The Engineering Experience

As a freshman in Purdue’s John Martinson Honors College, I often get the question “Why Honors?” Well, future Boilermakers, it’s your lucky day because I’m going to answer that age old question and leave you with another one: “Why not?” ENGR 16100/16200 Instead of taking the traditional First Year Engineering courses such as ENGR 13100, EPICS, or VIP, Honors FYE students take ENGR 16100, or the Goss Scholars Engineering course. This course, while more challenging than the typical FYE, also covers a multitude of topics. Students learn not just about engineering careers and practices, but also skills in coding, physics, and statistics. In fact, students who take both ENGR 16100 and 16200 also receive credit for PHYS 17200! Honors students also receive four honors credits for ENGR 16100 and 16200 each. This means that by the end of your first year, you will have 8 of the 24 honors credits needed to graduate with Honors, just from your first year engineering course! HONR 19901/2 As a fres...

Thanksgiving is a great time of the year to sit back and reflect on all that we are thankful for in our lives. When it comes to Purdue, there are plenty of things to be thankful for. Here are a few! I’m thankful for Starships! If you’ve ever been on campus at Purdue, you’ve undoubtedly seen the petite, sleek little robots roaming the campus at will. They’re almost as frequent as the squirrels! Not only are these little devices adorable, they’re also important to the Purdue ecosystem. They have an essential duty: keeping college students fed. With the Starship app, students can order from a multitude of places on campus, whether it’s nationally known such as Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, or Panera, or campus favorites like Au Bon Pain, Cosi, or Harrison Grill. While they do serve a noble purpose, their presence also adds to the overall aesthetic of campus. They can be seen navigating the topsy-turvy routes of West Lafayette or patiently waiting at a crosswalk to avoid an unfortunate collisi...

The transition from high school to college can be intimidating and scary to think about, but it can be made easier by preparing for the differences. By noting and being ready for these differences, you can set yourself up better for success and not be as taken aback by these changes, some of which you may not even realize are changes. New Environment The most obvious difference between college and high school is the environment, and I do not just mean the physical environment but the social one as well. For most students, this is the first time they have ever lived outside of their home for an extended period of time, and on top of that you’re potentially living with someone you do not know that well. Also, unlike high school, you are surrounded by people you don’t know from all corners of the country and world instead of your friends and classmates you have known all of your life. My advice on adjusting to this new environment is to explore. Personally, on my second day on campus as ...

As the days get shorter, the weather gets colder, and the time we are able to not wear a winter coat outside dwindles to a close, it can be nice to look forward to the summer. One of the most enriching parts of many college students’ postsecondary careers is a summer internship. Although I’m only in my second year of college, I was very lucky to experience an internship the summer after my freshman year. Allow me to walk you through my search for an internship and journey as a whole. Career Fairs: For me, my first stop in applying was none other than Purdue’s own Industrial Roundtable (IR). Last year, I solely participated in the virtual option for IR. This was my first time going through the job application process and undergoing job-based interviews. I personally enjoyed virtual IR because you schedule your own time for who you want to meet and when you want to meet them. I also liked that instead of needing to be present for the outdoor and sometimes overwhelming IR experience, I ...

Transitioning from high school to college leads to many new and exciting opportunities. We have the freedom to work on our homework, spend time with our friends and eat our meals wherever and whenever we want to. Naturally, all of that freedom is followed by many new responsibilities too. We must organize our work and classes to meet various deadlines, maintain a great support system of friends, and stay healthy and nourished. Many college students take on the responsibility of a job alongside their education to support themselves financially, gain work experience and meet more people. Purdue offers many employment opportunities across campus which cater towards diverse skill sets and interests. Here are some examples of and resources for employment opportunities offered at Purdue:  We are the WE Link leadership team and are student employees of WIEP focused on recruitment! Work for the Women in Engineering Program (WIEP)! The moment you step on to campus, you are a part of the Wom...

Engineering has become extremely globalized– you may find yourself working with a very diverse team on a project, or designing technology that will impact a faraway part of the world. Being informed about different cultures and regions of the world, having strong soft skills and emotional intelligence, and being capable of communicating with people from various backgrounds can go a long way in your career as an engineer. Working on your global and cultural competency in this way can also balance out and provide a nice contrast to the technical classes and skills we engineering students are used to. Here are some ways in which you can become a global engineer at Purdue. Studying Abroad Studying abroad is a great, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There are so many benefits, including familiarizing yourself with a different country and culture, studying course material in a different context than you’re used to, and challenging yourself by stepping outside your comfort zone. You can also i...