TUBITAK 2204A National Finals

In this post, I share my personal experience and observations from the TUBITAK 2204A National Finals.

Before the Presentation

First, I should mention that I did not stay at the hotels arranged by TUBITAK. I stayed in a different hotel with my family, so I cannot comment in detail on official accommodation, though I heard positive things.

I was very excited on the first day because I did not know what to expect, and the exhibition area was much larger than the regional one. For those who do not know, the finals are held in Ankara at the ATO Congresium.

When I arrived, I immediately looked for my stand. In many fields, two regional first-place projects had advanced. In my field, two students named Nil and Ali were also there. We had worked on related topics and both used chaotic systems. In regionals, we were put in direct competition; in the finals, we were placed side by side.

Not much happened on day one, and that actually helped me reduce stress. My main concern was the next day: I had a 35-slide presentation and needed to deliver it clearly in 10 minutes. I practiced with my mother while timing every run, which helped a lot. I also listened to other projects in my field.

Presentation Day

Presentation day was intense. They would evaluate 9 people on the first day and 9 on the second day; I was 17th, so my turn was on day two. People in my field were very supportive. We even shared jury questions with each other.

Apparently this did not happen in every field. For example, one student told me that in psychology people hid details from each other. I personally think that level of competition is unnecessary. Some people win, some do not, but being able to return home with a positive feeling is already valuable.

Normally there are three juries, but this year an additional jury was added in my field. They visited all stands and asked questions. Some questions were difficult and included data I did not have with me; I answered as best as I could.

When my turn came, I was taken to the third floor and waited for the previous students to finish. Staff students there chatted with us and asked questions while we waited.

Inside the jury room, there were four jurors. They gave me a short setup time and started a 10-minute timer when I said I was ready. The unusual part was that they tried to ask questions during the presentation. I asked if I could answer after finishing my flow, and they were understanding.

After the presentation, we moved to Q&A. Unlike regionals, this time the questions felt focused on truly understanding the project. At one point, one juror asked a question and another juror answered it from a different perspective. They were clearly engaged.

At the end, I briefly mentioned the parts we still planned to improve and thanked them for their time.

Days After the Presentation

After my presentation, I visited middle-school projects as well. Many of them were impressive. I also had one odd interaction where a mentor teacher criticized us unfairly; I did not take it seriously.

They also made dismissive comments about other projects, and I ended up defending peers from my field. My advisor suggested we leave, and that was the right choice.

Beyond that, I mainly enjoyed seeing students from all regions of Turkey coming together for science. That atmosphere was genuinely inspiring.

Award Ceremony

At 10 AM, my mother, my advisor, and I were all at the ceremony. I was extremely stressed. First places were announced; my name was not there. Encouragement awards were announced; still not there. Then third places were announced; still not there.

I never truly expected second place. I thought either first or third would happen, if anything. I had invested an enormous amount of effort into this project, and that moment felt emotionally overwhelming.

When second place in mathematics was announced and I heard the beginning of my school name, I realized it was me. I had been selected as the national mathematics runner-up. I could not process the moment; I was laughing and crying at the same time.

One thing that made me sad was that Ali and Nil did not receive an award despite their effort. I was also deeply empathetic toward students who felt disappointed, because I know how heavy that moment can feel.

Closing

Thank you for reading.

I also want to sincerely thank my advisor Tutku Dilara Yilmaz, lecturer Ali Cihan Keles from Yeditepe University, and my family for supporting me throughout this journey.