Why You Should Apply to Purdue!

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With the November 1st deadline on everyone's mind, members of the Women in Engineering Program wanted to share some reasons why we applied to Purdue University. Whether or not you have already applied to Purdue, this post highlights some of the reasons that brought us here.

The Women in Engineering (WiE) Program

With engineering being a male-dominated industry, the idea of entering First Year Engineering (FYE) classes can be daunting. The WiE Program provides support and resources such as mentorship and tutoring to aid in creating a safe space for female engineers. When I was applying to Purdue, the online information sessions that the WiE Program held made me feel connected to the university. Additionally, the prospect of a learning community full of other female engineering students interested me because of the community space that it provides.

Location

While Indiana isn’t alluring to all Purdue applicants, as someone from the Midwest I was glad to move to a state that had similar weather to home. For those non-Midwestern applicants, many students will say that they enjoy the variety of weather that occurs during the school year. Purdue’s campus also has many large green spaces that other universities in bigger cities often don’t have. With Indianapolis and Chicago being within driving distance, students missing the big city feel can make visits on the weekends.

First-Year Engineering Program

The First Year Engineering Program (FYE) helps to prepare incoming engineering students with the skills needed to be successful in their future majors. The program provides more time and support for student movements within the College of Engineering. Around 50% of FYE students will change their mind about what major they want to go into over the time that they spend in their freshman year.

EPICS

The EPICS program at Purdue is a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience in your freshman year. EPICS students will engage with service-learning design in teams that will work with local and global organizations to address community needs. Students who have participated in EPICS say that it is a great way to learn the engineering design process that you will use later in industry.

Clubs and Activities

Purdue is home to over a thousand clubs along with intramural sports which can be a great outlet for students. With so many options for clubs, every student can find something they are interested in or form their own club. Intramural sports have leagues and championships and are open to any and all students. Additionally, new students don’t have to make their own team but can join another team.

Academics

Of course, a major part of deciding to come to Purdue is the strong academic track record. Overall, Purdue has many strong Colleges and degree paths - the College of Engineering is 8th in the nation. Additionally, Purdue offers various certificate programs that students can add to their major to explore other interests or obtain qualifications. Purdue’s reputation expands beyond the United States as well: one of my teachers at my International high school abroad specifically told me to visit Triple XXX (a local dinner) when I told him I would be going to Purdue.

Professional Practice

Purdue being a strong academic school has a multitude of opportunities for undergraduate students to get experience in industry and in labs. The Co-Op Program at Purdue is ranked 7th in the nation and offers participating students up to a year and a half of paid industry experience that can help accelerate a student’s career. Undergraduate research is also popular with students in the College of Engineering. Freshman FYE students can get involved in research and participate in research projects over the school year or during summer in the SURF program.

Student Body

Purdue’s student body has a large out-of-state student body, with Fall 2023 enrollment data showing that 42% of students are out of state whereas 40% of students are from Indiana. Additionally, Purdue has a large international student body, around 18% of enrollment numbers. The College of Engineering had an 18.7% minority percentage for enrollment in Fall of 2023, a record-high number. Additionally, the College of Engineering has a 29% female body as of Fall 2023, a number that is set to increase to a goal of 35% by 2025.


Engineering students have many reasons for attending Purdue, though the ones mentioned above make up a large percentage of that reasoning. The supportive resources for success as well as the outlets provided from non-academic areas help students to be the most successful they can be. In our experience, Purdue has many of the qualities we were looking for in a university and we cannot imagine ourselves at any other school. We hope that reading this article and looking into some of the mentioned aspects of Purdue encourages you to apply to Purdue and experience the campus yourself. Happy applying!



Lily Brodzinski ChE ‘25, Christine Mayo ChE ‘26, Morgan Lehmkuhl CE ‘25, 
Madison Meunier ChE ‘27, and Tanvi Dhawade CompE ‘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

YouTube: Purdue Women in Engineering Program - YouTube



Use the hashtag #PurdueWiE on Facebook and Instagram!


Purdue Women in Engineering

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