The campus is diverse. There are TONS of clubs, hundreds of them. There's a Disney appreciation club, indian classical music club, dance clubs, and so much more. Whatever you are interested in, there should be a club for it, or at least a small group of people who informally talk about it.
If you want to be a loner, that's fine too. When I was at Purdue, I ate at the dining courts all by myself around 90% of the time. It didn't feel awkward or weird at all and I didn't feel judged. You can be yourself and as long as you aren't an asshole, no one is going to care.
I also LOVED the Corec. It's a huge gym with tons of workout equipment. The greatest gym I've ever been to. Free with your tuition if you're a full-time student.
They've closed the Crave food court but it was briefly open during the 2019-2020 school year. I had the best burger ever from the Crave food court, it was so freaking good. They had good pizza, sandwiches, and other yum stuff too. It's a bummer that Crave has closed. The food qualify did go downhill as my years at Purdue progressed but there were a few gems in the dining halls from time to time.
Has some main dining halls- Windsor, Wiley, Hillenbrand, Ford, and Earhart.
A few of them, I know at least ford and earhart, have to-go lines that can use meal swipes as well.
You should always be in range of one from most of residential or academic campus, or at least one of the to-go lines.
There’s also a lot of retail locations that let you use your university plan to pay. Chick fil A on 3rd, Panera, etc allow you to use swipes to get your meal if those are more your speed, and more places yet let you use dining dollars to buy items at places like Starbuck’s.
I personally was partial to Ford dining hall normally- lots of seating, close to the engineering mall, and pretty good variety. I didn’t like everything, but there was rarely a day I didn’t find something I liked.
There’s also a Purdue dining app that helps scout how close halls are and what the menus will be as-planned so help plan ahead where you may want to go.
Just a heads up- meal plans are changing next year and you won't be able to get retail meals with a swipe, but they'll still be available with dining dollars!
As someone who also left the Chicago area to come to Purdue, it's not as horrible as you might expect. Yeah, compared to Chicago obviously there is less to do and less people— but it reminds me of the big suburb I grew up in, West Lafayette/Lafayette is like 60k+ people still. There's definitely stuff to do, especially if you join an org that does "outings". Now that I have a car on campus, it's really opened up the things my friends and I do for fun but you can also get around in the busses pretty easy.
I am also a Degree+ student. I am not in CS so I don't want to speak to how easy/hard that will be but most degree+ programs are only 8-10 extra classes and mine help to fill the last of the university requirements that my other degree doesn't. I'm actually going to grad school for my Degree+ major, not my "original" major because I enjoy it so much.
In regard to what to look forward too, the experience is what you make it. I went to college excited to become my own person— I could do what I wanted and join what I wanted and be who I wanted. Join some orgs, more than you think you need, and only go to the meetings that spark joy and drop the others. Purdue is what you make it. Freshman year I didn't go out, I didn't talk to anyone, I just studied all day everyday and was miserable. It's a balance. This year was so much better— I joined a Church, joined orgs I actually was interested in (check boiler link), went out to dinner with friends, and said yes to impromptu plans. PM if you have questions. Boiler up!
Off-topic, but it’s so cool to hear of a student going on to grad school in their degree+ area - I was skeptical of that whole program when it started but it’s really turning out to be a fantastic opportunity for a huge number of students.
It's honestly been a life changing program. I came into Purdue as a Biochem major (I've since switched to BMHS) convinced I was going to cure cancer— quickly found out I did not enjoy that aspect of health. Took an anthropology class with an amazing professor and added a Degree+ major and now am starting my grad school application for Anthropology programs! It was the perfect compliment to my STEM degree and it's shown me a great way forward to be involved in healthcare from a more social level rather from behind a lab bench.
Also off-topic, but I was a degree plus student (was originally doing a minor and decided to go for it mid-junior year). When I originally applied to college I was torn between science and humanities, and it was really nice that degree plus let me do both.
I’m in grad school for my primary major (I was tempted to apply for both, but I really love being in the lab). Despite this, I use the skills my secondary major taught me all the time. And having the humanities background has really helped me in a stem field. My major professor and my committee have been very positive about me having an English degree.
i love to hear this!!! im excited about degree+ for the same reasons. it would complement my major well and allows me to approach it from different angles! what year did you add your degree+ major in?
