Purdue University-Main Campus Top Questions

Purdue was definately the right choice for me. I dragged my feet and felt so much pressure to go there since both of my parents, and almost all of my aunts attended Purdue. But once I got there I fell in love with the campus. It the most gorgeous campus! Everyone there is pretty friendly. The first day of classes I got lost, (twice!) and I asked some random person on the sidewalk where to find the class I was headed for. They actually took my right to the door and told me where to find my class. I was so grateful! Our administration is VERY helpful. They don't want you to fail and love when you ask questions. We have a GREAT sledding hill, and snowball fights break out all over campus. We also have carnivals in the spring! We have a bowling alley, pool hall, and an arcade in the Union! We also have a movie shown the last Friday of every month for only $2!

- Purdue carries a ton of weight in the professional world. - The academic plan of study is poor for some majors. You take a lot of classes you don't need, and have professors backing them and the liklihood you will fail is pretty high, or receive a grade that will hurt you GPA. - Beyond Purdue itself, there is very little to do around campus. VERY LITTLE. I'm not someone who is a loner by any means, I'm extremely with a lot outside of school, and frankly beyond west lafayette, there isn't a whole lot in that town. -

The best thing about Purdue: the people. We are nice! Our school has 38,000 students and has all of the opportunities of a big campus, but we feel like a small school. Our academic campus is really well contained and pedestrian friendly and most classes are less than 30 people. We have large lectures too, which is nice. Most people think it's a really big deal that I go to Purdue, when I tell them they all seem impressed. Purdue is set in the town of West Lafayette, and really West Lafayette = Purdue. We are such a college town, everyone you pass on the street is either a student, a professor, or visiting a student. You don't even have to show bus drivers your school ID to ride for free or show the Starbucks people to get coffee without tax. People just know you are a student, it's really nice.The biggest controversy this year was the Student Government elections, there was alot of shadyness going on because the old government supported the Student Activity Fee and wanted it to pass but one running mate didn't want it and campaigned against it and ended up getting kicked out of the race somehow...it was drama.

Purdue may be a Big Ten school; but I still have a sense of knowing everyone! Not literally, but you get to know people in your classes, in your residence hall, that you happen to meet at the library, etc. I don't feel Purdue is too big at all; and I'm glad I am constantly able to meet new people and share new ideas and experiences. I am not part of the Greek system, and that's fine. I have friends both in and out of the Greek system, it's not a requirement to having a fulfilling college experience at Purdue to be Greek. Our mascot is a bit odd...but that makes it that much cooler to say I'm a Boilermaker. One of my biggest complaints is the computer labs/set-up of computer services at Purdue. We are about to undergo a big overhaul and it's really a mess. You would think that with our computer sciences department being so prestigious we would have a better handle on our campus technology! Hopefully that will get ironed out a little more in the next year or so...but we'll see.

I went to a very small high school, so coming to such a large university was a big change for me. I was very intimidated at first, especially since English isn't my first language, but the people here are very friendly, and I soon became accustomed to campus life. Though West Lafayette isn't the biggest town, there are still plenty of things to do here. There is a wide variety of places to eat, and a mall close by. Chicago and Indianapolis are within reasonable driving distance, too, so students at Purdue have the benefit of both cities! My friends and I often drive to Chicago for concerts.

The best thing about Purdue is that there are so many options for anyone to pursue, and so many young people grouped into one area. It's the type of experience that's always taken for granted by students. They will never again find a place like this in their lives where everyone has so much opportunity and common interests. One thing I'd change would be the way parking is controlled. I once got out of a class and went straight to my car, but it had already been towed away because it was a basketball game night. They only put a couple small pink signs around the lot to notify people of it. No one arrived for the game by 5, yet that's when they towed my car, and my class got out at 5:20. I like the size of the school. It's pretty large and still growing every year. The only complaint I would have about that is the year-round construction going on in a new area each year. Most people around the state actually don't think it's a very big deal to have an engineering degree from Purdue, but anywhere else in the country I've been surprised to find that everyone seems to think very highly of the university. On campus, I'd say I spend most of my time in the Union if not in class. I used to spend most of my time in Grissom, but now the Armstrong building is the new Aeronautics building, and I have no more classes to attend there. The Union has been redone recently. I like the new look, and there are a lot more choices for places to eat. Based on the fact that this town wouldn't exist w/o Purdue, I'd say it's a college town. There's not much to do outside of campus in West Lafayette, but Lafayette is obviously really close, so there's slightly more to do there. My approval of Purdue's administration varies with the different departments, but overall I like how things are done here. Biggest controversy lately? Not really sure, sorry. There's a lot of school pride. If you come here, you're gonna bleed black & gold for life. BOILER UP! There are often rumors about huge experiments done underground here. I'd say that's pretty weird. The funny thing is that those kinds of experiments are done everyday at Purdue's labs which I'd say are some of the best in the world. People come here for the opportunity to work on some of the most recent, top-of-the-line engineering projects in the world. A lot of the students really don't understand that you can't find that kind of stuff anywhere else. I'll always remember seeing a guy (who we now call Schnoz) run into the fountain w/o seeing the giant metal column. He hit it so hard that he broke his nose, haha. Most frequent complaint? Probably parking, but I don't really know to be honest.

