The Engineering Experience

I am incredibly grateful to attend a school that has allowed me to customize and make the best of my college experience. Coming into college, I knew I wanted to do a Disney College Program (DCP) and work at NASA, but I had no idea how to make them happen. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to fit both in with my engineering curriculum. Now, standing on the other side, I can confidently say the support here at Purdue has allowed me to pursue both of those dreams and opened more doors than I could have ever imagined. Whether you want to take a semester off for a DCP, internship/co-op, travel, or something else, working with your Purdue advisors will allow you flexibility to customize your path to graduation. What is the Disney College Program I found out about the Disney College Program in middle school, and I loved watching vlogs of people doing one. A DCP is an opportunity to live in Orlando, Florida, and work in one of a variety of roles at Walt Disney World. It is important to note thi...

While spring classes conclude for Purdue students, a lot are left wondering what there is to do over the summer. As a former sophomore heading into my junior year at Purdue, I hope I can help point out a couple ways to have a gratifying, yet productive summer. Summer Classes Taking classes during the summer can prove to be a great way to spend your time. Whether it is to help work towards your minor, or to make your fall semester load a little lighter, a lot of Purdue students take classes over the summer. For myself, summer was a great way to complete some of my general education requirements, which allowed me to take more advanced classes during the fall semester of my sophomore year. Purdue offers a variety of online and in-person classes which students can take advantage of. While some may be worried about the lack of help online, I never encountered this issue. I found the teaching assistants and professors to be extremely flexible and easy to work with. A lot were simply a...

Congratulations seniors on making it to the end of your high school journey! You should be so proud of the hard work you put in the past four years, and while this current chapter of your life is coming to an end, your upcoming years as a Boilermaker will be just as, if not more, amazing. There are just under three months until Boiler Gold Rush starts, so as someone who just finished their first year, I want to share a few ways you can make the most of your last summer before college. My friends and I outside of Meredith South residence hall One of the most exciting things about freshman year is having your own dorm room, which you can personalize however you’d like. Last summer, I had so much fun slowly accumulating dorm decor, as I was always on the lookout for decorations whenever I went shopping. A fun way to hang out with friends over the summer is to go thrifting for dorm decor together. Thrift stores can carry stuff from posters and art pieces for your walls, to fun lamps, and f...

We know you’re so focused on college applications and the decision process all year, but then May 1st comes and suddenly you're finished. You did it! Time for some well deserved rest as you get excited to join us this fall. I’ll share some ways to stay involved with Purdue over the summer as you prepare for your first semester of college.  Ella and Emily by the Engineering Fountain Purdue Orientation Programs One of your first steps to starting your Purdue journey is completing orientation. This consists of Purdue 101, Academic Advising, Purdue 102, and Boiler Gold Rush! Purdue 101 is a module on Brightspace, our online learning platform, that will introduce you to Purdue. Once you complete it, you will meet with an academic advisor to fill out your Fall 2023 Course Request Form (CRF). This is how you will register for your first college classes (so exciting!). Then you will transition to Purdue 102, a second online module focusing on the transition to college and campus resources....

There are many options of how to use your summers while you are in college. Many engineers will opt to look for an internship and gain work experience in industry. However, the path that is sometimes less traveled but equally as valuable is pursuing undergraduate research experiences either at a different institution or right on your home campus. This summer I participated in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program at Purdue where I conducted research under my current advisor in the School of Materials Engineering. A typical day: there isn’t one Under the SURF program, you work on your research project for 40 hours per week like you would a full-time job. However, it’s hard to describe a “typical day” when doing work that doesn’t have a predictable and definite answer–which is why we even do cutting-edge research in the first place. Some days things might be going really well and you knock out tests for 5 different experiments. Other days, you spend all your time ov...

     With the school year winding down and the May 1st deadline approaching, you might be wondering what to do next after you have accepted your offer to Purdue? We’ve got you covered with a "Pur-do" list and things to look out for over the summer. 1.) Complete VSTAR      Virtual Student Transition, Advising, and Registration (VSTAR) is the important first step you will take as a Purdue student. You will automatically be enrolled into this orientation module on Brightspace, our online learning platform, and be expected to complete 2 over the course of the summer. However, it is important to complete the first module as soon as possible to set up an appointment with your academic advisor! This is when you will fill out your course request form for your first semester. The second module opens on July first and will go over campus-specific information you will need to review and complete related activities before coming to campus in the fall. 2.) Meet with yo...