Lester B. Pearson International Student Scholarship Recipient Dila Gulmez from Turkey Shares Her Journey of Pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biological Chemistry at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM)

Hello! My name is Dila Gulmez. I am from Turkey and, currently, an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM). I plan to graduate in Spring 2027 and hopefully continue my studies as a Master’s Student. At UTM, I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree as a Biological Chemistry Specialist. When I first applied to the University of Toronto (UofT), I was actually considering studying Biotechnology; however, after I started my first year, I realized I wanted go into academia and not the industry. This realization led me to Biological Chemistry, where I get to learn about metabolic pathways and molecular biology.

Lester B. Pearson International Student Scholarship Details

Lester B. Pearson International Student Scholarship – University of Toronto. Covers 4 years of tuition and residence fees.

Other Offered Scholarships

Outstanding International Student (OIS) Award - University of British Columbia, CA

Academic excellence scholarship – University of York, UK

Be Exceptional 60th Anniversary Scholarship of £7500 - University of York, UK

One-Year Entrance Scholarship of $3,000 – McGill University, CA

International Student Entrance Scholarship of $10,000 – University of Waterloo, CA

Think Big Scholarship (£6500 + 3000) – University of Bristol, UK

Educational Background

Lycee Notre Dame de Sion – Istanbul, Turkey

How Did You Prepare to Apply to the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM)?

How Did You Find Information About Scholarships and the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM)?

Kept an Excel file of all universities I searched and the scholarships and courses they offered. I also had the support of a University Application Specialist whom my family hired.

Did You Take Any Standardized Tests? If So, How Did You Prepare for Them?

I took the SAT, IELTS, DELF, DALF, and AP (Comp. Sci., Biology, and Psychology). I studied for Comp. Sci. and Psychology AP on my own from books and online resources. I went to a private tutor for SAT, IELTS, and Biology AP. For DELF and DALF, my high school prepared us.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to the Lester B. Pearson International Student Scholarship?

The University Application Specialist assisted me a lot with the scholarship applications. He gave me clear guidelines and feedback on my essays. I also looked online for scholarship recipients and their experiences.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

I asked myself a lot of these questions, especially for the Lester B. Pearson Scholarship. After 3 years as a Lester B. Pearson Scholar, I believe it was my passion for life sciences and resilience in the face of hardships. In addition to 98% average upon high school graduation, I had also a lot of extracurricular experiences that most Turkish high schoolers did not. I had attended a lot of competitions, internships, volunteer work, and online courses.

What Would You Have Done Differently if You Were Going Through the Process Again?

I would not apply to Universities in the USA without an SAT. My SAT exam had gone badly, so we decided to apply to universities without my SAT score. I spent so much time, effort, and money applying to the USA, and at the end, it was all for nothing. The USA applications stressed me more than any other application.

What Advice Would You Give Those Looking to Apply for a Similar Scholarship?

Be yourself. Pursue your passions, not what is ‘trending’. I would also definitely advise reviewing your application with someone else to get a second opinion; preferably someone who assists students with these applications for a living.