Purdue Culture Shocks: An Out-of-State Student Experience

Purdue students hail from all over the world. Students here come from all 50 states and 130 different countries. Out-of-state students make up a majority of Purdue’s student body, and I am one of them. Coming from Colorado, there were a lot of things I was not expecting about Indiana and Purdue itself. Here are just a few to acquaint you with Purdue’s campus, and the Midwest as a whole, if you are not from the area.

Indiana Weather and Climate

Colorado has its cold days and I thought it would be similar to Indiana's winter weather, but I was not as prepared as I thought I would be. I was used to low humidity and the sun always being out in the winter. It was shocking when the weather started getting colder and feeling colder. When the weather app said 40 degrees Fahrenheit, it felt much colder due to the Indiana wind. Midwest winter also involved shorter periods of daylight, so it became really important to get outside and see the sun when I could! These darker winter days make you appreciate the nicer days that much more. When the sun is out and it is not too cold in the winter, you can find loads of students outside studying, hammocking, and playing sports to soak up the sun. While the unfavorable weather can be an adjustment, we all find ways to enjoy the winter season by sledding down Slayter Hill or participating in student organizations such as the Purdue Outing Club which do various outdoor activities throughout the winter. I would highly suggest getting a good winter coat before getting here!

Nighttime on Campus

New York may be the “city that never sleeps” but Purdue is easily the campus that never sleeps with the range of things you can find happening at any hour of the day. Where I am from, almost everyone is at home or in bed by midnight. At Purdue, you could walk around to find the Boilermaker Special driving around campus, the bell tower going off, students studying, people having fun in the outdoor spaces, a plane flying overhead, people riding skateboards around the engineering fountain, or any number of things. It was shocking at first, but it is one of the things I love most about living on Purdue’s campus. Purdue cares a lot about the safety and well-being of their students (as the school is consistently named as one of the safest campuses in America), so there are many programs in place, such as the Safe Walk program or the blue light system, to make sure you can safely enjoy these evening activities!

High School Classes to College Classes

One of the biggest adjustments to get used to when coming to Purdue is the general structure of college classes. In high school, you may be used to staying in one building for hours and then leaving to go back home. At college, there is no such thing. Many times you will have classes with huge breaks in between, or classes that are a variety of different lengths. You have a lot of free time and freedom with your schedule which can be daunting but beneficial. Even if I only have time to do something small during my breaks it makes a world of difference on my workload at the end of the day. Also, I have been able to schedule my classes when I know I will be most productive and also leave time to participate in clubs and work a job. You can really fit a lot into your schedule when you can adjust your schedule to your needs.

Fridays on Campus (Full of Unexpected Surprises)

If you randomly hear loud music playing on Fridays on campus, get ready to see some people in morph suits dancing soon after. It is a recent tradition for a small group of people to run around, dancing, on Fridays to bring up morale at the end of the week. You might be confused when you first see this group and wonder why no one else is questioning this random group of people, but you will come to love their limitless energy at the end of a busy academic week.

Purdue Culture and School Spirit

It seems like every day is a great day to be a Boilermaker, reflected by students leaning into tradition and Purdue pride just about every day. Purdue Pete, one of our mascots, is like a celebrity around campus. You can find him in the most random places, at the most random times, taking photos with students and hyping people up. Voted as one of the scariest college mascots, it may be hard to get used to seeing Pete’s face around campus, but you will quickly come to enjoy his goofy presence. There are a lot of things to learn for Purdue sporting events as well, more specifically learning all the cheers and traditions that happen. There are many different chants and cheers to remember, but they’re usually pretty easy to pick up after a few games. You can even find our Paint Crew, the iconic Purdue basketball student section going viral on social media for their dances.

Madison Meunier, ChE '27

Recruitment Project Committee

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