Life in the Meredith South Women in Engineering Living Learning Community


    As an incoming freshman, I was excited for all the new college experiences I would have that year. I was also a bit worried about the college transition as I am an out-of-state student who didn’t know many other people attending Purdue. Those fears were quickly relieved after getting to campus, as the Meredith South Women in Engineering Living Learning Community, where I am living my freshman year, quickly provided me with a community at Purdue.

The Meredith South Residence Hall sign in front of the building

    In the Meredith South Residence Hall, two floors of the building are dedicated to the WiE Living Community, meaning nearly 200 freshmen women in engineering live in the same residence hall. Because everyone on your floor shares the same major with everyone in the living community, I immediately had something in common with all of the other girls on my floor. I have made some of my closest friends through people I met in my living community. Every residence hall has a club dedicated specifically to building the community of that residence hall. The South Side Club, Meredith South’s hall club, does a great job of doing that as they host monthly all-dorm events in the building's multipurpose room. I love attending the events with my friends in my dorm and meeting other girls in the other STEM learning communities in the building!

    My favorite part of living in this community is I share all of my classes with others on my floor. Meredith South was built with many private and public study spaces, so it makes collaboration with others very easy. Every night I find a spot on my floor to work on homework and study with a group of other girls on my floor who share the same classes with me. One of the popular courses that girls in the Women in Engineering Living Learning community take is ENGR 19400. This is a one-credit-hour seminar course offered in the fall semester to freshmen women in engineering. During many of the seminars, Purdue WiE alumni speak on their experiences at Purdue, their career paths, and the challenges and successes they have faced as engineers. The seminar helped me feel more prepared for a professional engineering career and reinforced my decision to pursue engineering!

    Not only did the Women in Engineering Living Learning Community provide me with a strong community when I first came to Purdue, but it also provided me with a lot of academic support. All of the RAs in the living community are engineering upperclassmen. Last semester, I went to my RA with many questions about class recommendations and the best ways to prepare for exams. The Women in Engineering Program also hosts nightly tutoring on weekdays at Shreve Residence Hall. Meredith South is only a 3-minute walk away from Shreve, so the location of the living community provides me with a convenient opportunity to receive help on homework when I run into questions.

My RA and her residents wearing Meredith South merch

    The cherry on top when it comes to living in the Women in Engineering Living Learning community is Meredith South overall is a great building. The residence hall has both a Panera and QDOBA on the ground floor of the building. Meredith South is also very close to many of the dining halls, making getting food when very convenient! The building’s central location is also only a 5-minute walk away from the COREC. Meredith South was built in 2020, making it one of Purdue’s newest residence halls.

    I couldn’t recommend living in the Women in Engineering Living Learning community enough! I love being a part of such a supportive community filled with other women in engineering. This year, May 5th is the priority application deadline for living learning communities. If you’re interested in living in the WiE learning community, be sure to apply by that date!

Maddie French, Computer Engineering

WE Link Leadership Team


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