided a strong foundation for understanding basic medical science.

Wellington's wide range of CCAs allowed me to discover new interests as well. This has made me a more well-rounded person capable of balancing my studies with the pursuits that I enjoy.

Wellington also taught me how to create the changes you want to see around you and have a meaningful impact. While at Wellington, I initiated a fund-raising project for the Heart-to-Heart charity. Alongside doing good for others, I learned how to effectively lead, organise and stay alert to the details that go into making big projects come together. I parlayed what I learned there to a social responsibility project at university focused on the mental health of the elderly population during the pandemic.

Finally, Wellington's teachers encouraged curiosity and helped me develop the confidence to ask questions. Consequently, I am more engaged with my course content. I do more than simply memorise facts and figures. I process information, put it into a broader context and link pieces of knowledge to understand the bigger picture.

Why did you choose to enrol at Hacettepe Üniversitesi?

My primary reason was simply Hacettepe Üniversitesi's standard of medical education. After looking at national rankings and talking to several doctors, I was able to confirm its reputation as the best university to study medicine in Turkey. I also researched the school's medical curriculum — which uses an integrative style of medical education — and visited the campus before making my final decision. There were several other factors too. Chief among them was the fact that the school's medical faculty is located right next to a large hospital known for its leading physicians and researchers. The hospital also has a reputation for dealing with rare diseases. I thought this would be a great opportunity to get a head start on clinical work under some of the best practitioners in the country. The university also provides exchange programmes. Different student groups represent medical societies, as well as those that study together for speciality tests such as the USMLE, which is what I plan on taking to do my speciality training abroad. Additionally, the school is said to offer the most challenging medical courses in Turkey, and I am always up for a challenge!

What inspired you to study medicine? Have you decided on an area of specialisation yet?

I genuinely want to help others, and I want to work in a fast-paced and intellectually stimulating environment. Moreover, learning about the science of how the body works and the different ways we can restore it to health truly fascinates me. Medicine also involves patient interactions, for which a physician’s approach has to be appropriate and adaptive when dealing with different situations. This aspect of the practice is equally enticing.

I would love to specialise in either plastic or cardiovascular surgery. This is not only because of the hands-on nature of the work but also the intimacy involved in operating on the human body. My path may change throughout my six-year undergraduate education. Regardless, I am excited to see where I end up in the future!

What do you like most about Hacettepe Üniversitesi and why?

As soon as I started, I felt a very strong sense of community between the students and professors, even though most of our communication took place online. I appreciate how everybody puts the effort to get to know one another and sustain friendships even if we all cannot physically be together. The passion and enthusiasm for all things medicine ties us together.

Now in my second year, having been able to physically go to campus for lectures, I have been able to fully appreciate the heartfelt and welcoming atmosphere of the university. The students all get along really well, and we have managed to meet up outside of school to socialise. Our relationships with our professors are equally positive; they treat us with respect and more like colleagues than students.

I appreciate the efforts that the school makes to provide us with medicine-related talks led by experts in their field. I also enjoy the courses that we have to take, especially the interactive ones such as 'good medical practices' in which we learn clinical skills, like how to perform muscle injections or properly wear and remove surgical masks and gloves.

Lastly, the department and the student affairs office consistently ask us for feedback and are willing to listen to the student body. They are also quick to respond. This has made adjusting to university a whole lot easier.

In what ways does the Hacettepe experience differ from the Wellington experience?

In my first year, I could not say that I have had the full university experience because we had been doing remote learning. Even then, I realised the level of self-initiative, responsibility and independence that are expected of you at Hacettepe. You are in charge of your studies and how you organise your time. The student body is not as diverse as at Wellington, yet every person I have met is unique and as hard-working and driven as anyone I know from Wellington. My peers and I focus on studies related to science and medicine, which is different from the more diverse range of subjects available to me at Wellington. These points still hold true now that we are back on campus, but due to the timings of lectures, we do not need to stay on campus the whole day. Therefore, more of an emphasis is placed on making appropriate choices in what you do in this free time. Lastly, due to the intensive start to the year, I have not been able to participate in clubs, sports or music the way I could at Wellington. This will eventually change, I hope.

What three pieces of advice would you like to offer current Wellingtonians?

1. Make the most out of every opportunity presented to you. Different experiences usually come with opportunities for self-development. Taking part in activities like house competitions or after school activities are great ways to manage stress. You will also be predisposed to making lots of friends when you participate in similar activities at university.

2. Do what you enjoy and follow your passion. When you start your university education, it feels amazing to be surrounded by like-minded people, who are as enthusiastic about the subject as you are. Ultimately, you will feel strongly bound to those that make up the community and take more pleasure in life at university.

3. Cultivate independence and discipline in your studies. Try to establish study habits and methods that work best for you. Become organised and competent at managing your time. This will make it so much easier to adapt to the workload and responsibilities at university.

What is your fondest memory of Wellington?

It is hard to narrow it down to one memory, but Science Week 2019 comes to mind. I led two sessions, one for suturing and one for conducting experiments with the younger pupils. It was an exciting week, and interacting with other pupils through science was a great experience. I also have so many good sports memories, especially going to Singapore for the ACAMIS netball tournament. I shared so many moments of laughter and sadness with the team on that trip. 

Open days and tours for 2022 entry

Wellington is taking rolling applications for the 2021-22 academic year and inviting future Wellingtonians to join us for Open days and tours for 2022 entry.

Open days are available for children applying for our Early Years and Pre-Prep programmes from September through December this year. 

Please scan the QR code below to register.  

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