13th week reflection (24th Feb - 2nd March)

Hye there. Last week was quite normal. Nothing special happened. Everything went well.
But tension with assignments. A lot assignments asked to redo it. Hmmm... Besides that I'm really quite tension and not satisfied with my karaoke video. Last minute because of some reasons I have changed to a new group. I really didn't like it. But I have to.
This new group I really don't like it. They really doesn't have any plan on doing the karaoke video. I really fed up with them. But what to do, I still cooperate with them. But they few of them not really concern about the assignment.
Finally my karaoke video was sucks. I really don't like it. I really hate it. So I told my lecturer about the last minute preparation and so on. She knew about me. And she accepts my reason.
I'm happy she understands me. Gotta go now. Bye. Take care.

Process Essay

Example : Preparing for the university entrance exam

  In Turkey, getting accepted to the university you want requires a difficult and serious preparation period, as you have to take a 3-hour difficult exam in which you are competing with about one million eight hundred thousand people. Although such a huge number of people are taking the exam, only three hundred thousand of them can be admitted to a university. It means that preparing for this exam, which is called the OSS, involves a number of important steps that you must be careful about.

     The first step of the OSS preparation marathon is choosing your division in high school. There are four divisions called “science studies”, ”social studies”, ”Turkish and math” and “languages”. Making a decision of your division is very important because your choice of division in high school determines which fields of study are open to you in college. For example, the “science studies” division gives you the chance of choosing many engineering departments and medicine, whereas the “Turkish and math” division has the options like economics and administrative sciences, international trade etc. Also your decision determines which lessons you will take in your second and third year of high school. For instance, you won’t take any geography lessons in school if you are a science studies student. If you want, you can change your department in the last year of high school but then you will have to pass the exams of the other lessons, which you didn’t take in your ex-division. So it is absolutely vital that you make the right decision. You’d better talk with a counselor in the second term of your first year. And you should follow the system changes very carefully. You ought to listen to the ideas of your family and counselor but you must make your own decision in the end.

        The second step is enrolling in an OSS course. I advise you not to think very much about which course you will enroll in because in general they actually are the same. So you can choose one according to your location and income. Another decision to make is in which year of high school you should start to go to a course. I went to “Fen Bilimleri Merkezi” in both second and the last year of high school. It was boring to go to a course for two years but on the other hand it was good for me to plan my study program. In fact, it is a good idea to decide it according to your personal circumstances.

        The third step is studying for both OSS and school. In OSS there aren’t any questions from the second and the last year of high school. But you shouldn’t give up studying for school lessons because your high school grade in Turkey also has a big effect on your OSS scores. You shouldn’t give up studying for school completely. Just listen to your teachers carefully. They will be giving you the clues for the exams. Also I can add, “studying at home” stage to the studying step. You continue to study at home. These days are very important because you have more time to study and the exam day is coming. So you should always study according to your program.

     The next step is finally taking the exam. Although I went out on the day before the exam, I couldn’t sleep all night. I was excited. So I advise you to overcome your excitement if you can. A good sleep is going to be an advantage to you. You should have breakfast and check the documents necessary for the exam. Also you’d better see your exam building a few days before so as not to get lost and panic on the exam day. During the exam you must try to be as calm as possible. You can take a deep breath and start answering the questions. After the exam you should at least be able to say that you have done your best.

       The last step is making your choice. You get an exam score and you’ll make choices. You must be realistic according to your score but also you shouldn’t lose sight of your aims. You ought to consider all the conditions while you are making your choices. You should answer questions like “Can I stay in a dormitory?” or “Can I be happy if I choose this department?” I believe this is one of the hardest steps so you should talk with your family and counselors before you make a decision. After making your choice, you start to wait for the news from ÖSYM. During this waiting period it’s a good idea to go on a holiday if you can. Finally, you get the results.

      In conclusion, after following all these steps, luckily all my efforts had a happy end. I reached one of the most important goals in my life. And I believe that by following these steps in the OSS marathon you can make one of your dreams come true too!

Compare and Contrast Essay

                                              Example : Cows and Whales

           There are some things that happen to cows and whales. One of the things, both cows and whales are eaten by people in some countries as edible meat. Another thing, although they are living different places like ocean and land, they have their own lives.

