Six Points of View: How It Felt To Be Admitted to Purdue Engineering

After months of researching schools, crafting the perfect application, and lots of waiting, the time has finally come to start deciding which school you will attend for the next 4 years. With Purdue recently releasing admissions decisions for Early Action Applicants, we asked our Leadership Team members how they felt when they received their admissions decisions.

Marisa

When I first received my admittance to Purdue, I remember not having a huge reaction. There was a bit of excitement, but not nearly the amount of energy that I had hyped up in my head. I thought that receiving all my admittance letters from schools would be super pivotal for me and that I would have a clear feeling as to the school I should choose. But as I am starting to learn more and more in life, there are many events that don’t live up to our preconceived standard of excitement when they finally dawn on us. And that is perfectly normal! What I do remember feeling during this time was a sense of security; that I had an admittance from a school where I would have opportunities to grow, meet new people, and push the limits of my comfort zone. And while I know now that those things were so good for me, in the moment they were a bit intimidating. I think my decision to choose Purdue inevitably came down to deciding that I wanted to push myself to become the best version of myself; both academically and socially. These were both areas that I knew Purdue excelled in through its well-known engineering program and a multitude of clubs and organizations to become involved in. And I have to say, as a senior about to graduate in May, Purdue did nothing short of providing me with the best college experience I could have asked for. 

Madeleine

My admittance letter to Purdue was the first one that I received from any university, so that already made it very memorable for me! I knew after my first visit that Purdue would be a strong contender when it came to choosing where I would end up going to college. The summer before my senior year of high school, I also had the opportunity to attend a STEM-related camp at Purdue. This gave me the opportunity to see first-hand what it might be like to be a student here. Both of those experiences were crucial in helping me decide where to attend college. As senior year went on, I realized more and more that I was just comparing every other school to Purdue. Whether it was related to location, prestige of the program, or opportunities outside of the classroom, no other school had more of what I was looking for than Purdue. When it came time to make my final selection, it was an easy choice for me. I knew Purdue had everything (and more!) that I wanted and needed in school. 

Emily

When I was admitted early action to engineering at Purdue, I remember feeling excited to get in (it was my first college admittance), but at the time I had my sights set on a more rigorous, smaller school, so I thought Purdue was more of a given. A few months and many other college admittances later, it didn’t work out with my “dream school”, and Purdue was out of my mind. I decided I was going to study engineering at an in-state school because of the reduced cost and closer proximity to home. To an extent, I was settling for this other school, for when I visited, I remember a school that made me feel indifferent about the campus and its engineering program when I visited. In late March, about a month before decision time, I received another email from Purdue reminding me to accept or reject my admittance. Looking back, I think this was a sign. I decided I was going to tour Purdue one more time and explore my options once more just to be sure; and after visiting and hearing again all that Purdue could offer me, I knew the choice was clear. So, I changed my mind and recalled my acceptance to the other school. Two and a half years later, I am certain that choosing to go to Purdue was by far one of the decisions I’ve made. Purdue has given me the opportunity to become an individual, meet some of my best friends, challenge myself, and join incredible organizations, but above all else, Purdue has become my home.

Brittany

As a senior at Purdue, receiving my admittance to study engineering here feels like a distant memory. I do remember feeling excited, but in the background, I was overwhelmed. At the time, I felt grateful and comforted to know that I was admitted to a few colleges with great engineering programs, but choosing the best one for me seemed like an impossible task. I was excited about being admitted to Purdue for the same reasons that I applied to Purdue: the engineering program was highly regarded, I liked the idea of attending a Big Ten school, and it was an affordable option. However, I wasn’t completely convinced that it was a standout choice for me.
While comparing colleges, I reminisced on the visits that I made to each one. There was so much to take in at Purdue; it has a beautiful campus, many ways to get involved, and job fairs to help students to obtain exciting internships and jobs. Over everything though, I remembered the individuals who took time out of their day to paint a picture of what it’s like to be a student at Purdue. There were major moments that set Purdue apart, like when I hadn’t registered for the specific engineering tour but a staff member took the time to show my dad and me around Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering and explain details of the First-Year Engineering Program. To me, it was equally important to share seemingly smaller moments with current engineering students. Talking to students about everything from their favorite class to the snowy Saturday that they spent sledding down Slayter Hill helped me to imagine myself feeling at home at Purdue. I could tell that these students were genuine and driven, and they were the type of people that I wanted to surround myself with during my new life adventure. While I didn’t immediately know that I would attend Purdue, I am so grateful that I was admitted, and I’m even more glad that I had the chance to meet students and faculty to help me make the decision to come here. If you’re considering Purdue Engineering, my best advice would be to visit campus and make time to talk to students currently studying engineering. For high school juniors and seniors, Purdue Women in Engineering Program puts on Exploring Engineering at Purdue, so check out the website here to find more information and to register.

JT

Looking back on when I was first accepted to Purdue Engineering and then into the Honors College, I felt a great sense of joy. Since I applied early action, Purdue was one of the first schools I heard back from. I went to a small high school in Philadelphia where my graduating class size was 132 and the average classroom size was between 10-16 students. Initially, I was dead set on going to a smaller school. But when April began to approach, I had narrowed down my college options to a small private school back home and a large state school across the country. To help me make my decision, I spoke with several students at both colleges. Even though I thought I did not want a large college, the community atmosphere of Purdue won me over; a good community is a great tool for collaborative majors such as engineering. In addition to the great community, the smaller community of the Honors College provided me with a small school feel, while still providing me the many resources (such as career fairs, advisors, study abroad programs, clubs, etc.) of a large school. My major take away from coming to Purdue is that you can make a large school small but it is very hard to make a small school large. Now 1.5 years into my education at a top-tier engineering school, I’ve made hundreds of friends (and a few very close ones), studied abroad in Italy, formed close relationships with my professors, gained real-world experience as a bridge design intern after my freshman year, served my local community through community service clubs, and paid it forward by speaking to many high students who are considering Purdue. I’m proud to call Purdue my home 705 miles away from home.

Kat

If I am being honest, I think my mom was more excited for me to receive an acceptance to Purdue Engineering than I was. At the time, I was busy with my senior year of high school and did not want to think about where I wanted to go to college. As an out-of-state student, I had not gotten the chance to visit Purdue’s campus and did not know much about the amazing opportunities offered at Purdue. However, once I got the chance to tour Purdue, I got to experience the collaborative culture that Purdue cultivates. Talking to prospective students about their time at Purdue and what Purdue had offered them convinced me that Purdue was the school for me, and nearly two years later I could not be more thankful that I made the decision to attend Purdue. 

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Kat Kerr, Marisa Hughes, Emily Hamman, JT Sarisky, Madeleine Hollinger, and Brittany Allen

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