Update after visiting Purdue Honors admitted students day:
Overall, a very positive experience. There were many Honors student ambassadors standing around ready to share their experiences. Families were offered light snacks and water & juice. All the prospective students in attendance had their names and hometowns rotating on big projector screens. That was a nice touch. There was an oopsie in the music choice while we were waiting in the big hall for the session to begin. A song in their playlist shouted F-bombs multiple times. We all just looked at each other with raised eyebrows and chuckled.
The honors faculty spoke and then they separated parents from the kids. Kids could ask current students questions in another room while the parents could do the same. I learned that getting honors credits are pretty easy. There are honors specific courses, but a lot of kids can turn any course, within reason, into an honors course just by talking to the professor and seeing what extra work they can do to get honors credit.
There was a brief tour of the honors building but it unfortunately didn’t cover any dorm rooms. That was really the only downside of the visit. My daughter is curious of what the rooms look like and they only have a singles room pictured on their website. The classrooms look very nice. The counselors’ offices are in the building which is very convenient.
Once the honors session was finished, we met with a current student in SWE (Society of Women in Engineering) for a personal tour. Actually, I hung back and just my daughter toured with her. The SWE student was very friendly and welcoming. I don’t remember which buildings they went in but all my daughter’s questions were answered. At the end, my daughter asked her if she knew anybody in rowing. The SWE student lit up and said she was just at a rowing party the night before (watching Purdue on TV in Final Four). Although she’s not a rower, the SWE student knows a lot of engineers who are and they’re a fun and welcoming group. Purdue has a large club rowing team and that may have been what sealed the deal! D24 committed this morning. Boiler Up!
Update after visiting Rose-Hulman for an overnight visit for admitted students:
This is a really cool experience for kids who are unsure of this tiny school. I dropped my D24 off at 5pm on a Sunday. She was assigned to 2 students and hung out with them and their friends for the evening. They ate dinner in one of the cafeterias (I was told it was good food) and later that night they watched a movie in someone’s room. There were 10 or so kids squeezed in a dorm room for the movie and D24 said everyone was friendly and had a good vibe. The next morning D24 sat in on a class, I think it was physics but I’m not positive, she met with a professor, and then went to an admissions presentation where I met up with her. That was a typical presentation touting the school’s statistics and all their offerings. After that we were given a full tour of the campus. Our guide was a female mechanical engineer. I believe we went in all the educational buildings, maker space, and 1 dormitory. Did not see the library. We ate lunch after the tour. The food was very good. D24 enjoyed herself but at the end of the day, she thought the campus was just too small and worried that she would get bored after the first year or two. Plus, they do not have rowing. For what it’s worth for future student prospects…this school is full of proud nerds. If you’re craving sports or greek life, this one is not for you.