Get to Know: Purdue Honors College and Goss Scholars Part 1

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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 Honors College. You have the opportunity to live with incredible individuals who are highly motivated and passionate about their learning and future goals. Also, the Honors College does a great job with community engagement by hosting many interesting and fun events such as movie nights in Honors Hall, Snack-and-Chat with the Dean, keynote speaker events, and the house cup competition (yes, just like Harry Potter). I also loved living on a floor where everyone was also really engaged. I bonded with other engineers on the floor since we all were taking the honors first-year engineering class. We had many exam study sessions, project work times, and game nights together. I met some of my best friends on my floor and in the Honors College would highly recommend it to anyone. On top of it all, the rooms themselves are extremely nice which is a huge plus.


At the core of Purdue Honors College are the pillars of leadership, undergraduate research, community and global experiences and interdisciplinary academics. One of the reasons why I (Shruti) joined the Honors college is because I find this idea of exploring the unknown and challenging existing notions exciting. It presents a learning opportunity for an inquirer like me. For me, Honors College is a fun way to improve on my soft skills and academics.   


Now you must be wondering what exactly does the Honor College experience entail? In your first year at the Honors College, students are required to take two introductory one-credit courses (HONR 19901 in the fall and HONR 19902 in the spring). These courses are limited to only Honors students and are also known as Evolution of Ideas I and II. Your class will be relatively small and filled with diverse students to provide an opportunity to form a close-knit community in a large university. By engaging in conversations with peers who come from various walks of life, you are able to open your mind to unique perspectives. I believe that a cross-disciplinary approach, like the one in this course, helps nurture a deeper understanding of the world. There are several sections within this course and you get to choose your own theme such as photography, film, globalization, capitalism, eugenics, sound, play, experiment, lyric, water, food and many more. 


In order to graduate from the Honors College, you need to take a total of 24 credits and do a scholarly project. Honors College is very flexible in letting you plan how to complete your requirements. For instance taking HONR courses such as HONR 19901/2, H designated courses such as ENGR 161/162, Honors contract and study away courses. Honors contract courses are ones where you can turn a standard course into an honors one by planning with your professor. This lets you “double dip” requirements! Study away on the other hand is when you can go to different places around the US and or the world with Honors faculty and students to learn during your break. As we mentioned before, you can easily complete 10 credits in the first year itself as an engineering student! I did this by choosing the Honors Engineering Goss Scholars track which are two 4 credit courses: ENGR 161/162. The other 2 credits come from your Evolution of ideas courses: HONR 19901/2. Additionally you can triple dip requirements by taking HONR 19903 - Interdisciplinary approaches to writing, which will fulfill your 1) University Core Curriculum, 2) FYE requirements and 3) contribute towards your Honor credits. You also have the opportunity to take other “honors” first year courses like Honors Multivariable Calculus (a class that I (Becca) took my freshman year) and Honors General Chemistry.

The requirements for graduation in the Honors College from the Honors College Website.

At Purdue Honors where there are numerous opportunities in interdisciplinary teams, students can learn the approach of solving global challenges. In fact, this semester, I (Shruti) am in the HONR 29900 - Solution Lab Global course where I collaborate virtually in interdisciplinary teams with students from Purdue as well as from Unisinos, Brazil to research and develop solutions on the global challenge ‘Designing for the next Pandemic”. Another way you can be involved in the global community is the Global House. Global House is a part of Honors but isn’t restricted to the Honors College. We support intercultural community building, bonding and belonging amongst domestic and international students. It is a great way to meet new people and make friends while appreciating different cultures from around the world! We also do different events ranging from movie nights, visiting the Farmer’s Market, exploring the murals in downtown Lafayette to attending the Global fest (which is an event that celebrates world cultures through music, dance, crafts, displays, and international food).


Purdue Honors College offers a range of interesting, exceptional and meaningful courses and opportunities. There is always something for everyone! By developing a strong awareness of the importance of social connections and thriving in Honor’s ecosystem where everyone pushes their boundaries to be the best version of themselves, Purdue Honors college is an environment where students can scale new heights. 


Stay tuned for our upcoming blog on Goss Scholars coming soon! 


Becca Jennings, MSE '24 and Shruti Irap, ChE '24

Recruitment Project Committee


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Purdue Women in Engineering

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