The Engineering Experience

As a Big Ten School with multiple Division 1 sports teams the atmosphere surrounding Purdue athletics is an exciting, always changing environment that brings together the Purdue community. This past week Purdue Football faced off with the Iowa Hawkeyes and with an exciting ending and last minute touchdown, Purdue stole the win. Athletics may be a little different this year with no fans in the stadium but there is nothing like the feeling of spending the game with friends on the edge of your seat. Here are a few things students love about game day: The view of  Ross-Ade from the Purdue student section - Fall 2019 The Boilermaker Special:  The Boilermaker Special is Purdue’s official mascot, a highway ready train engine, it is driven by students involved with the Reamer Club on campus. You can find the Special on campus any day but bright and early the mornings of games you will not be able to miss it. Playing the Purdue fight song and the iconic train whistle, it is hard n...

With application season in full-swing, many of you might be wondering how to answer that big question: Why Purdue? To help get you started on this question, we would like to share different aspects of Purdue that either enticed us as high school seniors or make us proud to call Purdue home today. Here are some more reasons from current students as to why we chose Purdue! Me (left) and my sister (right) in Venice Italy in Spring, 2019 As a junior in high school, I watched my sister go across the Atlantic Ocean to study abroad in Rome for 4 months. We texted every day and I got to hear the amazing places in Europe she was visiting and what it was like to live full time in a foreign country where she didn’t speak the language. My family visited her for spring break in 2019, and that was when I knew that I wanted to study abroad too. However, as I researched the study abroad programs at the schools that I was applying to at the time, I realized it was hard to do as an engineer. Most of the...

For some engineering disciplines, the one step you have to take before you can foster change as an engineer is passing the fundaments of engineering (FE) exam. So, what is the FE Exam? The Fundamentals of Engineering Exam (FE exam) is an exam that allows a student to become an Engineer-In-Training (EIT). Since much of the information on the exam is covered in the first three years of college, many engineering students choose to take the exam during their final year of college. The FE exam is also the beginning of the path towards becoming a Professional Engineer (PE); after completing four years of professional engineering work experience (or less if you obtain a Masters or PhD) under a licensed PE, an EIT can then sit for the PE exam and become a PE, if they pass the PE exam.    Who should take the FE Exam? Becoming an EIT or PE is not required for all types of engineering or engineering positions but can provide added benefits. In addition to all civil engineer...

With application season in full-swing, many of you might be wondering how to answer that big question: Why Purdue? To help get you started on this question, we would like to share different aspects of Purdue that either enticed us as high school seniors or make us proud to call Purdue home today. Here are some reasons from current students as to why we chose Purdue! Purdue’s First-Year Engineering (FYE) program stood out to me as a way for me to explore the different disciplines of engineering while simultaneously learning about the different career paths engineers can take. To explore these career paths, Purdue has many learning communities for students to partake in. Personally, I was drawn to the Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) learning community and was later accepted! EPICS has been the most rewarding class I have taken at Purdue so far because it gave me industry experience as a freshman that I have been able to talk about during interviews with recruiters. So w...

Purdue might look a little different right now but something that is as alive as ever is the community on campus. While never required, 95% of freshman choose to live on campus and many upperclassmen as well. Purdue will become your home away from home and there is so much to be involved in. Here is some of the things you will enjoy as a student living our residence halls!   A Welcoming Community: Whether you are coming to Purdue with your best friends from high school or without knowing anyone, you will quickly meet many of the people on your floor and begin to make Purdue feel like home. Many students leave their doors open and say hello in the hallway. Every floor has a Resident Assistant (RA) who plans many events for the whole floor to get to know each other and each hall also has its own club associated with planning events for everyone. Some of my favorites, movie and game nights, ice skating and a winter dance!    Resources for Success:  Every residence hall ...

As midterm season approaches, it can feel overwhelming to prepare for numerous exams on top of juggling other involvements. I have compiled some of my top tips for staying organized that have helped me succeed in the classroom! Kat studying for an exam. 1. Make a Plan Making a plan has helped me be adequately prepared for my exams. I like to make a list of everything I want to cover for the exam, whether that be reading the textbook, making flashcards, doing practice problems, etc., and then make a schedule for when I want to accomplish the task. Setting mini goals can help studying feel less daunting and make sure I'm prepared on exam day! 2. Find a Good Location Switching up my location can really lift my mood and help me focus while studying! There are numerous reading rooms, coffee shops, and outdoor seating areas on campus to take advantage of while maintaining social distancing! A change of scenery can give me the motivation I need to prepare for my exam. 3. Block Out Time fo...

Fall is a great season! It is finally sweater weather; there’s pumpkins and beautiful trees and hot apple cider. And being at Purdue makes it even better - here are some of my favorite things! 1. Campus Has Fall ~Vibes~ W hen fall hits campus, you know it! The leaves start to change colors and our campus becomes even more beautiful than it already was. I love to relax and take a break from studying by spending time outside or taking walks around campus with my friends. 2. Trips to Local Corn Maze Each year, many student organizations and other groups plan trips to a nearby corn maze called Exploration Acres! In addition to a corn maze, they also have a pumpkin patch. Not only are these trips fun ways for students to explore what else the Greater Lafayette area has to offer, they serve as great photo opportunities in your favorite fall sweater.  3. Purdue Traditions Purdue has many on-campus traditions and often you will have a chance to try out many of them during BGR (freshman ori...