The Engineering Experience

     As the spring semester and school year come to a close, two of our first-year volunteers wanted to share more about the experiences they enjoyed most and found most impactful here at Purdue! Here is what Natalie and Madison had to say. Natalie's Experience BGR      Before the school year began, I had the opportunity to participate in Boiler Gold Rush (BGR), Purdue’s orientation program that welcomes over 5,000 new students. This week was filled with informative and recreational activities designed to help students acclimate to campus before academic and extracurricular commitments stack up, and it made me feel at home at Purdue very early on. From riding the Boilermaker Special to ceremoniously jumping over the train tracks, Boiler Gold Rush allows freshman and transfer students a detailed and welcoming exploration into life as a Boilermaker. Engineering Projects      As expected, this year included a ton of engineering projects – from ...

A letter to the second semester high school senior (from a Purdue Second Semester Senior):                Senior Year at Purdue                    Senior Year of High School Dear Second Semester High School Senior, Wow, can you believe that it has been four years since we started this phase of our lives. We were both starting our freshman year during the peak of Covid, and I think that just made this time feel like it flew so much faster. But here we are, approaching the end of this chapter, and getting ready to move onto the next. I just want to remind you of a few things as you approach graduation. First, be proud of yourself. You have probably spent countless hours working on homework, and studying for tests, while trying to balance all your extracurricular activities and still being able to enjoy time with your friends and family. That’s a lot. People will try to say tha...

Never has it been a better time to be an engineer, particularly at Purdue! This past week, there were several exciting events happening on or near the Purdue campus that are sure to captivate any engineer, especially an aerospace engineer such as myself. On Saturday April 6th, Women in Aerospace, Graduate Women in Aerospace, and the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics hosted the Amelia Earhart Summit. The Summit was a full day event and conference that allowed Purdue students to explore the aerospace community through engaging sessions, panels, and speed mentoring. Many of the participants connected with Purdue alumni in the aerospace field and learned about their experiences working within industry. This year was especially exciting since this event has not been held in-person since 2019. With the theme of “Educate, Inspire, and Empower”, many of the students that I talked to said the Women in Aerospace Student Organization did a great job in delivering the theme to the Purdue aero...

     I graduate from Purdue in just a few weeks, and all I can say is wow… that went really fast. It’s very bittersweet that my college career is coming to an end, but I am extremely grateful for my last four years here. Looking back, I can easily say I have no regrets and fully believe I made the most of these past four years. There were so many incredible surprises I never could have conceived for myself and so many amazing people I met along the way that made these years so great. While there is so much more I could say, here are my 5 pieces of advice for you to also make the most of your college experience as you take your next steps towards your next giant leap! Get Involved: Seek Out New Experiences and Try New Things      What is so cool about Purdue–and college in general–is the numerous opportunities you have to try new things. Coming to college, I was convinced I knew exactly what I wanted to be involved in and my entire path forward. Looking bac...