             The first difference between cows and whales is that cows are the most popular edible meat all over the world. Therefore, many cows are butchered everyday. Of course, there are several reasons that people use cows to their provisions. Because cows are easy for farmers to breed, and they are not as clever as other animals. On the other hand, whales have been protected by a law. (The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) Therefore, every whaler has been limited in number to catch the whales recently. The reason of this law is whales are not easy to breed as cows. And they are such a clever animals more than any other kind of animal.It seems that cows and whales are in a same situation. But there are some differences that could be compared. First, many cows are slaughtered everyday. On the other hand, whales are protected by national law recently. Second, cows are important provisions for all over the world. 

              However, whales are important edible animals only in a few countries. Finally, there is the biggest difference between cows and whales. It is that whales are free in the huge ocean until caught by people, and cows will be grown up in the field by the people to eat.

The second difference is that cows are important provisions all over the world. Almost of all countries use beef as their main dish. Therefore, it is nothing wound and give any impression us to slaughter cows. But whales have been used as edible meat in a few countries like small islander countries. Therefore, for the people who are living in big countries, to slaughter the whales look like violence activity and wounded hunting.

                The final difference is the biggest difference between cows and whales. Cows are raised by farmers in the fields that are surrounded by fences. They don't have any future. And they have to wait their slaughter in the field. On the other hand, whales are free in a huge ocean. They can swim and travel wherever they want. Even though, they are caught by people, other whales have a future. They don't need to wait their slaughter. They have their lives and freedom until caught by people.

In conclusion, there are something that happen to cows and whales. Both cows and whales are eaten by people as edible meat. Some people said that it is so poor for whale to be caught by whaler. But, how about cows? Sometimes cows and whales are both on the same situations. However, practically both cows and whales are completely opposite situations and different treatment.

Argumentative Essay

EXAMPLE : ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION

 

     There has been a controversy between animal rights supporters and scientists about whether it is right to use animals in experimental research. Also, it is very debatable whether using animals for such research results in finding a cure for diseases. From my point of view, if there are no other alternatives, and if it is possible that this will contribute to science, animals may be used for experimental research.

     Although the animal rights activists claim that people and animals are equal and thus they should be treated equally, I think that people and animals cannot be seen equal, and therefore the death of an animal cannot be the same thing as the death of a person. For that reason, causing animals to die for science, for the sake of saving human lives, may be considered ethical to some extent if it will contribute to the advancement of science and will be to the benefit of humanity in general.

   Furthermore, animal rights supporters label scientists as ‘cruel’ for causing animals to die in medical experiments, while they do not oppose the people, mostly farmers, who kill animals for food, even though they know that 99% of animals deaths is caused by farmers while only a small percentage, i.e. 1% is caused by scientists. The underlying reason for that is they find scientists easier to attack and cannot deal with farmers who are organized and strong.

    Another basic argument of animal rights defenders is that people and animals are different genetically and therefore it is useless to use animals in experiments to see the effects of some substances on people. They claim that it will make no good to use animals in experiments because they are too different to be compared to people. Some of them even assert that it is better to use people directly as they think that the results of experiments on animals cannot be valid and reliable as long as the same observation has not been done on man also. However, these people cannot foresee the disastrous results of such a practice. Many people are likely to die until a healthy result is obtained.

   People and animals may not be the same, but to some degree there are similarities which can at least give scientists an idea about their experiments. From this point of view, scientists are right to use animal models to provide themselves with information about what is happening at level of detail that could not be achieved in humans. Although there might have been some incidents when animal testing did not prove to be useful and some effects of some drugs observed on animals could not be observed on people, there are also a lot of examples that show that using animals resulted in significant developments and helped to cure some serious illnesses.

   On the other hand, there may be alternative methods that should be used instead of animal experimentation. Then, of course, it is cruel and unethical to use animals. For example, in some experiments in-vitro methods can be used as an alternative to using live animals. In such occasions, it is certainly much better and right to employ these alternatives.

    All in all, it can be said that using animals for medical research is ethical a long as it contributes to scientific development and helps scientists find ways to improve human health. And this practice is only acceptable on the condition that necessary pains are taken and animals are treated humanely.