The one thing I would change is that our intramural facilities are old, and too small for the large campus at Purdue. Purdue is a large school, and one should expect a large school atmosphere when coming to school here. When I tell people that I go to Purdue they say one of two things. 1. "Purdue, where is that? Is that Ivy League?" 2. "Purdue, so you're an engineer?" I spend most of my time, when awake, on campus; studying or class. West Lafayette is a college town, for the most part. The Purdue administration tries to screw over every student, so be ready for that. There has been a lot of school pride, espicially lately with our basketball team doing really well. The unusual thing about Purdue is every building on campus is brick because it was in John Purdue's Will. I'll remember the entire trip through college. I've seen a shirt that said "College, a 4 year party with a $100,000 cover charge." Make sure college is enjoyed as long as your work gets done too. The most frequent complaints are about the co-rec.

*Best thing=BREAKFAST CLUB! *I would change 7:30 am classes *I'd say the school is large, but large enough that I don't run into a lot of people that went to my high school...many of them tend to stick around town and go to Purdue, not that that's a bad thing though because I did it too! *Reactions=International people really think it's cool and think Purdue is Ivy League because it doesn't have a state name in it, but all my relatives are from Wisconsin so there's a big rivalry with Big Ten sports between my family. *I spend a lot of time in computer labs and the Union *West Lafayette is definitely a college town. Growing up here my entire life, I've seen how dead the town is without the students here. *Purdue's administration does a great job with Purdue and we have a female president for the first time ever! *Most recent controversy=our men's basketball team lost to IU and lost their lead in the Big Ten *There is a LOT of school pride, esp. on football game days when you meet all the alumni who are wearing their alma mater's colors with pride *Some of the myths are weird, like "If you walk underneath the bell tower you will not graduate in 4 years" *I'll always remember the Purdue-Wisconsin football game in 2004 when Kyle Orton fumbled the ball and Wisconsin beat us with seconds to go...we had family come down for the game and they were soooo happy in all their Wisconsin gear, they still talk about it to this day *Complaints=I guess a lot of people complain about the cold or how the sidewalks are always icy and gross in the winter time

The best thing about Purdue is the tradition. Football is huge here. Alumni travel from all over the country to come back for the games. It really instills a sense of pride in your school and education. When looking at numbers alone, Purdue seems huge. Yet, once you get here and get into a routine you start to see the same people everyday walking to class, the same people are involved in the same things as you, and the campus just seems a lot smaller and like a community. When I tell people that I go to Purdue, they always seem impressed. For some reason, since Purdue's name doesn't include the state name, peopel from other parts of the nation think it's private or ivy league. I spend most of my time in my dorm room or hanging out with friends at their apartments or frats. West Lafayette, and Lafayette, are definitely "college towns." During football season every little restaurant has signs out cheering on Purdue. A lot of the activities around the area are geared towards college students. Chauncey Hill is your typical college food and bars place. I think that Purdue's administration is pretty good considering how many students attend. The biggest recent controversy on campus has been whether or not we should have a student activities fee, or what they call the Boiler Advancement Program. We are one of the only schools in the nation without it. It would cost each student $20 a year and it would fund major student organizations on campus. One experience I will always remember is Boiler Gold Rush. BGR is the freshmen orientation program. It is great and I highly recommend everyone doing it. I did it my freshmen year and met some of my best friends that week. I was also a team leader for BGR my sopomore year and had a blast helping new students. It really helps you get acquainted with the campus and feel more comfortable.

The best thing about Purdue is Breakfast Club. On the days of home football games and Grand Prix, bars open at 7am and you come dressed in a costume for cheap drinks. Most times you end up being too drunk for the actual game.

