'Life is a Choice' continues its candidate meetings. Exp. Psychologist Ece Tözeniş and Journalist Şaban Özdemir met with students from Muğla who will take the exam, at the program organized by Muğla Önder İmam Hatip High School Graduates Association. Journalist Şaban Özdemir stated that the word 'exam' itself evokes chaos, and being tested does not make one feel good, adding that one should not be afraid of losing. Exp. Psychologist Ece Tözeniş, emphasizing that anxiety and fear are controllable, gave important tips to the candidates who will take the exam.
Şaban Özdemir: "Exams are unfortunately a part of every stage of life."
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Media PR Unit Manager Journalist Şaban Özdemir started his speech by empathizing with the students who will take the exam now, recalling his own experiences when he first took exams and feeling the same emotions. "When I put myself in my friends' shoes, the feelings I experienced back then were excitement, anxiety, and fear. And it was the feeling of uncertainty caused by the exam. Exams are unfortunately something that exists at every stage of life. We know that an exam begins the moment we are born. On the other hand, there are also concrete exams that we have to take and pass in life. I can understand my friends' excitement, anxiety, and fear. I experienced the same things. It is very normal for every human being with emotions to go through and experience these processes," he said.
Şaban Özdemir: "Being tested makes one feel bad."
Journalist Şaban Özdemir emphasized that uncertainty, the only thing humans cannot control, increases anxiety, saying, "The very name 'exam' evokes chaos in a way. The feeling of being tested or tried inevitably makes a person feel bad. Therefore, from a human perspective, being tested is not something we prefer much. I believe this is psychologically true. The meaning attributed to the exam also needs to be questioned correctly. Erroneous attributions of meaning escalate anxiety. As our esteemed Professor Nevzat Tarhan also stated, we unfortunately focus on the outcome rather than thinking about the process. Even I acted hastily in those times concerning this. We often fall into these erroneous thoughts: 'What if I don't win? If I can't repay my parents' efforts, if I get a bad score, how can I face my friends... etc.?' This is a process where friends of this age think about these things and struggle in that emotional vicious circle."
Şaban Özdemir: "Let's not be afraid of losing. We will get stronger as we lose..."
Özdemir stated that every uncertainty, every chaos is actually an opportunity that should be evaluated well, and this should not be forgotten, saying, "An exam is not an uncertainty. Why? Because we know everything about the exam. The curriculum is clear, the areas from which questions will come, how many questions will come... etc. Everything is clear. Let's see if we have done our best. Let's question whether our conscience is clear. If we can give realistic answers to these questions, we can even roughly estimate and predict the outcome of the exam, assuming nothing extraordinary or contrary happens. And I would like to state this: Let's never be afraid of losing. Success only makes us proud at that moment, but losing develops, matures, and makes us gain... There will be times when we will lose. We will get stronger as we lose..."
Exp. Psychologist Consultant Ece Tözeniş: "Anxiety control exercises are necessary"
Referring to anxiety being present at every stage of life, Üsküdar Üniversitesi Educational Institutions and Guidance Services Manager Exp. Psychologist Ece Tözeniş said, "Anxiety is inevitable, and so are exams. Exams begin from the moment we are born. They don't end when we graduate from university or enter business life. We face an exam at every moment. Of course, we talk a lot about anxiety. We always discuss it as if it's a negative emotional state. In fact, having no anxiety at all isn't a good thing either. High anxiety isn't good either. Anxiety triggers us a bit more. It increases our motivation, so anxiety isn't a very bad thing, of course, as long as you can control it. Anxiety arises from our negative thoughts. Don't stop believing in yourself. During this period, efforts should be made to control anxiety by being a bit more relaxed."
Exp. Psychologist Consultant Ece Tözeniş: "Scores and success rankings change every year"
Exp. Psychologist Ece Tözeniş continued by stating that the exam system only measures our knowledge, not our personality or character: "The exam is merely something that measures the education we received from the first year of high school until the end of high school. It does not measure our personality, our character, what we will do next, or what kind of person we are. It is just a process that measures our knowledge. Yes, we always focus on the outcome. What will happen in the end? But we are still in the process. And the process actually continues until we are placed, until the placement results are announced. After the exam, the results are expected to be announced on August 4th. This is an official statement made by ÖSYM. Then, perhaps they will visit universities, and another process will follow them there. The final stage is being placed. As we stated here, it is very important to turn those crisis situations into opportunities. Scores and success rankings change every year."
Exp. Psychologist Consultant Ece Tözeniş: "Decisions are formed as one learns and researches..."
Exp. Psychologist Ece Tözeniş continued her words as follows: "I advise all students this: All universities' official websites are up-to-date. You can get detailed information about many departments from university websites. The same applies to Üsküdar Üniversitesi. You are the one who knows yourself best. You are the one who knows your interests, your talents, and what will make you happy. Decisions are not made by waking up one morning and deciding 'I will choose this,' but rather formed over time and through a process. As you gradually learn, research, and gain knowledge, you will find your interest. The academic staff is very important; what the professors have done, what kind of work they have been involved in, is crucial. The university's research and development laboratories are very important. Practical experience is needed alongside theory. You will gain experience related to your profession in those laboratories. How actively the laboratories work with students is important. Projects are important; students develop projects at universities. She emphasized that universities should be evaluated based on many criteria."