Cause and Effects Essay

     Example : Causes and Effects of Uncontrolled Urbanization

   

    If you are an urban dweller, you may know the real meaning of urbanization. However, this does not always indicate your sufficient insight in the“uncontrolled urbanization”  topic too. To form a causal chain, it is right to say that more jobs, more services in the urban side and absence of land in the countryside force people to migrate to larger cities which brings about uncontrolled urbanization. As a result, some problems arise such as unemployment,inadequacy of infrastructure/services and some environmentally unwanted events as well as unpleasant demographic incidents.

    To begin with, it is a good point to dig up the reasons for people to come to larger cities. First of all, by all accounts, cities are perceived to offer a wide variety of job opportunities on the grounds that there are very different branches of  businesses in cities. Inasmuch as unemployment level is hugely high in the rural areas and the work is only about farming in contrast to countless business sectors in chief cities, more and more people choose searching for their chances in the metropolis.

    Secondly, comes another significant reason: There are better services in cities. As a matter of fact, transportation is extremely developed so as to make use of time efficiently. Medical services are supported with the latest technological improvements, there are unbelievably modern hospitals. Besides, education is taken into account seriously. There are very high-quality schools with excellent teachers, teaching with up-to-date techniques. None of these can be found in the rural areas, at this stage.

    Apart from these pull factors causing migration to big cities, there is a strong push factor stemming from absence of enough land. It would be very hard and useless to cultivate the land if it is too small to make an agricultural production. One important thing triggers this incident increasingly during the last years; namely, division of land. To explain, in the rural areas when someone dies, the inheritance would usually be the land. Yet, the land is divided into many parts due to the fact that in the countryside it is common to have lots of children and they all have rights to take one part of the inherited land. Therefore, what they get are useless small lands rather than a gigantic land which is capable of making a great deal of agricultural production itself. The inability to do the only thing, farming, again brings about migration to big cities with the hopes of making money.

    As mentioned earlier, all these facts and figures necessitate uncontrolled urbanization, in the midst of the causal chain. So, what are the side effects and drawbacks of this growth?

    The first main problem is unemployment rate in the cities, no doubt. Imagine that a city with a population of 5 million people and everything is fine, everyone has work. Then, other citizens of the same country – especially from the rural areas –  see the opportunity to have a better life and migrate to this city. Another 1 million people may be OK, 2 million might be accepted due to newly created sectors; nevertheless, if another 5 million people come to this city, what will be the result? Excess unskilled labourers will certainly occupy everywhere.

     There will be a dramatic rise in the unemployment level owing to the limited capacity of

workers. Looking from a different angle, since young adults come to cities before their

families, unemployment will reach a maximum point that is defined by the term “unable to cope with”.   

      The next shortcoming is, of course, inadequacy of infrastructure and services. This pressure on services and infrastructure of a city is also a big problem undoubtedly develops from overpopulation. The more people that the city government has to offer services, the lower quality the services will become. For instance, as the immigration continues, there will be more patients in hospitals waiting for cure, more students in classes to be educated, more passengers in buses and trams to transport, more city residents waiting for water, electricity, gas in their homes, more roads to be repaired, more garbage to be removed and so on. Thus, the quality of services will get progressively lower and lower.

       The city governments of big cities try to find solutions to these problems. In my opinion, the most effective way of preventing migration is increasing the job opportunities in rural areas since it results in the decrease in unemployment rate. In addition, to prevent illegal housing the governments should propose tougher punishment for people who have built gecekondus. Consequently, if people are happy in their hometowns, they won’t leave them. That is what the government should achieve.

Descriptive Essay

Example: My Hometown Is Still In My Heart

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        The most inimitable place to be, besides in my husband’s arms, is Harrogate, Tennessee. The rolling hills, clean crisp air, and spaciousness all surpass the city life. The memories and joy I experience when I am there will always have a special place in my heart.

        My house resided in the country. A cow field was my backyard, and I would play hide and seek with my friends behind the hay bales. From the moment we got home and put our Bratz Doll backpacks down until the moment the pinkish, yellow sun was setting, my friends and I were always in a new adventure. At times, the golden rays would shine and radiate without a cloud in the sky. The gentle breeze was just enough to make it comfortable. The grass had already dried from the early morning dew, making it look freshly cut and greener than ever. As we would run around making up games to play, my black and white English Springer Spaniel, otherwise known as Bubba, would follow us eagerly with his wet teeming tongue hanging out of his parched mouth and his tail wagging like a hammer in an ongoing alarm clock. In Knoxville, the population and space is far too crowded to enjoy pleasures like those in Harrogate. In a way, it is suffocating here, and I miss the feeling of peace and contentment when at home.

