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International Student Profiles
Apratim Sahay
Class: 2008
From: India
Academic interests: Physics, Math, maybe Economics
What are classes really like?
In one word: Fun. In two: Serious fun. Yeah, I know fun doesn't seem
the right word but the professors and students are genuinely
interested in what they are doing. Most humanities and Core classes
are small (about 20) and discussion-oriented, which is a big change
from the note-taking back in India. So we are expected to actively
contribute in class discussion, which took me a while to get used
to. The classes here, especially in math and science, are going to
take a lot out of you. New concepts will hit you at an extremely fast
pace. All the groundwork they have been laying about this being a
rigorous school, life of the mind blah-blah is for real. Believe the
hype.
What are professors really like?
All of them are incredibly smart. They are going to be some of the
most frighteningly smart people you've ever met, the kinds with 3
Ph.D's even in subjects they aren't teaching! They are going to
continuously challenge you, at the same time they are extremely
approachable (although intimidating) during office hours. Professors
here are quite frankly a breed of their own, they are unique,
dedicated and yes, crazy about their work! My Calculus prof is just
totally loopy, he keeps waving his hands about and seems lost and then
writes stuff one blackboard, turns around and then inexplicably starts
writing on another! My physics Prof is this goofy British guy who
keeps doing weird stuff in the class, he sat on a wheelchair today
along with this fire extinguisher thing in this hand, then turned it
on and went whizzing in the opposite direction! And we went on to
derive the equations for rocket propulsion after that! Guess this was
my introduction to the Chicago way of teaching.
What do you do for fun?
I play squash, table tennis (ping pong here) and tennis. The Ratner
Athletic Center here is fantastic. They have awesome workout
facilities, and a huge Olympic size swimming pool. For this quarter,
I'm not involved with any clubs and other activities because I have
enough on my plate right now. But getting involved with the SASA
(South Asian Student Association), and the newspapers is on my list
for later.
What challenges have you faced here? Were there things that were difficult to adjust to?
Food Food. Food. American food tastes like nothing you've tasted
before. Think McDonalds and Pizza Hut. Think burgers and fries and
pizzas 24/7, each day, every meal. Think coarse rice, no dals, no
spices, no papads (*sobs uncontrollably). Think salads (ghaas phoos),
that yucky green stuff that your mom forced you to eat. Now stop
thinking and cry for me. If you were smart (unlike me), you'd prepare
for the worst. You know the 64 kgs that you are allowed to bring; load
it with food, masalas, achars, whatever you can find. Learn cooking
from your mom. And then when you come here, please remember me. Forget
that...I will find you and steal everything! And come prepared to be
homesick. I missed home like nothing ever, trust me there will be
times when you will be literally dying to speak Hindi. Or just walk
into the Hindi classes here, I've done it.
How cold is it really?
It's a lot like Bombay: hot and wet. Yeah right, remember I said I was delusional. I still haven't survived a winter here (probably won't!) so I'm not saying this stuff from personal experience. But it gets cold, really really cold. It's the kind of cold that will make you wish that you had never been born, or if you are a clearer thinker, wish that you had never come here. -20C is what its going to be like. It's going to be so cold that your nose hairs will freeze, the coffee in your hand will freeze, polar bears will die. Hell will freeze over. Get all the sweaters, jackets that you can find in India, stuff it over all the food in your suitcase. Actually don't even try to imagine the cold. It's impossible; we in India just cannot fathom it. (Unless you live in Siachen or somewhere). But people survive, you will too. I won't.
Last words?
About advice for the application: Be creative, think like no ones looking, be wild, fanciful. Whatever you do, don't be scared of being yourself. And then, come here, we can complain about the food. Complain about the cold. Complaining is what most of Chicago is really good at. You will come here and say to yourself, "This my place, these are my people." You will hear people say, "My math can beat up your math" and be scared. You will stay up at night arguing with someone if Hitler was the Anti-Christ, what Camus really meant by the Absurd, playing Halo on XBox, or just having fun. The Chicago way.