The Engineering Experience

Dear High School Seniors,      I remember being in your shoes four years ago. I had just finished applying for college, savoring all the “lasts” with friends and in the sport I had dedicated four years of my life to, and was counting down the days until Winter Break and weeks until graduation in the spring. I remember balancing mixed feelings about the future. Funnily enough, it feels as though I am reliving many of these experiences and feelings all over again as I near the end of my penultimate semester at Purdue. While similar, I have found my outlook on these experiences and feelings have changed, reflecting everything I’ve learned about myself and about life these past four years. Here is what is the same, what is different, and the advice I have for you as you go through these experiences as well!      Similar to you, I am trying to savor and cherish all of my “lasts” here at Purdue: last football games as a student, last events I get to participate ...

Even though the weather is starting to get cold here in West Lafayette as winter approaches, that doesn’t mean that you still can’t go outside and go for a walk, have a picnic, or study outside. In this blog, we include numerous green spaces that Purdue has around campus that are accessible if you don’t have a car or live on campus. All of these spots have great scenery during all 4 seasons. The green spaces included are some of our favorites on campus! Horticulture Park For anyone living on campus, one of the best places for small hikes through a wooded area is the McCormick Horticulture park. These trails are a great way to connect with nature! You can go through the woods in a loop, or if you prefer to walk, run, or bike on a paved path, there is an adjacent path that runs from the entrance to the park on McCormick road past Airport Road. These trails feature many birdhouses, and plenty of opportunities to see wildlife, including minnows in the creek at the entrance to the trail and...

As my second to last semester as a Purdue undergraduate student nears its end, I have begun to reminisce about all the good times I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing during my time on campus. It’s exciting to think about graduation and what it means for my future, but it’s also bittersweet to think of all the moments I’ll have to leave behind as a college student. Here are some of the major reasons why I’m so thankful to have chosen Purdue University as my home away from home! First-Year Engineering Program One of the pivotal elements that shaped my journey at Purdue was the First-Year Engineering Program. If it wasn’t for the First-Year Engineering Program at Purdue, I would not be in the discipline that I am about to graduate in. Prior to starting my undergraduate career, I had no idea there were so many different types of disciplines within engineering. This program provided me with the opportunity to explore various engineering disciplines and solidify my career path. The First...

          Before coming to Purdue, I had no idea what “Crew” was. When you live in a relatively dry and land-locked state, such as Colorado, the closest large body of water is over an hour away, and you never hear about such a sport. Now, not even a full semester into my first year at Purdue, I could tell you that Crew is a rowing sport, list all of the parts to a boat, row a whole race at a regatta, and explain to a person what a coxswain is, what they do, and how to even pronounce that word. How to Find Clubs The first opportunity for freshmen to find clubs while on campus (and how I found out about Crew) is the B-Involved Fair, which is hosted every year before classes start. Hundreds of clubs set up stands on the IM fields for anyone to learn more about and join these student organizations. It’s a great opportunity for clubs to reach out to new people and spark new interests. That’s what Crew was for me: a way to meet new people and find a new way to k...

Almost two years ago, I was in the spring semester of my first year at Purdue.  I had just found out I had been accepted into the Lyles School of Civil Engineering out of First Year Engineering and could not have been more ecstatic.  Several peers recommended that I look into scholarships through Civil Engineering, so that I did.  While searching for scholarships, one caught my eye: The Purdue Kiewit Scholars Program.   Being implemented in fall 2022, it was a new program at Purdue, sponsored by the company Kiewit, with the goal of supporting the personal and professional growth of future construction industry talent.  Being selected for this program would come with a financial scholarship as well as numerous professional growth opportunities, from mentorship to a summer internship.  Students within certain majors in the College of Engineering as well as the Purdue Polytechnic Institute would be able to apply for this program.  Once I did my research i...

     Purdue has 17 different engineering majors for students to choose from and almost all of them have a building that they call their “home”. Students spend a lot of time in their major’s building because many of their classes will be held there, and it serves as a great study or meeting spot. Because these buildings are such an important part of each major, we want to share their cool features and facilities!      Since there are many engineering majors and therefore so many unique engineering buildings at Purdue, we wanted to showcase where our own majors call home as well as highlight a few prominent buildings that house other popular majors. For each building, we give a brief background and history on when the building was originally built and other cool labs or features the buildings include. Agricultural & Biological Engineering Building: The Home of Agricultural and Biological Engineering The entrance to the Agricultural and Biological Engineer...