        During winter season, it would snow fervently. My yard also consisted of a rather giant slope. Due to many hills and back roads that would get black ice very easily, school was called off frequently. My friends and I would get so excited and call each other to make plans to go sledding! I would jump in my thick, white leggings and blue nylon pants along with three pairs of socks and waterproof shoes. On top I would have two under shirts, two regular shirts, a small jacket, a large heavy jacket and a toboggan on. Layered and ready for the cold, I would run outside and find my aqua green plastic sled from underneath the back porch. It was crisp and cold outside, and the snow was a clean white ready to be destroyed by the power of my sled. Hours later our paths would be perfectly carved in the snow, and we would be ready to go in and change to dry clothes, watch a movie, and drink a cup of hot chocolate. Snow doesn’t fall in the city, and even if it did, there is no room to go sledding. These memories will not be forgotten.

        When summertime came around again, the park was a popular place to be. I always made new friends, and there was always so much to do with these new acquaintances. Activities consisted of playing basketball at the court, playing in the sand, riding bikes, and rollerblading on the trail, playing on the jungle gym and tire swing, swinging, and so much more! Once my mom and I had our picture taken on the swings and put in the Knoxville News Sentinel. Sometimes the church congregation would have a picnic for everyone there, and we would grill and enjoy each other’s company. Even family reunions have been held there. The people in Harrogate are country people, down to earth, and content with the simple life. They are not concerned with the greatest and latest of things. This made the events at the park so much more enjoyable.

        If I could, I would go back and relive some of these memories. No matter where I go, Harrogate will be home in my heart. No matter my age, Harrogate holds some of the most memorable and cherishing parts of my life.

Narrative Essay

                          Example :The Climb

I have this fear. It causes my legs to shake. I break out in a cold sweat. I start jabbering to anyone who is nearby. As thoughts of certain death run through my mind, the world appears a precious, treasured place. I imagine my own funeral, then shrink back at the implications of where my thoughts are taking me. My stomach feels strange. My palms are clammy.

I am terrified of heights.

Of course, it’s not really a fear of being in a high place. Rather, it is the view of a long way to fall, of rocks far below me and no firm wall between me and the edge. My sense of security is screamingly absent. There are no guardrails, flimsy though I picture them, or other safety devices. I can rely only on my own surefootedness—or lack thereof.

Despite my fear, two summers ago I somehow found myself climbing to a high place, while quaking inside and out. Most of our high school had come along on a day trip to the Boquerón, a gorgeous, lush spot in the foothills of Peru. Its prime attraction is the main waterfall, about 100 feet high, that thunders into a crystal clear pool feeding the Aguaytia River. All around the pool and on down to the rushing river are boulders large and small. The beach is strewn with rocks. On both sides of the fall, the jungle stretches to meet it, rising parallel to it on a gentler slope.

After eating our sack lunches within sight and sound of the fall, many of us wanted to make the climb to an area above it. We knew others had done so on previous trips. A few guys went first to make sure they were on the right path. But after they left, my group of seven decided to go ahead without waiting for them to return. I suspected we were going the wrong way, but I kept silent, figuring that the others knew better. We went along the base of the hill until we reached the climb. It stopped me in my tracks.

The climb ascended steeply above us. Along the right edge the jungle hugged the rocks; passage through its trees did not look feasible. The majority of my view was filled with rocks. Looming high to the sky, the boulders rose in a tiered manner. Peering back down toward the river, I saw a steep slope of rocks all the way to the water. All I could think about was how far it would be to fall.

My tense thoughts were interrupted by the realization that my friends were already beginning to climb! My anxiety increased as I watched them.

Do I turn back? My whole being shouted, “Yes!” Will I regret it later? I really want to get to the top, but…

I voiced my uncertainties to my friends. They dismissed my fears and encouraged me to stick it out. Questioning my own sanity, I decided at least to attempt the climb.

I chose a path that seemed easiest. My friend Tom was ahead of me. Then, suddenly, he slipped and slid backward about 10 feet! I watched, paralyzed, until he stopped himself and assured us he was all right. My heart was hammering.

