Tatenda Mpungu

Class: 2007
From: Zimbabwe
Academic interests: Biology and Psychology

Professors/classes that have challenged you most:

The general chemistry honors class has been the most challenging. From the first day we took off, everything was at a new level, it took me until the first midterm to realize how much I had to put into it. It felt like we were learning a different kind of atom than the one I had studied in high school. Calculus also took me a while to adjust to. Maybe because of the long 10 months Advanced Level vacation, my brain was still in holiday mode in an environment where you are supposed to hit the ground running. Otherwise the more amount of work you put into it, the more results you get.

What do you think about the Core?

At times it felt like a waste of time, sitting in a class for a good hour with people passing on their opinions of which there was no exactly right or wrong answer. I've been a science person who's used to the factual, one-plus-one-is-two-anything-else-is-wrong, type of learning. This kind of interactive-ness was new. I'm beginning to enjoy the views of Socrates and Diogenes, whom I'd have never bothered to read had it not been for the Core. Hopefully, my writing skills will improve and the other classes to come will be fun. Come next quarter I'll be a budding artist as I intend to take classes in art, music and drama.

What do you do for fun?

The activity depends on the day. If its during the week, almost everyone is busy with class work, clubs and sports. I tend to put off my assignments and papers to chit chat with people on my floor. Friday night one cannot read, so there are various options open: partying, going Downtown or on the north side of Chicago with friends, going to the Doc to catch some recent movie and at times not so recent but very good movie on the big screen. If I'm in the laid back mood then I sit down to watch movies, and there is always someone to watch with.

"If I had to describe my friends here..."

CRAZY, that's all I can say.

What were your very first impressions when you got here?

The city is big and clean for its size. The pace of life was much slower than I expected. Maybe it was just the size of the place which made life appear to be slower than the Harare (my hometown) type of lifestyle I was used to. Its size just feels so overwhelming that you cannot know it all, but I'll be around for at least 4 years so I think I can work on it.

What do you want prospective students to know about Chicago? What advice would you give them?

When it's stated that it's intellectual, do believe it because that's exactly what it is. If you love your books and want to have a balance between a rich academic experience and a bit of fun, then you ought to consider this school. Don't be deterred from applying by the cost, I feel everyone has a chance and the college can help you with the funding, it is helping me. So go on grab the uncommon application and do something creative with it.

What do you miss most about home? The food at home, before I came here I used to idolize the western way of heating, the hamburgers, the hot dogs. Right now I feel I'm sated with all those things and do miss my sadza (staple meal in Zimbabwe). I also miss the people back home and their jokes and laughs. It might sound unbelievable but the way we laugh and what we laugh at is different. At times the jokes here don't sound like they are jokes, or maybe it becomes a case of missing out on the whole point. I'm still coming to grips with the jokes. That might change with time; I've only been here for 2 months.

Current reading list:

Plato's Meno, the Iliad of Homer, Xenophon's Memorabilia, Diogenes the Cynic, Four texts on Socrates, Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle.

How cold is it really?

The place is really cold. For anyone like me who is used to warm tropical weather, this is a little freezer. It gets worse when it rains then you have to deal with wetness and coldness. What could be worse? All the same I'm looking forward to my first snow, planning to go maybe to Colorado to do a bit of skating, if that fails then I'll settle for the Midway skating rink, located next to the quads on campus.

International Student Profiles

Tatenda Mpungu