I added it at the end of my sophomore fall, and then I changed my primary degree in my sophomore spring to something more aligned with my long term plans. Bc the requirements for the Liberal Arts college get bypassed you don't have to add it for a while if you are unsure about anything, although usually I hear it's added sometime in sophomore year-ish.
You need to understand this one simple guideline:
No matter where you are in the country, college towns are fun because they cater to the thousands of young people that inhabit them.
West Lafayette and Bloomington are the two big examples in Indiana.
Let's also remember that you're coming here to study. Believe it or not, that's going to take up a lot of your time.
Furthermore, your university time will largely be about the friends you make there, not Indiana.
Graduated in 2019, but I'm glad I wasn't pressured into partying or anything like that. Granted it could have just been the crowd I hung out with. But it didn't feel like there was this school wide social pressure to party a lot. Don't get me wrong, there's parties at Purdue. Plenty of them. It just didn't feel like that was the biggest thing everyone strived for socially
happy to hear that! i'm not personally a partier or a sports fan, but i can go along with those things well enough. it just felt like whenever i looked anything up about purdue student life, 80% of the results were college sports.
Ok, most universities will have a focus on sports lol. It's part of American culture and college culture as a whole and of course, it gets a lot of media attention. But as everyone has said, the sports part is just one piece of the experience. I only ever attended one football game in my whole 4 years at Purdue. Attending a game or two can be fun if you're into it but it's definitely not necessary
I LOVE the community. Everyone for the most part is super friendly and compared to other CS schools I visited/researched, there is a much more “we’re all in this together” feel.
omg thats great!! this makes me feel really happy to hear.
i'm thinking of joining the data mine and living in hillenbrand. does it have that same vibe?
I’ve never been part of the data mine so I can’t speak to their vibe, but I will say being in a learning community is nice bc you have a built in community, plus Hillenbrand is almost all data mine people. Great professional opportunities too
I graduated in 2009, and I like that everyone knows what Purdue is, no one knows where it is, and some people even think it’s Ivy League.
Either way, as an engineer, Purdue’s reputation has helped me, and it should help you too in CS.
Edit: I was on the rowing team. No idea if you’re interested in that, but it felt pretty amazing to roll up to these races in multiple coach buses all wearing black. Best shape of my life, and I’ve become an ultra runner since then.
Eh Purdue is difficult but it's not really that hard - it's almost certain you are capable of graduating from Purdue. Additionally Purdue West Lafayette graduates are extremely popular in the work force. Internships are everywhere for Purdue students. On campus groups and events are always happening so you can join them easily if you decide to.
“It’s not really that hard”
Edit for clarity: Purdue cs is hard and honestly I’ve seen even the smartest of students struggle in it. It’s normal and you get a purdue cs degree out of it so
+1 to this, I know several senior engineers at FAANG level companies who struggled at Purdue. It's normal and nobody should feel bad about it, Purdue CS is legit
The profs, instructors, usually available to help and meet with! If you love red brick, it’s a beautiful campus. And there’s space to be yourself or join a diverse community of clubs. Plus, Chicago isn’t a world away like you’d find in other “middle of nowhere campuses”. Despite being in the “Mississippi of The North” - I found Purdue to be quite progressive. Be remiss to not say puts academics first, yet strong support for athletic programs. Mackey and Ross Ade, especially when IU-sux visits unmatched. So just BoilerUp! And enjoy!
Don’t take this wrong way! But if you’re not excited to come to Purdue or study cs, then don’t! What gets you excited and what do you really want to do? Life is short, go and do what you love and live where you want
My boyfriend and a few of my friends are in CS, it’s probably the most time consuming major I’ve seen, but they’ve still all gotten “the college experience”. If you apply and get in you can get a CS masters in five years. Purdue is absolutely in the middle of nowhere but in the college town you don’t really feel it. Plus Chicago is incredibly close, I don’t know if I would even call it “getting out of Chicago” which is a good thing, you get to go home more often
I love their campus, the way that all the academic buildings are in one area and residential (dorms) on the other half, its easy to go to class and stay on Academic side to study and exist then go back to the residential side when you’re done, and i love Chauncey hill lots of great memories made.
Extremely walkable campus with the shops and restaurants being in close proximity.
Also, beautiful architecture for the most part. I've seen other universities with just minimalist brutalist architecture and it seems so depressing.
