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 in for work and clubs, last b

“Ever grateful, ever true…all hail our own Purdue.” These words are well-known to all Boilermakers, as the lyrics to the chorus of “Hail Purdue”. As a reflection on our experiences in WiE and as Purdue students, here are our reasons why we are thankful for Purdue this season. “What I love about Purdue is the community and camaraderie among students. Compared to other academically competitive universities, students here go out of their way to be helpful to their fellow classmates. Being in office hours and classes with my peers has allowed me to meet new, interesting people. Being surrounded by like-minded people and having that community in my classes has made my Purdue experience much more enjoyable.” – Lily Brodzinkski ChE ‘25 “I’m grateful for how easy it is to find new activities to join on campus. Things like clubs, recwell classes, and RA events make it easy to find new interests and meet new people.” – Madison Meunier ChE ‘27 This word web highlights some of the words we use to

Purdue has a long standing history of tradition, and one of my favorites is the Old Oaken Bucket. This tradition began in 1925 and marks the yearly football game between Purdue and our rival Indiana University. Each year, the winning team gets to add a P or an I to the bucket depending on who wins. The first year of the Old Oaken Bucket ended in a 0-0 tie, so the handle has both an I and a P to commemorate this. This tradition just makes the rivalry game stakes even higher and is a fun way to celebrate! The Old Oaken Bucket is not Purdue’s only tradition, and I have found that the many traditions Purdue has built over the years add to the feeling of family you are guaranteed to experience as a Boilermaker. First Week on Campus If you participate in Purdue’s orientation program, Boiler Gold Rush, you will experience a good amount of Purdue traditions during your first week on campus! This starts with Crossing the Tracks. Our mascot here at Purdue is a train, the Boilermaker Special. We

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 keep active. I walked up to th

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 into Kiewit, as well as the program