Purdue is an amazingly diverse and accepting university. There are so many clubs and organizations it's impossible not to find a place to fit in. I am so proud of our club call-out days in Academy Park each fall; there is a club for everyone, and no is ashamed to represent themselves. We also have a great tradition of fliering the campus to advertise call-outs and events. It's great to walk to class and see how involved the students are. At times you can't go 2 steps without hitting another eye-catching flier. It shows our campus to be lively and active, two reasons I love being a Boilermaker. Our sports enthusiasm is amazing as well. The Purdue Boilermaker football team is nation-renowned, and for good reason. Each season is more exciting than the last. The school spirit is everywhere; students wear Purdue apparel every day and the Bell Tower (our clock tower in the middle of campus) plays the fight song and other Purdue jingles every hour. Purdue also has what I (and ESPN's Sportcenter, I believe) consider to be the GREATEST pre-game ritual in the nation: Breakfast Club. Each Saturday morning of a home game the campus bars open at 7:00 am. Students work for weeks to create hilarious and spirited costumes and then line up outside the bars starting as early as 5:30 am for the amazing drink specials. The bars are blacked out, great flashback music is played, free food is given (Jake's hot dogs are amazing drunk food), and everyone drinks as much as they can and celebrates with everyone else to get pumped for the game. Many students wear their costumes to the game. Some of the best times I've had at Purdue have been during Breakfast Club. For those who aren't 21, the games themselves are an amazing time. The student section is always packed and so spirited. I think campus is the perfect size, although the one-way streets make driving a bit of a hassle sometimes. It's big enough that you're not constantly running into people you know but not too big that you can't walk anywhere you wanted. When I tell people I go to Purdue they usually respond with some comment in awe of my apparent academic ability, which I am pretty flattered by. We have a great reputation for scholastics, and it's nice that other Hoosiers recognize how hard we work. There are plenty of fantastic places to relax and study on campus. Our libraries and computer labs are generally packed, and we have a few amazing coffee shops right on campus open really late, not to mention the Memorial and Engineering Malls with their great grassy hills and beautiful fountains; in the summer months it's a blast to go for a fountain run, hitting every fountain on campus AND getting a workout in at the same time.

The best thing about Purdue is the prestigious education and the fantastic friends that you meet along your college journey. The one thing I would change is to have more open parking because parking around Purdue is extremely annoying and you have to have passes to park anywhere. Purdue is JUST RIGHT. When I tell people to go to Purdue, they are like, "wow, you graduated from Purdue? That is really cool!" I spent a lot of my time in class and also at the bars of friends apartments. West Lafayette is definitely a college town with a more adult atmosphere across the bridge in Lafayette. Purdue's administration is very intelligent and all the people have amazing credentials. The biggest recent controversy was probably the boys basketball team when they lost to IU...what a bumber! There is definitely a lot of school pride. For example, when you say "Boiler UP!" to somebody, 10 times out of 10 they will say it back. Football and basketball games are extremely crowded with supporting fans. There is nothing unusual about Purdue. The experience I will always remember is that breakfast club is amazing, grand prix is even more amazing, and the friends you make here are unbelieveable. The most frequent student complaints are that they have too much homework and have to study for hours on end for exams.

Purdue is a place of tradition and innovation. A place where not only are books read and papers written, but where lifelong friendships form and character is molded. An institution rooted with the likes of Emilia Earheart and Neil Armstrong, Purdue is the type of school that inspires excellence from those that associate themselves with it. The administration is strict. Purdue has a reputation to uphold and therefor they don't bend much for academic dishonesty or breaking laws. They are pretty lenient on one thing though - drinking. Even in the dorms if you are caught drinking underage they will rarely get the police involved. The preferred method of punishment is to be "written up" and have to chat with the resident life manager. You get an almost unlimited number of chances so long as it was just alcohol and not drugs involved, with the worst i'd ever heard anyone having to do was go to an alcohol awareness class. Purdue IS West Lafayette. Everything here is designed to facilitate the campus and students. Purdue is unique however, in that the campus is just the campus. With the exception of a few restaraunts in the student union, there are no diners, no bars, no gas stations, no stores of any kind on campus. In fact, there are no buildings not owned by purdue on the purdue campus (cept a few apartments i think). Because of this, you can walk pretty much from one end of campus to the other in 20 minutes no problem. The CityBus system shuttles students around for free during school days and at night and is a LOT of fun if you catch the drunk bus. We had one bus driver let us sing using the mic and bus speakers so we had the whole bus singing to journey. Purdue is awesome

Purdue is a Big Ten school that takes pride in their athletics, so for you sports fans, there is always a game to see at Mackey Arena or Ross-Ade Stadium or a game to play at the rec center. With such a large campus, you will always be able to find what you want to do and someone to do it with. Not only does the size of Purdue allow you to have fun in your spare time, it also offers opportunities for class selection and student organizations. My graduating class in high school had 55 people, so I had to adjust to Purdue at first. I was overwhelmed with everything it had to offer, but now I love going to a big school! Now that I am looking at graduate schools, size is an important factor because I know that large schools have better resources and opportunities.