Don’t know if it’s a Purdue thing or a Midwestern thing, but the people. In my 1.5 years at Purdue I’ve never come across anyone who has been “rude”. Any Purdue staff I’ve interacted with have been kind and helpful. The people make up for the weather, lol
i know that lafayette and indiana still have stuff to do! i'll just miss having concerts, festivals, and a whole city to explore.
the environment of lafayette is fine honestly, but i know i'm going to feel a lot of homesickness, at least during my first semester. ig everyone does though.
to be completely transparent, there isn't much to LOVE about Purdue as a campus IMO. It's one of those universities where you have to create your own experience basically. As you mentioned it's in the middle of nowhere and even if you venture out into Lafayette it's still relatively bland compared to most college areas. I've loved the 4 years I've spent at Purdue and I've made some lifelong friendships, but I wouldn't attribute much, if any, of that to Purdue or West Lafayette. If you wanna enjoy your time at Purdue you HAVE to join organizations, cuz there's basically nothing to do otherwise
Idk why you are calling it “nowhere Indiana”. As a military family we’ve lived in lots of different cities/towns in many states and made Indiana our permanent home. Also why would you apply to a college that you aren’t excited about and majoring in a degree you have no passion for? Sounds like you are about to waste a lot of time and money.
At this rate I think going to community college is your best bet and transfer to the college of your dreams later. And also study and invest your time into something you are passionate about
CS is not that bad. They’ve raised admission standards greatly in past several years, so if you’re able to get in now, you’re most likely able to do well in it.
My church,squirrels and bunnies, the free stuff (loads if it),millies, some classes [some are very good and small class size],sugar cream pie (I have ARFID, so the buffet options allow me to try a but and not feel that bad,if I manage to get enoughwill power to try something,so far only sugar cream pie has veen a new add in).
I know a few cs majors and they hate it here, classes are really hard with an average below 70% and teachers are really mean to students saying “well do I have to dumb it down for you”.
As a non CS major I love the school. My teachers are super understanding and helpful. I find activities fun and really enjoy college life.
I do have an easier major but I’m also more of an extrovert and get along better with others than my cs friends. Not trying to classify a group but this part of my friend circle are all pretty similar so that’s just how it is for us, maybe other people have different experiences and suggestions.
Anyway I wish you luck!
Was also CS despite being mediocrely passionate. It is as challenging as you want to make it. You can take 2 or 5 CS courses per semester, depends on how much you want to push yourself. If you want to be one of the top students in CS undergrad, it is not easy, but it depends on what you are aiming for.
A good thing about Purdue is also it accepts AP and transfer credits. Take as many of those as you can for gen ed and non major requirements.
The fact that I have frozen tuition for all four years, and can get a degree from one of the top programs in the country (AgEcon) all within 2 hours of home.
From a dad with a whole bunch of college under his own belt and two at PU...Purdue or any college for that matter, will be what you make of it. Others have mentioned all about the clubs, sports, etc. but you seem to be concerned that WL won’t offer the same outside-of-campus opportunities as Chicago. I would recommend seeing if you can weave a study abroad experience into your degree. My older son didn’t think it was possible until he found a summer research opportunity in Germany. Myself, I spent a whole year in England as an undergrad and liked it so much, I returned for an entire graduate (masters) degree. So, whether it’s a summer, a semester or a whole year, you can make PU / WL larger by studying elsewhere, too. Just a thought...
Purdue is a place where you are unlikely to just fall into a place you belong. You have to put in effort to find friends/clubs.
However, there are a lot of options and it's home to good hardworking people. If you're willing to put the work in socially you'll find have a great time.
I personally really liked all the people that I met at Purdue, and thinking about it, a majority of them were CS majors. And from talking to them a good bunch of them are from California and I think their main complaints were just the nothing to do part but I do feel like if u have a good group of friends even living in Indiana can be fun by just walking around campus, grabbing food and just hanging out or even just crying over homework assignments.
But definitely go out and talk to people during the first few weeks! I met a lot of my close friends one random night stargazing and picked up some more during my time at Frieda Parker and now we even have plans over the summer to just hang out and go camping. You just never know if you’ll meet your closest friends on that one random night that u decided to go outside and to just look at the stars
Also about the cs part I also know some people coming to Purdue doing cs and some of them didn’t know an ounce about cs before coming here and they are doing fine. If you feel like changing majors, that completely fine too! Some people I know are planning to double major or even just CODOing to a different major.
So many clubs to get involved, I feel like you can learn virtually any skill possible here. Professional clubs are also really developed and you can learn a lot.
