The Engineering Experience

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Emma Mann  Back before I came to Purdue, I remember sitting at my kitchen counter reading an article about which colleges job recruiters prefer to hire from in the Wall Street Journal. In the article, Purdue was ranked highly among recruiters, both for engineering and overall. I wasn’t terribly surprised to read this because I already knew about the wonderful reputation Purdue had, but once coming to Purdue, I saw firsthand Purdue’s reputation among recruiters. Purdue hosts one of the largest student-run job fairs in the country, Industrial Roundtable (IR). IR is a two-day job fair, boasting almost 300 companies and attracting thousands of Purdue students. IR gives students the opportunity to network with companies of various sizes, in various industries, and from various places. Prior to the job fair days, there is a day of company seminars, which allows students to learn more about the companies before meeting with them at the jo...

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Jessica Callinan  It's hard to even pick a starting point when talking about Boiler Gold Rush (BGR for short). This was hands down the best experience I have ever had, and I would relive if over and over again if I had the chance. The one week that BGR spans takes you from timid college freshmen to excited and exuberant new student. I loved it so much I even went back the following summer as a Team Leader (TL). Without BGR, I would have never grown to love Purdue so quickly or made so many friends that have lasted throughout my time here.  So what is BGR really? Beyond just an orientation program, it is a way to immerse yourself into campus as soon as you arrive. It prepares you for classes, gets you acclimated to Purdue, and helps you make friends from the start. Your TL and BGR group stay with you the whole week, showing you campus buildings, how to work the dining courts, fun places to hang out, and just general tips on navigating your t...

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Kat Frangos As an undergraduate engineering student, you can only learn so much in the classroom.  Exploring learning opportunities off campus is incredibly important.  I chose to escape the grind of mechanical engineering at Purdue and fly off to Shanghai the spring of my junior year.  Let me tell you, deciding to study abroad is easily the best decision that I have made during my time in college. I spent five and a half months in Shanghai, China as part of the Mechanical Engineering Engineering Term Abroad program the spring semester of 2013.  I flew over there with roughly 40 other junior ME students and we had the adventure of a lifetime.  It is really hard to describe how amazing and impactful this experience was.  There are so many different types of learning that happens while you're abroad. You will experience... Being a minority in a foreign culture which definitely takes some time to get used to.  It...

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Jessica Callinan I am a firm believer that an internship is one of the best ways to solidify your decision to become an engineer. It gives you invaluable experience and shows you what your degree can do. You get exposure to a plethora of different people, learn what a full time environment is like, and get to work hands on with super cool projects. One of the best things about it is you get to see what you learn at school and put it into action. It's no longer just a homework problem, its a set of equations governing a real moving part on a system that you get to interact with. The design process comes to life, and rather then working in student teams, you're working with a company wide team towards a common goal. When I was offered my first internship, I was overwhelmed with excitement and with nerves. Half of me was ecstatic about getting really world experience to add to my resume, while the other half was worried I’d be making copi...

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Beata Strubel Michelle Obergfell is the current Vice President of Development for the Purdue University Habitat for Humanity Chapter. She is a sophomore in Chemical Engineering and joined Habitat her freshman year. In her current position, she is involved in grant writing, maintaining alumni relations, and overseeing the Publicity and Off-Campus Volunteer Outreach chairs. She is also part of the Honors College and is a teaching assistant for First Year Honors Engineering. Did you have any building experience before you joined Habitat? I first joined Habitat when I was a freshman, and I went on a lot of the construction builds on Saturdays. I had some experience working in a wood shop, and I always helped my dad around the house, but I had no idea how to build a house or anything that went with it. However, no experience was necessary! I was taught how to do everything I needed to do, such as putting in insulation in the attic and installing the roof...

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Jessica Callinan A look into the craziness that is applying to college. It is crazy to think that four years ago, I was applying to college. I can’t even begin to describe how fast the time has gone by and how thankful I am that I applied to Purdue. To be honest, Purdue University was one of my top choice schools but one of the last that I actually submitted an application to. I had done all my other applications on paper and sent them in, and Purdue was the only application I had to submit online. I think I thought this meant the application would be much easier, and now I realize it wasn't any different. Fall 2011 BGR Team Leader I also was a bit discouraged by Purdue because one of my guidance counselors told me my chances of acceptance were slim. Once I visited the campus in October and attended a football game, I knew that Purdue was for me. Every other college failed in comparison. Purdue had everything I wanted: an amaz...