What Makes Purdue Different?

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Choosing a college is not an easy choice.  Sometimes it can be hard to differentiate between schools once you look past cost and location.  When it came to my college search, I found out that if I asked the question “what makes this school different from the others?”, I could better compare schools. Here were a few of the things at Purdue that were unique compared to other schools in my eyes.




The Women in Engineering Program

The main thing that stood out about Purdue to me was how personable the women in engineering program was to me. Out of all 12 schools I applied to, they were the only school to send me a handwritten postcard.  After I found out I got in and got my postcard, I then reached out to the women in engineering program to ask for a one-on-one tour, as during my senior year of high school Purdue’s regular tours were not going inside buildings and I wanted to see what a typical classroom would look like.  The women in engineering program then personally connected me with a junior in Civil Engineering (the major I was planning on going into). She personally gave me a tour of the Civil Engineering facilities and talked to me about her coursework. Then she took me to Meredith South and explained the learning community to me as well.  Although I was already heavily leaning towards Purdue, this pushed me to accept my admittance and officially commit to Purdue, which I did that night when I got home.  The biweekly newsletters were extremely informative as well and included several helpful blogs and information.

As a student, the women in engineering had continued to provide a support system for me on campus.  With Purdue’s WIE program, every woman in engineering is automatically a member of it.  The WIE program provides several resources and opportunities to get involved as soon as you get on campus.  As a first year, one way to get involved is through the WIE learning community, which is located in Meredith South.  Members of this learning community live on the same 2-3 floors as other women in engineering.  I personally participated in this learning community and was glad I did, as all of my neighbors were taking the same coursework as me.  It was nice to know that we all were in it together, and made my coursework feel more collaborative rather than competitive.

Another way to get more involved with WIE as a first year is by taking the ENGR 194 class.  This class is a weekly seminar in which speakers across several different types of engineering talk about their experiences as a woman in engineering.  These speakers are alumni that range from recent graduates to well established names in the engineering world.  There is also an opportunity for questions and networking with these speakers.  I took this class as well, and found it interesting what all I could do with an engineering degree.   This class is not the only way students can connect with alumni, as the WIE program hosts several Access Alum events throughout the semester, where students can talk to Purdue alumni from various companies.  The WIE program also offers free tutoring  and several programs you can get involved with once you step on campus, including the mentors and mentees program, the outreach program, and the WE link recruitment program. Knowing as a high school senior that I would be able to rely on the WIE program here made Purdue all that more comfortable to me.


The Freshman Orientation Program (Boiler Gold Rush)

Going to a new school can be intimidating, especially if you are an out-of-state student.  Luckily for Purdue students, Purdue offers one of the best freshmen orientation programs in the country, Boiler Gold Rush.  BGR is a weeklong orientation program for new undergraduate students that occurs the week before school starts and is highly encouraged for all first-year students and transfer students.  Students are placed into groups of about 15 other students and are placed with a team leader who is a current Purdue student. These groups are typically made up of students who live in the same few residence halls, which makes BGR a great opportunity to meet new people who live near you.   

Outside of the social benefits of BGR, BGR is a chance for students to better learn Purdue’s campus, as students will spend time walking around campus as well as attending info sessions that provide valuable information on different services offered at Purdue.  Students will get to experience a variety of Purdue traditions, including food from famous local restaurants as well as the iconic fountain run, where students run through some of Purdue’s famous fountains.  Students will begin and end their week of BGR in Ross Ade stadium (given the weather provides) with a kick off and send off ceremony.  Throughout the week, several organizations on campus provide free events and experiences for students to take part in.  The cultural centers also have open houses during BGR and there is the Be Involved Fair as well, where hundreds of Purdue student organizations and clubs gather to promote themselves. 

As a current student, I am glad to have done BGR as it made Purdue feel a lot smaller and introduced me to a lot of people I would not have met otherwise, and I became a team leader because of how great my BGR experience was.  I then had an even better time as a team leader, and now have become a team supervisor because of how much the program impacted me.  BGR made college less daunting and helped me familiarize myself with campus.  Purdue can be a big place at times, and thanks to BGR it felt a lot smaller.

 




The First Year Engineering Program

Choosing a major is a tough decision and is a lot to ask of a high school senior. A major thing that drew me to Purdue was the fact that I did not have to be settled on a type of engineering when I initially applied.  Purdue has students apply for the First Year Engineering program, and all FYE students take the same general courses before officially transitioning into their majors sophomore year. This year was extremely helpful for myself and a lot of my friends  as it gave us more time to think about and learn about the various types of engineering there are before we had to pick one.  Several of my friends started at Purdue thinking they wanted to do one type of engineering and ended their first year committed to a different type of engineering.

There are several routes a student can take as a part of the FYE program. The most common route is that students take ENGR 131 in the fall and ENGR 132 in the spring, which teach them the basics of excel and coding respectively.  Students are also put in small groups and given real world scenarios to find creative, innovative solutions for. The class also involves making prototypes, presenting projects, and working with other people. 

Another route taken by students is the engineering projects in community service (EPICS) route, which places undergraduate students in teams that work on local community projects in four broad areas: human services, access and abilities, education and outreach, and the environment. These projects typically take two or more semesters to complete and are a great way to leave an impact on the Purdue community.  FYE students in EPICS will learn valuable communication skills and engineering skills, as well as how to use modern engineering tools such as excel, MATLAB, and Python. There is also a live in learning community option with the EPICS route. 

The last route taken by FYE students is the Goss Scholars route through the honors college.  FYE students in the honors college will be placed in this program automatically.  These students will take ENGR 161 and 162 in the fall and spring respectively.  These classes are typically smaller than ENGR 131 and 132 and are advanced engineering design courses.  They help prepare these students for future engineering classes as well as research. 

Although I personally did the ENGR 131 and 132 route, all these FYE routes are fantastic options, and it is truly up to personal preference when it comes down to which route is the best for you. Along with these routes, there are several learning communities that FYE students can be a part of, including but not limited to Bands and Orchestras- Engineering, Engineering in the World of Data, Global Engineering, IDEAS, Minority Engineering Program, The Data Mine, Vertically Integrated Projects, and Women in Engineering. More information about all of these learning communities can be found here: Learning Communities - Learning Communities Available to Students in the College of Engineering (purdue.edu)


All of these factors plus others helped me choose Purdue over other schools, as Purdue truly could provide me with a unique college experience that best fit me.  For more information or questions, feel free to reach out to welink@purdue.edu.

Emily Helmuth, Civil Engineering

WE Link Leadership Team


Stay Connected With Purdue WIEP!

Facebook: Purdue Women in Engineering

Instagram: @purduewiep

Blog: purduewiep.blogspot.com

Email: welink@purdue.edu


Purdue Women in Engineering

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