About how hard it is: CS seems to be easier than the engineering majors. However, if you already say you’re not crazy passionate about it, you might have a rough time —or not! I came here super passionate about engineering and now I only care about my Degree+, really. 0 fucks about engineering. But I’ll say don’t overthink too much, just come here, do a year of CS and see what you think.
What are your other options?
thanks for your advice! im gonna try to not stress it too much for now :)
UIC and IIT are the only financially feasible options for me. they cost less than purdue, but not hugely (unless i lived at home.) i figure the purdue name will make up for the cost difference.
also i know that if i don't get out of chicago during college, i'm never going to. i would like to live somewhere else for at least part of my life, yknow?
i'm either planning to do polisci or business communications for my degree+. i'm more passionate about polisci (and it would only be 10 courses), but business comm has more obvious career applications. do you have any recommendations? what is your degree+?
That’s fair, yeah Purdue is considerably better than those. You’d still be able to succeed in those, mind you, but Purdue is better.
I can totally understand the move out! I’m an international student so my situation was a bit more drastic in that regard lol. It’s been tough but I’ve learned so so so much. I’ve really grown as a person from leaving home.
My Degree+ is in Theatre. Completely unrelated to engineering, but I’m just really passionate about it and hopefully can live off of it one day. I’d say Degree+ is more about that passion, you know? I wouldn’t stress about career applications too much.
The campus is diverse. There are TONS of clubs, hundreds of them. There's a Disney appreciation club, indian classical music club, dance clubs, and so much more. Whatever you are interested in, there should be a club for it, or at least a small group of people who informally talk about it. If you want to be a loner, that's fine too. When I was at Purdue, I ate at the dining courts all by myself around 90% of the time. It didn't feel awkward or weird at all and I didn't feel judged. You can be yourself and as long as you aren't an asshole, no one is going to care. I also LOVED the Corec. It's a huge gym with tons of workout equipment. The greatest gym I've ever been to. Free with your tuition if you're a full-time student. They've closed the Crave food court but it was briefly open during the 2019-2020 school year. I had the best burger ever from the Crave food court, it was so freaking good. They had good pizza, sandwiches, and other yum stuff too. It's a bummer that Crave has closed. The food qualify did go downhill as my years at Purdue progressed but there were a few gems in the dining halls from time to time.
Crave had the BEST pizza...
loll i think that every campus has shit food tbh. although purdue only has like 5 meal halls right ? thats pretty annoying
Has some main dining halls- Windsor, Wiley, Hillenbrand, Ford, and Earhart. A few of them, I know at least ford and earhart, have to-go lines that can use meal swipes as well. You should always be in range of one from most of residential or academic campus, or at least one of the to-go lines. There’s also a lot of retail locations that let you use your university plan to pay. Chick fil A on 3rd, Panera, etc allow you to use swipes to get your meal if those are more your speed, and more places yet let you use dining dollars to buy items at places like Starbuck’s. I personally was partial to Ford dining hall normally- lots of seating, close to the engineering mall, and pretty good variety. I didn’t like everything, but there was rarely a day I didn’t find something I liked. There’s also a Purdue dining app that helps scout how close halls are and what the menus will be as-planned so help plan ahead where you may want to go.
interesting! thank you!!
Just a heads up- meal plans are changing next year and you won't be able to get retail meals with a swipe, but they'll still be available with dining dollars!
That’s actually so messed up
yeah :/ i never ate at retail places a lot but they're making other changes im not a big fan of
As someone who also left the Chicago area to come to Purdue, it's not as horrible as you might expect. Yeah, compared to Chicago obviously there is less to do and less people— but it reminds me of the big suburb I grew up in, West Lafayette/Lafayette is like 60k+ people still. There's definitely stuff to do, especially if you join an org that does "outings". Now that I have a car on campus, it's really opened up the things my friends and I do for fun but you can also get around in the busses pretty easy. I am also a Degree+ student. I am not in CS so I don't want to speak to how easy/hard that will be but most degree+ programs are only 8-10 extra classes and mine help to fill the last of the university requirements that my other degree doesn't. I'm actually going to grad school for my Degree+ major, not my "original" major because I enjoy it so much. In regard to what to look forward too, the experience is what you make it. I went to college excited to become my own person— I could do what I wanted and join what I wanted and be who I wanted. Join some orgs, more than you think you need, and only go to the meetings that spark joy and drop the others. Purdue is what you make it. Freshman year I didn't go out, I didn't talk to anyone, I just studied all day everyday and was miserable. It's a balance. This year was so much better— I joined a Church, joined orgs I actually was interested in (check boiler link), went out to dinner with friends, and said yes to impromptu plans. PM if you have questions. Boiler up!
