The Engineering Experience

Selecting an engineering discipline can be a decision that feels extremely daunting to many incoming students. The design of Purdue’s First-Year Engineering Program enables students the opportunity to hold-off on making this important decision until their second semester of college. While it is helpful to have more time to make this decision, it does not make it any less difficult. For help on this topic, we interviewed Assistant Director of Student Success at Purdue, Darshini Render and she shared insight on how to make an engineering discipline decision that is right for you. Here are a couple of the key messages she shared: 1.  Th ere is more than one path to “success”:  whatever that word means to you Your discipline choice is just one component of what will influence your future career, future life, and future self. Many disciplines can lea d to multiple careers, AND many career fields are filled with individuals of a variety of discipline background .

             A common misconception about large universities is that it will be hard to meet and connect with people.  At Purdue, there are so many ways to make friends! Here are some ways you can meet the Boilermakers. 1. Meet the Classy Boilermakers We all know that it’s important to go to class in order to succeed in academics, but it can also be a great way to make friends. Whether it’s a class for your major or an elective, you can find something that you have in common with the other people.  In college, most classes won’t have assigned seating, so it can be fun to sit next to someone new and introduce yourself.  Most Purdue students are friendly, and it’s always helpful to know people that you can work and study with. 2. Meet the Sporty Boilermakers Purdue has a great recreation center (the Co-Rec) that makes it a little bit easier to work out and avoid the “Freshman 15.”  At the Co-Rec, there are intramural sports that anyone can get involved in!  You can get i

FYE is housed in Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering 1. Engineering Classes Everyone in first-year engineering takes  great engineering classes at the very beginning which incorporate helpful team experience in order to learn proficiency in Microsoft Excel and a programming tool called MATLAB.  These fundamental skills help with more advanced classes and provide meaningful opportunities to grow as a problem-solver. 2. Discipline Information Before it’s time to select your discipline, students sign up for lectures about the  different engineering disciplines according to their interest. At these lectures that are put on by each of the engineering disciplines, students can begin to understand the curriculum and career pathways that are associated with the various types of engineering. 3. FYE Advisors Purdue has  advisors specifically for first-year engineering students.  They help you decide which classes to take based on your interests and intended major.  This

It's "syllabus week" at Purdue, which means classes and homework are gearing up.  Although work wise it may be the "easiest" week of the year, a solid, fresh start equates to a successful semester.  Ever wondered how to start a semester strong in college? Read advice from current students on how to make this your best semester yet! Starting Strong (Literally) Organization is the Answer to Everything It goes without saying that being organized is a crucial part of a college student's life.  But in order to accomplish what you want to do in a timely fashion, start the first week of classes.  I like to make a weekly schedule and continue to follow it throughout the semester to keep a routine.  Also, plan out a schedule for the entire semester so you are aware which weeks will be busier than others.  Even if something is thrown your way, if you are organized ahead of time you will know exactly when you are able to do it.  Being organized also lowers

When I was deciding which college to attend, I chose Purdue University not because of the strong engineering program (although that is a plus), but because it just felt like the right place for me to be. The truth is at that time I couldn’t possibly have known for sure whether or not I was making the right decision, but I haven’t regretted it a single day since then. Unlike most students, my college career at Purdue lasted a total of 5.5 years instead of 4. This is because I participated in Purdue’s co-op program in which I worked for Kimberly-Clark Corporation for two semesters, and I also later completed another semester internship with the Walt Disney Company. While some people think it is best to graduate in 4 years, I am very happy with my unconventional path because the extra time allowed me to grow personally and gain experiences I couldn’t have possibly had otherwise.  In addition to my fulfilling internship experiences, I also had a variety of involvements in cam

Reflecting upon my time at Purdue, I came up with three main takeaways to share with prospective students on why they should choose to study engineering at Purdue University. 1. The career opportunities are endless. I know that it may sound cliché, but it is true. Throughout my time at Purdue, I had incredible internship opportunities because of the exposure I received as a Purdue engineering student. World-renowned companies recruit at Purdue, specifically looking for engineers. I had the opportunity to intern for Accenture as a Digital Consultant, for the Walt Disney Company in their Industrial Engineering Department, and for Deloitte Consulting as a Business Technology Analyst. I accepted a full time offer with Deloitte Consulting and will be moving to Chicago to begin that position. I truly believe that I would not have had these amazing opportunities if it were not for the reputation of Purdue engineering, the connections I made with Purdue Alumni, and the resour