Making the Most of My Last Purdue Fall

By -

Fall has always been my favorite season at Purdue, and as a senior in Computer Engineering, I knew this would be my last one on campus. This semester, I set a goal to make the most of it! Here’s a look at what makes my falls at Purdue so memorable.


Thursday Farmers Market
On Thursdays through the end of October, Purdue hosts a farmers market on Memorial Mall. Since I passed it on my way between classes, I made an effort to visit it every week. The market has a variety of vendors selling everything from honey and smoothies to handmade jewelry, sourdough, and coffee. Lafayette also hosts a farmers market downtown every Saturday, which my roommate and I visited a few times.


Football Games
Football games are a huge highlight of Purdue fall, and I have been a season student ticket holder since my sophomore year. Crisp fall weather, dressing up in game-day gear, and watching the Boilermakers play is my idea of the perfect Saturday. The games have such exciting energy, and I always stand in the student section with my friends. The best part is taking part in all the football traditions, like shaking my keys at kickoff, watching the Purdue All-American Marching Band at halftime, and singing “Shout” with the whole stadium after the third quarter.

Purdue Football Game


Industrial Roundtable
While I received a return offer from the company I interned at this past summer, it would be a disservice to this blog not to acknowledge Industrial Roundtable (IR), Purdue’s major fall career fair. Over 400 companies and 19,000 students attend annually, and several of my friends received full-time job offers from attending. The career fair runs for two full days on Memorial Mall in mid-September, with on-campus recruiting events happening the whole week of IR. I attended IR nearly every year at Purdue and found it an incredibly helpful resource during my previous internship searches.


Studying Outside
Fall weather is perfect for taking my homework outside, and Purdue has no shortage of outdoor study spots. My absolute favorite is the Green Roof Laboratory in Hampton Hall of Civil Engineering, which overlooks Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering. There is also plenty of outdoor study space in front of the Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC), along Lambertus Hall, and around the Purdue Memorial Union.

Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC)

Runs Around Campus
Between the cooler weather and the beauty of the trees changing colors, fall is my favorite season to go on runs. Purdue is not short on running routes, with the Purdue Run Club listing over a dozen routes on their website. Two of my favorite places to run are Celery Bog Nature Area, just north of the golf course, and Happy Hollow Park. When I lived in the residence halls, I also frequently ran a route through Horticulture Park. While I love going to the CoRec, our student gym, this fall I made an effort to spend as much time exercising outside as I could to soak up every bit of my last Purdue fall. If you’re not a runner, these are great spots for a walk too!

Happy Hollow Park


Purdue Traditions
Some of my favorite Purdue fall memories come from the traditions I’ve picked up over the years. During Boiler Gold Rush (BGR), Purdue’s orientation program for incoming students, I did the fountain run and participated in “Crossing the Tracks.” I enjoyed BGR so much my freshman year that I came back as a Team Leader my sophomore year. I would’ve kept participating if my summer internships hadn’t overlapped with the program, but being a Team Leader is still one of my favorite Purdue experiences. Dinners at Triple XXX with my friends have also become a tradition. Triple XXX is Indiana’s first drive-in and a must-visit Purdue food spot. It’s even been featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Den Pop Fridays are also a favorite of mine! The Discount Den offers free Den Pops on select Fridays throughout the semester. A Den Pop is a 32-ounce fountain soda served in a classic Styrofoam cup, and you can mix and match 10+ soda flavors.

Boiler Gold Rush


I hope this gives you a few ideas for making the most of your own Purdue falls. Boiler Up!

Maddie French, CompE '27
WE Link Leadership Team



Stay Connected With Purdue WiE Program! 

Instagram: @purdue.wie 

Blog: purduewiep.blogspot.com 

Email: welink@purdue.edu 

YouTube: Purdue Women in Engineering Program - YouTube 

 

 

Use the hashtag #PurdueWiE on Facebook and Instagram!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Life in the Meredith South Women in Engineering Living Learning Community

By -
Image
     As an incoming freshman, I was excited for all the new college experiences I would have that year. I was also a bit worried about the college transition as I am an out-of-state student who didn’t know many other people attending Purdue. Those fears were quickly relieved after getting to campus, as the Meredith South Women in Engineering Living Learning Community, where I am living my freshman year, quickly provided me with a community at Purdue. The Meredith South Residence Hall sign in front of the building      In the Meredith South Residence Hall, two floors of the building are dedicated to the WiE Living Community, meaning nearly 200 freshmen women in engineering live in the same residence hall. Because everyone on your floor shares the same major with everyone in the living community, I immediately had something in common with all of the other girls on my floor. I have made some of my closest friends through people I met in my living community. Ev...
Read more

My Admissions Process: Deferred, Waitlisted, Admitted

By -
Image
May 1st of my senior year, I wasn’t wearing a Purdue shirt. Instead, I was representing another Big 10 school because I wasn’t committed—or even admitted—to Purdue. That morning, I was doing a last-minute review for my AP Chemistry exam when I decided to scroll through my phone. Given that it was Decision Day and Purdue was my dream school, I checked my admissions portal one last time to reread my waitlist decision letter. But this time, there was an update: I had been admitted to Purdue’s First-Year Engineering program after being deferred and then waitlisted. I was ecstatic! Later that day, after finishing my AP Chemistry exam, I officially committed to Purdue. The first time I toured Purdue, it was a cold and rainy day in West Lafayette, and to be honest, I didn’t love it. At the time, I had considered studying engineering but wasn’t entirely sure. In the spring of my junior year, my mom found an event hosted by Purdue’s Women in Engineering Program called "Exploring Engineerin...
Read more

Understanding Purdue Housing

By -
Image
One of the many concerns incoming freshmen have is what to do regarding their housing options. In addition to the roommate selection process, you may be interested in seeing your on-campus options in terms of amenities and the communities available within the building. For example, when I accepted my admission to Purdue as a freshman, I knew I was interested in a standard double that I had experienced at a summer college program. To ensure my University Residences housing, I applied to Vertically Integrated Projects so that I would be able to pursue a research project as a freshman while also guaranteeing my housing within Earhart Hall through the connected learning community. For more information on learning communities, read our previous blog! Many freshmen will live in a residence hall, even if they are not in a specific learning community. Now, as a Resident Assistant or RA in Earhart Hall, I have been trained on the term “residence hall”; our halls go beyond a traditional “dormito...
Read more