The Engineering Experience

Engineering can be challenging, engaging and incredibly fulfilling. It calls for us to push ourselves to be strategic, practical and innovative. Engineers are incredibly creative beings but sometimes it's nice for us to get away from the technical stuff. Purdue offers so many opportunities for engineering students to get involved in non-engineering activities and organizations as well. Personally, having that diversity in thought and activity helps me be more engaged in school and campus life, and blow off steam when school gets busy. So, I wanted to encourage you all to find opportunities outside of the engineering realm to have a creative outlet through this compilation of activities and organizations: Recruitment Project Committee Members at a Check-In Meeting Singing "Purdue Musical Organizations offers opportunities for students to learn, perform and grow together while engaging audiences everywhere." The organization consists of many different ensembles like the Uni...

What is First Year Engineering (FYE) at Purdue? As a freshman in FYE, you will take a variety of general courses including Engr 131. This specific course works on developing skills in excel, teamwork, and creating technical briefs with a solution to a problem given. Learning how to use excel, working effectively, and establishing a solid work ethic are all characteristics that an engineer is required to have when entering the workforce. That’s why entry engineering courses are crucial stepping stones to your education and career as an Engineer. Figure 1: Professor Shermadou teaching her 034 section of Engr 131 class   My Experience Now I am writing to you as a current FYE student taking Engr 131. This course takes time to get the hang of and with the countless homework and projects, the class may seem daunting, but the work put into it is so rewarding. The first thing to know about going into your first year as an engineering student at Purdue is that the work may feel signific...

One of the most valuable resources available to college students is the faculty at the university. Getting to know some of the professors at Purdue has been a very rewarding experience for me, especially when I have needed career advice or help with a course. Additionally, having an established relationship with professors is useful in the case you need a reference for jobs or letters of recommendation for graduate school, medical school, scholarships, etc. Here are four of my tips for getting to know professors! Kat on Campus 1. Attend class regularly As simple as it sounds, attending class is a good way to get to know your professor. Especially in smaller lectures, being in class is a great way to get your professor to recognize your face. If your professor has time after class, you can also introduce yourself and share your interests, what you are looking forward to in the course, or your interests related to the class. 2. Engage in the course Asking or answering questions in class ...

For your first year engineering (FYE) class at Purdue, you have a few options as to what class you want to be in. Typically people will take ENGR 131/132, but I wanted to share another program that I took part in called the Goss Scholars Program. Goss Scholars is the “Honors Engineering” FYE course, but you also do not need to be in the Honors College to be in this class. You can apply for the living-learning community that is associated with the course which is ENGR 161/162. If you are accepted into the Honors College you are automatically part of the Goss Scholars Program. I remember clearly when I found out I was a Goss Scholar, and in all honesty, I had no idea what it meant. I looked everywhere for more information, but it was really difficult to find. So, I accepted my Honors admission and enrolled into Goss Scholars. I would never change my decision to be in Goss, but I wish I knew someone who would tell me more about the program.    This is what I am here for now. ...

So, where were we? It’s the start of summer 2021, just a few days prior to the start of my internship at the patent law firm in Chicago (read more about how I ended up here ). My internship was to start in the first week of June, right after Memorial Day. On that Monday, I moved myself into the Airbnb, located on a quiet side street in the neighborhood Old Town. I made the (uncommon) decision to bring my car to the city, although, to my surprise, I could get just about anywhere (restaurants, work, grocery stores) in under a 15-minute walk or a short commute on the “L” (Chicago’s public train line). In fact, throughout the summer, the only time I used it was to travel home a couple weekends.  Our Airbnb was a flat in a 3-story building, and we instantly became acquaintances with the young family who lived downstairs. They were never short on providing recommendations for unique activities in the city or aiding me and my roommate when we couldn’t get our door unlocked.  The inte...

November 1st will be a big day! Many of your college applications will be done and submitted or others might still be working on them. Wherever you are in your college application process, there is an awesome program we hope you will consider when applying to Purdue: the Purdue Honors College and Goss Scholars Program. Shruti and I, Becca, are both in this program and took part in the Goss Scholars First Year Engineering (FYE) program and classes last year. Given that the deadline to apply for this program is also November 1st, we wanted to shed some light on our experiences within the program, what to expect, and why you too should apply. The Purdue Honors College is an interdisciplinary learning community, meaning you will be living and taking a couple classes with many people outside of your major. In addition, all first year Honors students and some second years live in the Honors College Residence Halls. I (Becca) lived on campus in my first year and absolutely loved living in the...

Fall. What a great time of the year. The air becomes crisp, the leaves turn bright orange, yellow, and red, fall drinks galore and football season is underway. With classes being in full swing, and students getting into the routine of the new school year, campus is alive with fun activities. This year as a sophomore it has been such a cool experience to see what Purdue’s campus really looks like. People all around, clubs and organizations hosting events, career fairs, and the Farmers Market has come back to memorial mall on Thursdays. While Purdue did such a great job and providing as many opportunities as possible during last year, it still has been really special to see the campus full of people. However, as great as being on campus has been, students have been studying hard through a couple weeks of midterm exams and everyone is so excited for a break. The great thing about Purdue is the 2-day Fall Break that we get around Mid-October. For fall semester 2021 that break is now ju...

It's the middle of college application season, and you have probably decided on engineering as your first or second choice of major. You may have also chosen a specific discipline like electrical, chemical, or mechanical engineering, but I have to ask the question: what does being an engineer actually mean? This was me in General Chemistry Lab (CHM 116) last year, and I was excited that my titration matched my t-shirt. First Year courses are meant to build your foundation for other courses in your following years of schooling. It's easy to do a quick google search and see what the highest paid majors after graduation are. Engineering almost always soars to the top, usually followed by another STEM favorite: computer science. You also know you love math and science, so of course, choosing to study engineering in college may have been a no brainer. I, maybe like you, love math and science. I enjoyed taking the challenging STEM courses in high school and sought every opportunity...