The Engineering Experience

     One question I get asked quite often is regarding how I manage my time as a college student at Purdue. When I was a freshman, this would have been a challenging question to answer because high school was very regimented with teachers constantly reminding you of due dates for homework and tests. In college, there was a sudden switch where you are in charge of keeping track of your assignments yourself. Juggling both academics, extracurriculars, and working on campus means that I needed to find a reliable system to keep track of everything. Fortunately, there are multiple different platforms and tools that have aided in my time management skills and organization. Google Calendar      One of the most common ways of keeping track of your daily schedule, class times, and upcoming meetings is with Google Calendar. Its easy-to-use interface allows you to easily time-block your day so you can keep track of where you need to be and when. I also often keep impor...

Given that I am just semesters away from graduating, I wanted to take a look back at my time as a senior in high school applying to college and share some advice that I wish I knew back then. It is weird to look back four years ago because it feels like forever, but at the same time, it feels like I was submitting my application to Purdue yesterday. So much has changed in my life: I moved away from home, met so many amazing people, and learned so much. If someone had asked senior-year me where I would be in four years, I would have had no idea. Research the schools you are applying to This seems like common sense, but it is so important to understand what makes you attracted to a college and whether you can truly see yourself being happy there. Even though a college might be highly ranked in your desired degree program or sitting in a gorgeous location, that doesn't mean it is a good fit for you. There are countless factors to weigh when deciding on the best school, and they are di...

Did you know that a functioning car can be made solely using a chemical energy source?     That’s what the stude nt or ganization Purdue  ChemE Car does! It is a competition-bas ed student -run organization  at Purdue that conducts research , builds , and tests small cars that run solely on chemical reactions. Any   student  is free to join as well , not just Chemical Engineers . The team  compete s in a  regional competition, and if selected, can compete in the AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers) national competition where the first-place pri ze is $2 , 000. To gather perspective on the organization, I interviewed Anna Harstick, the treasurer of Purdue ChemE Car .   To start off,  I asked what her role entails and how it has helped her personally and professionally.     Question 1:  How did you get involved in ChemE Car, and what is your role?     “I joined Purdue ChemE Car during my sophomo...