Freshman Year in Review

It’s crazy to think that it’s almost the end of the year! As a freshman here at Purdue, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my experiences and I’m so excited for next year! Let’s take a look back at my freshman year as a woman in engineering here at Purdue.

Move-In and BGR

August 14th – move-in day! One of the perks of registering for Boiler Gold Rush is getting to move in a week before classes start. This allowed me to meet my roommate, arrange our room how we wanted, and get to know campus. My favorite memory from move-in was when a group of us went around the whole floor knocking on doors and introducing ourselves to people. By the time we got to the last rooms, there were at least forty girls in our group. At move-in, you just have to be outgoing and meet people!

Move-in lasted a couple of days, and Boiler Gold Rush began. The first day is all about meeting your group and getting to know everyone. These groups are formed from different resident hall groups, so you get to know some people that live around you. You also get to do lots of fun activities around campus, like campus tours, learning all about Purdue traditions, among other things. Overall, BGR is a great experience that I am so grateful for!

In the Classroom: First Semester

After BGR, it was finally time to start classes. For my first semester I was enrolled in 13 credit hours because I had transfer credits from high school courses (I recommend taking advantage of APs and dual credit). I took several First Year Engineering classes, such as ENGR 16100 (the Honors College version of ENGR 131), and CS 15900 (an FYE computer science class elective). I utilized my AP Chemistry credit so that I did not have to take CHEM 11500 or 11600, opening up lots of room in my schedule. I also had credit from AP Calculus BC, meaning that I was able to jump right into Calculus 3 (MA 26100). Next, I was enrolled in my first year Honors seminar (HONR 19901), which was an eight week, one credit hour seminar. Finally, I took the fantastic Women in Engineering Seminar (ENGR 19400). ENGR 19400 is a great one credit hour course that is all about learning how to manage in a male dominated field. We had lots of guest speakers from industry and lots of fun activities that made this one of my favorite classes!

Outside of the Classroom: First Semester

Being an engineering student can be difficult, but it doesn’t mean that we don’t have time for fun things outside of studying. I did lots of outside activities, such as going to the gym, having movie nights with friends, and going to football games! Lots of my friends were able to attend more sporting events than me because they purchased the Boarding Pass. The Boarding Pass is a sports pass for Purdue students, where they get tickets to all football games and can also enter drawings for tickets to other sports such as basketball. Even though I didn’t have a Boarding Pass, I was still able to attend some football games. Lots of people sell their tickets to games that they can’t go to, so don’t panic if a game is “sold out.” My favorite game was by far the family weekend game against Nebraska. It was a night game, close the whole time, and ended with a Boilermaker victory! The moral of the story is this: as an engineer, you WILL have time to do things besides study!

In the Classroom: Second Semester

Once winter break came to an end, my second semester began in full swing. This semester I was in 17 credit hours, using the opportunity to knock out some general education selectives and explore some upper level engineering classes. Because of the space created in my schedule from high school credits combined with the space by taking ENGR 161 and 162 instead of 131 and 132 (161 and 162 are the honors versions of 131 and 132, and taking both gives you credit for PHYS 172, a required FYE course) I was able to take ECE 264, a sophomore level electrical and computer engineering class. At this point in the year, I was still debating between two engineering majors, Biomedical and Computer engineering, and taking this class helped me get experience in one of these majors to see if it was for me. Although I ended up choosing Biomedical, I wouldn’t trade my experience in ECE 264 for anything, because it gave me the opportunity to start down that path early and decide if that was really where I wanted to go. I also took the Linear Algebra and my second semester Honors seminar, another 8 week course.

However, 17 credits can be a lot! Whether it’s exams, homeworks, or projects, it can be a lot to handle and a lot to keep straight. I know that I wouldn’t have survived the semester without my Google Calendar. I would recommend to any incoming freshman to find what type of scheduling and organization fits for you! I know lots of people that utilize their Outlook Calendar, Google Calendar like me, an Excel sheet with a list of assignments, or a good old-fashioned paper planner. Whatever method you choose, get organized at the beginning of the semester by taking all of the exam dates, assignment due dates, etc. and putting them into your calendar. The sooner you get organized, the better!

Begin Transition to Major

About a month into the second semester, I began the transition to major process. This is where you decide which engineering discipline you want to pursue (I actually wrote about this in one of my last blogs, click here to check it out). Through this process, you choose a first and second choice engineering major (there is some restriction on what you can choose as a second choice because some majors like Biomedical, Mechanical, and Aero/Astronautical are size constrained). After you choose, you will attend advising meetings or complete activities for the major you chose and begin to schedule your classes for next semester.

Outside of the Classroom: Second Semester

Even though I was in more credits this semester, I still found time to do things outside of school. My favorite day was by far the Golden Ticket game. Remember the Boarding Pass I mentioned earlier? Well, once a year, there’s an opportunity to purchase this a whole week early. Why does that matter? Buying the Boarding Pass early is pretty much the only chance to purchase Paint Crew, the Purdue Men’s Basketball student section ticket, meaning that you get tickets to every single men’s basketball game next season (and you know how we Boilermakers love our basketball!). The Golden Ticket game was my only chance to get my Golden Ticket, the chance to buy my boarding pass early. This game was the IU-Purdue women’s basketball game. The first 2,700 students through the door received a redemption card, which could then be traded in for a Golden Ticket at the end of the game. The game started at 2 (doors opened at 12:30). In order to make sure we got our Golden Ticket, my friends and I got in line at 7AM (and if you think that’s crazy, get this – some people camped out overnight!). It was five-and-a-half hours in 40 degree weather, but it was worth it! To pass the time we played Uno, talked, got McDonald’s hot chocolate, and waited for the game to start. The line was almost as fun as the game itself (even though we lost, it was still a fun game). The Golden Ticket game was probably my favorite memory from freshman year, and I’m excited to do it again in the years to come!

The End

And just like that, my freshman year is coming to a close. It’s crazy to think that this week is the last of my first year of college. I am so grateful for all of the friends I’ve made, experiences I’ve had, and all of the craziness. I want to thank all of my professors, TAs, my RAs, and all of my new friends for a wonderful freshman year that I wouldn’t want to do anywhere else. Boiler up! I’ll see you all next fall!

Gabi Layman, FYE '26

Recruitment Project Committee

Stay Connected With Purdue WiE Program!

Facebook: Purdue Women in Engineering

Instagram: @purduewiep

Blog: purduewiep.blogspot.com

Email: welink@purdue.edu

Use the hashtag #PurdueWiE on Facebook and Instagram!

Purdue Women in Engineering