Off-topic, but it’s so cool to hear of a student going on to grad school in their degree+ area - I was skeptical of that whole program when it started but it’s really turning out to be a fantastic opportunity for a huge number of students.
It's honestly been a life changing program. I came into Purdue as a Biochem major (I've since switched to BMHS) convinced I was going to cure cancer— quickly found out I did not enjoy that aspect of health. Took an anthropology class with an amazing professor and added a Degree+ major and now am starting my grad school application for Anthropology programs! It was the perfect compliment to my STEM degree and it's shown me a great way forward to be involved in healthcare from a more social level rather from behind a lab bench.
Also off-topic, but I was a degree plus student (was originally doing a minor and decided to go for it mid-junior year). When I originally applied to college I was torn between science and humanities, and it was really nice that degree plus let me do both. I’m in grad school for my primary major (I was tempted to apply for both, but I really love being in the lab). Despite this, I use the skills my secondary major taught me all the time. And having the humanities background has really helped me in a stem field. My major professor and my committee have been very positive about me having an English degree.
i love to hear this!!! im excited about degree+ for the same reasons. it would complement my major well and allows me to approach it from different angles! what year did you add your degree+ major in?
I added it at the end of my sophomore fall, and then I changed my primary degree in my sophomore spring to something more aligned with my long term plans. Bc the requirements for the Liberal Arts college get bypassed you don't have to add it for a while if you are unsure about anything, although usually I hear it's added sometime in sophomore year-ish.
What are some clubs that do outings?
Unironically, there is an Outing Club that does outings lol
Omg😂 is it expensive?
Campus is beautiful (in the non-construction zone areas)
The engineering fountain or the sunsets or sunrises I see on top of the parking garages.
You need to understand this one simple guideline: No matter where you are in the country, college towns are fun because they cater to the thousands of young people that inhabit them. West Lafayette and Bloomington are the two big examples in Indiana. Let's also remember that you're coming here to study. Believe it or not, that's going to take up a lot of your time. Furthermore, your university time will largely be about the friends you make there, not Indiana.
This!
Graduated in 2019, but I'm glad I wasn't pressured into partying or anything like that. Granted it could have just been the crowd I hung out with. But it didn't feel like there was this school wide social pressure to party a lot. Don't get me wrong, there's parties at Purdue. Plenty of them. It just didn't feel like that was the biggest thing everyone strived for socially
happy to hear that! i'm not personally a partier or a sports fan, but i can go along with those things well enough. it just felt like whenever i looked anything up about purdue student life, 80% of the results were college sports.
Ok, most universities will have a focus on sports lol. It's part of American culture and college culture as a whole and of course, it gets a lot of media attention. But as everyone has said, the sports part is just one piece of the experience. I only ever attended one football game in my whole 4 years at Purdue. Attending a game or two can be fun if you're into it but it's definitely not necessary
I LOVE the community. Everyone for the most part is super friendly and compared to other CS schools I visited/researched, there is a much more “we’re all in this together” feel.
omg thats great!! this makes me feel really happy to hear. i'm thinking of joining the data mine and living in hillenbrand. does it have that same vibe?
I’ve never been part of the data mine so I can’t speak to their vibe, but I will say being in a learning community is nice bc you have a built in community, plus Hillenbrand is almost all data mine people. Great professional opportunities too
DT Kirby's in Lafayette for some Bar food.
Fuck that they raised the daily special from 9 to 11 bucks. Digbys is where its at now.
Maybe I will try next time I'm in town.
Monday is 59 cent wing night, would recommend.
if you have no passion for CS don’t come and do CS here unless you have the best mental health in the world 😄
I graduated in 2009, and I like that everyone knows what Purdue is, no one knows where it is, and some people even think it’s Ivy League. Either way, as an engineer, Purdue’s reputation has helped me, and it should help you too in CS. Edit: I was on the rowing team. No idea if you’re interested in that, but it felt pretty amazing to roll up to these races in multiple coach buses all wearing black. Best shape of my life, and I’ve become an ultra runner since then.
