I've Committed To Purdue! Now What?

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With May 1st rapidly approaching, we are so excited to welcome the new Boilermakers of the Class of 2025! There is so much to be excited for as you make the transition to campus over the next few months and we can’t wait to see you. As you go through the process of graduating high school and taking your first steps as Purdue students, here are a few things to look forward to and next steps through the rest of summer! 


My first time on campus visiting Purdue after I committed - June 2019

Housing and Learning Communities

The Outside of the Honors College

About 95% of freshmen choose to live on campus and if you would like to live in a University residence you must sign your housing contract by May 5th to be guaranteed on campus housing. You will rank your room preferences by room style (not by residence hall) and will have the chance to choose between double, triples, singles, suites and apartments to name a few. While not guaranteed, Purdue will strive to put you in your top choice room! No matter where you are placed you are sure to find a great community in your hall and each one has unique features and personality! Personally I was placed in the Honors College my freshman year and loved our lounge spaces and whiteboards that always had an equal mix of doodles and engineering problems. 


If you are looking for a chance to live with other students of the same major and interests, consider joining one of our learning communities such as our Women in Engineering Learning Community housed in Meredith South, our newest residence hall! Look for the application after filling out your traditional housing contract and fill it out as soon as you can as spots will fill quickly. If you already filled out your learning community application by the April 15th Priority deadline, watch your email- you will be notified of placement around May 1st! 

My Residence Hall Room!

VSTAR - Virtual Student Transition Advising and Registration

Once you’ve decided to be a Purdue student, your next steps will be to get fully prepared academically to start classes in the fall. After May 10th, you will receive instructions to activate your brightspace account. Brightspace is the main platform you will use for all your courses in the future and when you join you will have your first set of tasks listed under VSTAR. After completing these, you will fill out a survey to indicate you are ready to schedule a time with your academic advisor. This will be a one-on-one meeting between you and an advisor in the First Year Engineering program so they can get to know you and walk you through all of the classes you will be taking in the fall! A few tips to be ready for this meeting:

Review the First Year Engineering Requirements: If you know what you want to major in, look into any additional degree plans for your major. Some have recommended first year courses and it will give you a good idea of what to expect. 

Understand Your Transfer Credits: If you have completed any college course work, dual credit, AP or IB, be familiar with what score you need on these exams and try to anticipate what you might have scored on your senior year exams. If you are unsure about if you should accept credit for a class, never hesitate to ask your advisor! They are a resource for you!

SIGN UP FOR ENGR 19400! The Women in Engineering seminar class meets once a week for 1 credit and every week will bring in new female engineering alumni from all different engineering majors and across all different industries! It is a great way to hear about their experiences, learn about future career options and network. I even attribute my internship success to having met a recruiter though the class! This class is open to all first year female engineering students, so be sure to add it to your course request form! 

BGR - Boiler Gold Rush

Some of you may have heard about Boiler Gold Rush, our main freshman orientation program! BGR takes place the week before classes start and you will be a part of a group with students from around your residence hall (and nearby residences) and a Team Leader who will introduce you to all things Purdue! You will hear speeches, take tours, go to fun events, and more than anything start to make your first friends! I love spending time with my BGR group even now, and we went to a variety of football games together. It was a great way to have people to talk to in my first week of class and beyond! BGR also allows you to move in a week early and become even more used to being on campus. The program starts August 17th, so if you’re interested in attending sign up through your new student task list. The fee for BGR will cover your early move-in and all of your food for the week. I absolutely loved my experience in BGR, and I would highly recommend it to any student coming into campus! 

Fall Photos with my BGR Group - Fall 2019

Other Tips

Join Mentors & Mentees: As a female engineering student, if you haven’t already you will begin receiving information via email about the resources we provide. All female students in the college of engineering are automatically part of our program and can choose to be as involved or not involved as they desire. One of our most popular programs you can choose to join right away is our Mentors and Mentees Program. We have 2 options: our pair program will match you with an upperclassman female engineer who you will meet with one-on-one to do fun activities and guide each other; and group mentoring will place you in a group of a few students ranging all years and is a chance for you to be resources for each and build a community. Both the Pair and Group programs meet about once a month with guest speakers and events. If you are interested, watch for the email to sign up!

Women in Engineering Mentors and Mentees (Photo taken prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic)

Buy the Boarding Pass: If you're a Purdue sports fan like me, on June 1st boarding passes will become available for new students! Boarding pass will gain you season tickets to Men’s Football as well as access to tickets to Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball and Women’s Volleyball! Watch for the email from Purdue Athletics and/or purchase them by making an online ticket account with your student ID!

Connect with your roommate: You will receive your official room assignment in late July including your roommate’s contact information. Set up a Zoom or phone call to get to know each other!

Loft your bed: In many residence halls, Purdue will give you the option to loft your bed through a company called Bedloft. If you choose, this can give you much more space in your residence hall room!

Congratulations! After all these milestones, housing, VSTAR, and BGR, you will be walking out on your first day of class, and the only thing left to do is to send that first day of school picture to your parents back home. If you ever have any questions, always feel free to reach out and watch your email for the most up to date information as many things are subject to change. You are headed into an amazing year! Boiler Up and Hail Purdue! See you all in the fall! 

Julianna Hachenski, Industrial Engineering
WE Link Leadership Team


Stay Connected With Purdue WIEP!

Facebook: Purdue Women in Engineering

Twitter: @purduewiep 

Instagram: @purduewiep

Blog: purduewiep.blogspot.com

Email: welink@purdue.edu


Use the hashtag #PurdueWIEP on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!


Purdue Women in Engineering

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