Visit Report by mootmom (Member since December 17 2004 with 2516 posts) Visit Date - October 2006
Visit to Purdue University - West Lafayette in October 2006 by mootmom (Parent of Student, HS Class of 2006)
Visit Activities:
Information Session:
Yes - We visited for an admitted students program ("Purdue's for Me") so our information session was probably atypical. Campus Tour:
Yes - The walking tour is roughly an hour and covers the academic area of campus. You will want to visit some dorms, which are in a different area, separately and probably the athletic facilities.
Purdue University - West Lafayette Campus:
Friendliness/Courtesy of Students: 5 - Excellent -
Everyone we met everywhere (even other than on the Smile Walk, where you're supposed to greet everyone you meet) was friendly, cheerful,
Friendliness/Courtesy of Staff: 5 - Excellent -
Every single staff person was friendly, knowledgeable, helpful, and encouraging.
Appearance of Campus: 4 - Very Good -
Lots of brick buildings, but at least there is some variation in size, shape, and pattern. The walkways are clear and well defined, but there is continual construction so there are some areas of interruption.
Building/Facilities Maintenance/Cleanliness: 4 - Very Good -
The buildings and most of the grounds were in excellent condition. I noticed only 2 things to comment on: there were several areas with layers of unraked leaves (which will probably be dealt with soon: other areas were clear of leaves), and there seems to
Dormitories: 4 - Very Good -
The dorms we visited were standard two-person rooms along a hall with one bathroom. Some dorms are single-sex but most are co-ed, with separate male/female wings joined by a lobby. Most rooms have lofted beds: you can reserve a loft kit for ~$75 before th
Security/Safety: 5 - Excellent Overall Campus Impression: 5 - Excellent -
I had expected to feel lost on a giant campus but was very pleasantly surprised. For a school with 30,000+ undergrads, it felt remarkably small! It only took about 15 min. to walk briskly from one end of campus to the opposite end. The facilities were exc
Off-Campus:
Area Immediately Around Campus: 4 - Very Good -
Mostly shops and rental houses. Clean, tidy, feels safe, just nothing very exciting.
City/Town/Community: 3 - Good -
The town, such as it is, exists mainly for the university. It consists of stores, eating establishments, apartments, and a hospital, all clearly focused on providing services for students, faculty, and staff.
Campus Visit Notes for Purdue University - West Lafayette:
Visit Description:
We visited as part of "Purdue's for Me", an admitted students event, so our activities were tailored around that agenda.
One of Purdue's big pluses is that it is a rolling admission school. They accept applications starting the first week in Sept. and you'll receive your decision within a few weeks. (My son was accepted on Sept. 21.) You apply to a particular college of the University, and for most colleges you also indicate your choice of program. All students in the Engineering college begin with a year of general engineering courses, and don't select their specialty until their second year. All colleges have first-year course requirements, but there seems to be flexibility in selecting courses in some departments. Students told us they almost never had a problem getting their choice of classes, and they are very positive about their interactions with their advisors, with whom they work to shape their four-year program of study. The Krannart School of Management, Communications department, landscape design program, and several Engineering specialties are ranked among the best in the country. Academic support resources seemed readily available and eager to help. There are also freshman learning communities, in some departments and in some interest areas, where ~30 students take several classes or sections together and often live together. Students who participate in learning communities (18% of freshmen) are found to graduate more reliably, with better GPAs, and feel better about having established early friendships. This might be especially important for out-of-state students, since such a large percentage of the school is from Indiana.
Dorms are comfortable but nothing striking. NOTE: it is important to send in your $75 housing deposit immediately after receiving admission, even if you're not sure you want to attend. If you inform them in writing by Apr. 30 that you are not attending, they will refund it fully. Your date of deposit marks your place in the queue for dorm assignment; you rank your choice of dorms over the summer and are placed in your top available choice when they get to you in the list, so the earlier the better. You can select a roommate or fill out a questionnaire and take a "pot luck roommate", which we were assured usually works out fine. Be aware, though, that many in-state kids come to Purdue with their best pal from college as roommates. Most students move out of dorms after freshman year, into upperclass housing (frats, apartments, co-ops) or rentals in the town. The frats we saw on campus were incredibly tidy, well-kept large houses with lovely yards.
Purdue is a very large public school, with over 30,000 undergrads. As such, we were prepared to feel lost and swamped. We were surprised to find such a small school feel to the campus! Almost all the academic buildings are in one general area of campus, and the dorms in another, but it's an easy walk between them. There is a convenient bus service that runs throughout campus and the town, and is free for students. As a state school, tuition is much less for Indiana residents.
Athletics are clearly big there ;) and it seems to bring a positive school spirit to the campus. The athletic center is fairly new and impressive; we were especially impressed with the huge aquatic facility. Music and the arts also have their place, with multiple bands, orchestras, choirs, choruses, and theatre groups. There is at least one big-name concert on campus each year (this year The Fray is coming).
I'd say easily 75% of the students were wearing logo gear -- t-shirt, cap, sweatshirt, jacket, you name it. Purdue pride seems strong... and from what I saw, it's well deserved. After our visit, and especially our meeting with the representative from my son's department, Purdue has zoomed to the top of his list.
Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:
The Union Club, on campus in the Memorial Union building, is comfortable, convenient, and reasonably priced. It has recently undergone a complete renovation. Lodging there when a student is visiting campus includes parking and breakfast at one of two eate
Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:
We had breakfast in the Sagamore restaurant in the Memorial Union, convenient but nothing special. Rather than eat off campus, where chain choice is plentiful, try the campus eateries. We ate in Earhart dining hall and the food courts in the basement of M
Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):
Two large parking garages on campus (one directly across from The Union Club, with parking fee included for your stay). The Indianapolis airport is less than an hour's drive; we were told there is a shuttle service between the airport and the Stewart
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Everyone we met everywhere (even other than on the Smile Walk, where you're supposed to greet everyone you meet) was friendly, cheerful,
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Lots of brick buildings, but at least there is some variation in size, shape, and pattern. The walkways are clear and well defined, but there is continual construction so there are some areas of interruption.
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The town, such as it is, exists mainly for the university. It consists of stores, eating establishments, apartments, and a hospital, all clearly focused on providing services for students, faculty, and staff.