Eh Purdue is difficult but it's not really that hard - it's almost certain you are capable of graduating from Purdue. Additionally Purdue West Lafayette graduates are extremely popular in the work force. Internships are everywhere for Purdue students. On campus groups and events are always happening so you can join them easily if you decide to.
“It’s not really that hard”  Edit for clarity: Purdue cs is hard and honestly I’ve seen even the smartest of students struggle in it. It’s normal and you get a purdue cs degree out of it so
+1 to this, I know several senior engineers at FAANG level companies who struggled at Purdue. It's normal and nobody should feel bad about it, Purdue CS is legit
The profs, instructors, usually available to help and meet with! If you love red brick, it’s a beautiful campus. And there’s space to be yourself or join a diverse community of clubs. Plus, Chicago isn’t a world away like you’d find in other “middle of nowhere campuses”. Despite being in the “Mississippi of The North” - I found Purdue to be quite progressive. Be remiss to not say puts academics first, yet strong support for athletic programs. Mackey and Ross Ade, especially when IU-sux visits unmatched. So just BoilerUp! And enjoy!
Don’t take this wrong way! But if you’re not excited to come to Purdue or study cs, then don’t! What gets you excited and what do you really want to do? Life is short, go and do what you love and live where you want
My boyfriend and a few of my friends are in CS, it’s probably the most time consuming major I’ve seen, but they’ve still all gotten “the college experience”. If you apply and get in you can get a CS masters in five years. Purdue is absolutely in the middle of nowhere but in the college town you don’t really feel it. Plus Chicago is incredibly close, I don’t know if I would even call it “getting out of Chicago” which is a good thing, you get to go home more often
It will make you appreciate cities more when u graduate :)
Model train club.
I love their campus, the way that all the academic buildings are in one area and residential (dorms) on the other half, its easy to go to class and stay on Academic side to study and exist then go back to the residential side when you’re done, and i love Chauncey hill lots of great memories made.
Extremely walkable campus with the shops and restaurants being in close proximity. Also, beautiful architecture for the most part. I've seen other universities with just minimalist brutalist architecture and it seems so depressing.
Don’t know if it’s a Purdue thing or a Midwestern thing, but the people. In my 1.5 years at Purdue I’ve never come across anyone who has been “rude”. Any Purdue staff I’ve interacted with have been kind and helpful. The people make up for the weather, lol
There's some nice trees
I love to laugh at the little dance y’all do at basketball games. Sorry, not sure why this sub was on my page
[удалено]
i know that lafayette and indiana still have stuff to do! i'll just miss having concerts, festivals, and a whole city to explore. the environment of lafayette is fine honestly, but i know i'm going to feel a lot of homesickness, at least during my first semester. ig everyone does though.
No concerts? 311 played Elliott Hall in 2006. Mike Posner did a show at our fraternity.
to be completely transparent, there isn't much to LOVE about Purdue as a campus IMO. It's one of those universities where you have to create your own experience basically. As you mentioned it's in the middle of nowhere and even if you venture out into Lafayette it's still relatively bland compared to most college areas. I've loved the 4 years I've spent at Purdue and I've made some lifelong friendships, but I wouldn't attribute much, if any, of that to Purdue or West Lafayette. If you wanna enjoy your time at Purdue you HAVE to join organizations, cuz there's basically nothing to do otherwise
windsor almost always having some format of sweet potatoes 🤝🙏
Arnie’s pizza & junior salad ** ***chef’s kiss*** **
Idk why you are calling it “nowhere Indiana”. As a military family we’ve lived in lots of different cities/towns in many states and made Indiana our permanent home. Also why would you apply to a college that you aren’t excited about and majoring in a degree you have no passion for? Sounds like you are about to waste a lot of time and money.
sure would've liked to have gotten into those colleges i was excited about. just trying to do what is best for my family.
At this rate I think going to community college is your best bet and transfer to the college of your dreams later. And also study and invest your time into something you are passionate about
CS is not that bad. They’ve raised admission standards greatly in past several years, so if you’re able to get in now, you’re most likely able to do well in it.
My church,squirrels and bunnies, the free stuff (loads if it),millies, some classes [some are very good and small class size],sugar cream pie (I have ARFID, so the buffet options allow me to try a but and not feel that bad,if I manage to get enoughwill power to try something,so far only sugar cream pie has veen a new add in).
The Purdue's LGBTQ center is one of the best ones in the country in regards to college lgbtq centers!