The best thing about Purdue is our Boiler spirit. I absolutely love being a Boilermaker. Football season is amazing whether we are winning or losing-- we are all out there freezing our butts off cheering on our team. And the Paint Crew is proving themselves to be even more dedicated by camping out for tickets in below zero temperatures. You can't beat our fans anywhere--and we're very proud of that. We do have a large student body, around 40,000 when I started my freshmen year. That included grad students and undergrad. But what I found amazing was this campus never seemed overwhelming. I thought that was a huge number of people yet the campus was never TOO big. When I'm on campus I spend most of my time in the Union, which was actually just remodeled. It now has an entirely new food court with restaurants ranging from Mexican to Thai foods and of course the always-packed Starbucks. Purdue's campus sits in West Lafayette which is a pretty decent college town. But, lucky for us, West Lafayette is also basically attached to another town, Lafayette. So we're minutes away from a lot of restaurants, stores, and the big Tippecanoe Mall (just in case we don't want to study anymore). The biggest thing that I could tell you that students complain about would be parking issues. For freshmen, this is not a problem. You aren't allowed to have a car on campus your freshman year. But from then on, it gets to be a problem. If you continue to live in the dorms you get dorm parking permits, but those lots fill up fast. I wouldn't advise moving your car often. If you live off campus like I did, you have the option of buying a C permit (if you live at least three miles out I think). But with the C permit you can only park in basically the worst parking lots so just be prepared to walk far to get to class. But in all honesty, I always chose to walk. A bus can pick you up from every parking lot so you never have to walk. It would be nice to have more parking, we desperately need it, but instead they are building nicer classrooms and improving the dorms. I kind of agree that that's probably going to pay off in the long-run instead of us being lazy. But, I also just might be one of the few that doesn't mind walking to class!

The best thing about Purdue is the campus and the pride. The campus is gorgeous. We have two giant fountains on campus, as well as a bell tower in the center. We have old, beautiful buildings as well as new ones being built. There are also lots of fields and places to sit and hang out outside when the weather is nice. Being a native of Indiana, there is a sense of pride going to Purdue. It is where my parents, brothers and other family members have graduated from. If I could change one thing about Purdue, it would be the gym. The co-rec is extremely small considering the amount of people using it. On campus there are 40,000 students. The co-rec has about 15 treadmills to accomodate all of these people. It gets even more jammed in the winter, when the weather drops to the single digits. I evidentually caved and bought a gym membership at a local gym. Purdue is just right. It has enough people to keep the campus diversified, but small enough to still get to know people in your class. My class size is about 25-50 depending on the class. However, I am a communications major. Engineering class have a MUCH different class size. People will usually ask what discipline of engineering I am in when I tell them I go to Purdue. When I tell them I am studying communications, they ask why I didn't go to Northwestern or Ball State. I spend most of my time on campus in the Union. Purdue recently remodeled the Union, so there is a lot more variety in the food court. The restaurants have their own individual seating in their areas, or you can sit in the commons area. It's a great study atmosphere, but don't expect to get a table the week of finals. Purdue is located in West Lafayette, Indiana. It is definately not the most exciting town in the world! Aside from eating, there is very, very little to do off campus. The good news is that Indianapolis is an hour south, or you can take a train to Chicago for the weekend. Purdue's administration seems to be doing a good job. The only major complaint I would bring up is the problem with parking. I feel like that is a problem in a lot of campuses though. The biggest recent controversy on campus happened last year. A freshman disappeared on campus for months. Purdue Police searched everywhere for the freshman. When they finally found the body, it was located in the basement of a dormitory. The door was left unlocked to a room full of high voltage equipment. Having left his ID card to enter the dorm in his room, the student tried to sneak back into the dorm. He ended up getting electricuted. Some blame Purdue for leaving the door unlocked and for not hanging a caution sign on the door. Others blame the Purdue Police for taking such a long time to find the body. It was a very sad situation. It made national news. There is a lot of school pride. Our school's claim to fame is that we have the most astronauts graduated from Purdue. We really love our football team through thick and thin. Recently, our basketball team is doing extremely well. There are student fan groups you can stand by during the football and basketball games. Purdue is unusual because it is the last airport Amelia Earhart flew out of before she disappeared. There is an Earhart dormitory named after her. I will always remember doing a "fountain run" or running through the fountains at 2 a.m. when it was 50 degrees out. It is a Boilermaker tradition. The most frequent student complaints are about parking. There is hardly anywhere to park on campus. Parking tickets cost $20.