Now those who had tried the other way came back; it had not worked. Consoling myself that my friend Seth would be right behind me, I shakily began the ascent. The “path” led up a narrow area between boulders. In it, we reached a place where there just were no good handholds. Seth braced my foot, and those above sent down words of encouragement. I was soon past the first challenge safely, but not feeling much better about the rest of the climb.

The difficulties only increased from that point on, with scary spot after scary spot. Though I knew I should not look down, I could not always ignore the long drop to the boulders below. My breathing sped up, but my heart pounded even faster, growing loud in my ears.

My friends kept right on climbing. But they did not forget me. Someone was always behind me to help hold my feet steady when necessary, and someone else was always ahead to offer a hand up. I trusted them more than myself; I knew my feet could easily slip. With friends supporting me by words and actions, I slowly gained ground.

Finally we came to the worst section yet. To me the slope looked very close to vertical. The slight handholds were few and far between. Being short, I knew the stretches would be difficult enough in normal conditions. In my current panic, it would be much worse. The alternative was to go back down. Which was more difficult? I didn't want to go either way, but obviously I had to go somewhere.

The trouble was, we were not getting any nearer to the falls. By now, we realized that this route was not the way most frequented! But knowing this did not get me any closer to safety.

Since getting up this next part was next to impossible, and waiting for a rescue helicopter was not an option, with fear and trembling I decided to go down, but not by myself. Melody agreed to go with me, earning my eternal gratitude. She paused to pray for safety; I did not trust my voice enough to pray aloud.

Now, with our backs to the rocks, the drop was continually in our line of vision. It seemed even steeper than before. The song “Angels Watching Over Me” ran through my head as we began, Melody going first. I kept up a steady stream of chatter, my trembling voice betraying my fear.

One of the first tough places we came to gave us trouble. Cautiously stretching one foot down, Melody could not reach the bottom of the boulder. A slip would mean an extremely long drop. So we tried a different route where a fall would be shorter. It was somewhat wet and would entail a short slide to reach the bottom.

Melody made it safely. I hesitated, unsure of my footing, and picturing myself at the bottom of the cliff, bones broken and pain wracking my body, if I still lived.

“You can do it! I'm right here,” Melody called. She waited patiently, not pressuring me to hurry.

Inching carefully to the edge, I could see in the corner of my eye the boulders and river far below. As I started down the rock, my foot slipped! My heart jumped into my throat as the terror I had held just under the surface swept over me.

I’m gonna fall! I inwardly shrieked.

It had been only a small slip, however; I was not in midair! I took a few calming breaths, and my heart repositioned itself where it belonged.

With no further mishaps, we came eventually to the last troublesome spot, the stretch between two boulders that had given me problems on the way up. Thankfully, the rest of our friends had given up climbing to the top and had now caught up to us. There were two possible descents from here. One way included a short jump down. I decided to check out the other way. Seth was working his way down this second route when he fell a few feet and bruised himself! I again looked over the first option.

Do I want to jump? There’s a big drop if I jump wrong or don’t stop on the ledge! But the other way…!

I knew if I was to get down, it would have to be Seth’s way. He was willing to help me however he could. I inspected the “path” he had taken. There was some low vegetation, matted down and sloping slightly toward the edge. Then came a drop down to a narrow inlet between rocks. That was not so bad. The hitch lay in the fact that there was no handholds or footholds, and my short legs would not reach to the rocks.

“Uh, I don’t know about this. I don’t like the looks of it!” I said, my voice quavering.

“You can make it, Amy! I'm right here. I won’t let you fall,” Seth promised.

Slowly, painstakingly, I backed over the vegetation.

“I’m coming down,” I warned, my voice unsteady.

“I’m ready,” answered Seth. “I got you.”

His assurances gave me the strength to go on. I trusted him implicitly. Flattening myself onto my belly, I edged my feet into midair. Seth held them tightly and slowly lowered me, guiding my feel to a firm place as I let my body slide over the leaves, twigs, and rock. When my feet made contact with the solid rock, I heaved a huge sigh of relief. I could feel the fear draining out of me.

My arms and legs were scratched up; I was dirty and sweaty. But none of it mattered. I was at the bottom!

“Yaaaaaaahhhh!” I yelled. I never felt so alive, and so thankful for that life