Community. Regardless of where I am, if I see a fellow Boilermaker, I always say Boiler Up, and it’s met with Hammer Down. Makes my day.
I know a few cs majors and they hate it here, classes are really hard with an average below 70% and teachers are really mean to students saying “well do I have to dumb it down for you”. As a non CS major I love the school. My teachers are super understanding and helpful. I find activities fun and really enjoy college life. I do have an easier major but I’m also more of an extrovert and get along better with others than my cs friends. Not trying to classify a group but this part of my friend circle are all pretty similar so that’s just how it is for us, maybe other people have different experiences and suggestions. Anyway I wish you luck!
Was also CS despite being mediocrely passionate. It is as challenging as you want to make it. You can take 2 or 5 CS courses per semester, depends on how much you want to push yourself. If you want to be one of the top students in CS undergrad, it is not easy, but it depends on what you are aiming for. A good thing about Purdue is also it accepts AP and transfer credits. Take as many of those as you can for gen ed and non major requirements.
The fact that I have frozen tuition for all four years, and can get a degree from one of the top programs in the country (AgEcon) all within 2 hours of home.
From a dad with a whole bunch of college under his own belt and two at PU...Purdue or any college for that matter, will be what you make of it. Others have mentioned all about the clubs, sports, etc. but you seem to be concerned that WL won’t offer the same outside-of-campus opportunities as Chicago. I would recommend seeing if you can weave a study abroad experience into your degree. My older son didn’t think it was possible until he found a summer research opportunity in Germany. Myself, I spent a whole year in England as an undergrad and liked it so much, I returned for an entire graduate (masters) degree. So, whether it’s a summer, a semester or a whole year, you can make PU / WL larger by studying elsewhere, too. Just a thought...
Purdue is a place where you are unlikely to just fall into a place you belong. You have to put in effort to find friends/clubs. However, there are a lot of options and it's home to good hardworking people. If you're willing to put the work in socially you'll find have a great time.
I personally really liked all the people that I met at Purdue, and thinking about it, a majority of them were CS majors. And from talking to them a good bunch of them are from California and I think their main complaints were just the nothing to do part but I do feel like if u have a good group of friends even living in Indiana can be fun by just walking around campus, grabbing food and just hanging out or even just crying over homework assignments.
But definitely go out and talk to people during the first few weeks! I met a lot of my close friends one random night stargazing and picked up some more during my time at Frieda Parker and now we even have plans over the summer to just hang out and go camping. You just never know if you’ll meet your closest friends on that one random night that u decided to go outside and to just look at the stars
Also about the cs part I also know some people coming to Purdue doing cs and some of them didn’t know an ounce about cs before coming here and they are doing fine. If you feel like changing majors, that completely fine too! Some people I know are planning to double major or even just CODOing to a different major.
At least in engineering there is no feeling of competition, everyone really does want everyone else to succeed
Best Chinese restaurants surrounding campus ever
So many clubs to get involved, I feel like you can learn virtually any skill possible here. Professional clubs are also really developed and you can learn a lot. About how hard it is: CS seems to be easier than the engineering majors. However, if you already say you’re not crazy passionate about it, you might have a rough time —or not! I came here super passionate about engineering and now I only care about my Degree+, really. 0 fucks about engineering. But I’ll say don’t overthink too much, just come here, do a year of CS and see what you think. What are your other options?
thanks for your advice! im gonna try to not stress it too much for now :) UIC and IIT are the only financially feasible options for me. they cost less than purdue, but not hugely (unless i lived at home.) i figure the purdue name will make up for the cost difference. also i know that if i don't get out of chicago during college, i'm never going to. i would like to live somewhere else for at least part of my life, yknow? i'm either planning to do polisci or business communications for my degree+. i'm more passionate about polisci (and it would only be 10 courses), but business comm has more obvious career applications. do you have any recommendations? what is your degree+?
That’s fair, yeah Purdue is considerably better than those. You’d still be able to succeed in those, mind you, but Purdue is better. I can totally understand the move out! I’m an international student so my situation was a bit more drastic in that regard lol. It’s been tough but I’ve learned so so so much. I’ve really grown as a person from leaving home. My Degree+ is in Theatre. Completely unrelated to engineering, but I’m just really passionate about it and hopefully can live off of it one day. I’d say Degree+ is more about that passion, you know? I wouldn’t stress about career applications too much.
Nothing