Hello all, newbie here. My daughter is a HS junior, working to get her ducks in a row to apply next year. Thank you for the wealth of info and insight you all provide. Best wishes to all who have kids waiting to hear application results.
Does anyone on here have kids who attended a summer short course at Purdue while in high school or participated as an undergrad? Just curious what the experience was like, if it would be recommended, and if anyone knows if Purdue would view it as demonstrated interest. We are OOS. Thanks
My daughter participated in STEP as a rising senior and then did an internships with the program after her freshman year. (She graduated from Purdue with her degree in chem E last spring.)
My D thought STEP was AMAZING! Very intense but a wonderful look into Purdue engineering. It’s a combination of design classes and projects, tours of labs and companies, and fun Purdue traditions.
My D said it was both exhausting and exhilarating and it was what catapulted Purdue into her #1 spot on her college list.
The program is run by the honors engineering department and the professors who teach STEP are the honors design profs. Current students work as mentors and coaches.
Attenting STEP will absolutely help with the “why Purdue” essays and is a feeder for engineering honors.
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Interesting! Good to know. Did your daughter go the honors college route when she was a freshman? We looked into the honors college when we visited in November but did not leave with a clear understanding of its advantages vs engineering living groups in dorms which sound pretty great. Apologies if you have addressed this in previous threads. We were so impressed with the Women in Engineering chapter at Purdue. Did your daughter have experience with them while attending?
My D was in honors college from day 1. Honors is one of the living learning communities and it was a great experience for her. They have honors specific engineering advisors, the first year honors engineering design course (with those STEP professors), honors seminars, their own study abroad, tons of leaderships opportunities and guaranteed research. I would highly recommend if your D is accepted.
My impression is that since honors has become very competitive, there is more conversation on official visits about the other living learning communities.
My D was also an active member of SWE. She was on the outreach committee for most of her time at Purdue.
Purdue far away exceeded all our expectations so I’m happy to help answer any question that I can!
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Thank you! Yes, Purdue has been a surprise “love” for us as we’ve begun the search. Is there a way to DM you if more questions come up or should I just post here?
Yes. I will private message you. Look for the green circle in the upper right hand corner.
Take advantage of any Women in Engineering Programming–they have weekend events and I recall they’ve had weeklong events too. STEP used to be based mostly on SAT/ACT scores; don’t know post-COVID if that’s still true. There are people who get into STEP but don’t get admitted to the university though. There is also summer programming through the Minority Engineering Program. Demonstrate interest by attending in-person events on campus when feasible but virtual events and visits to your high school if Purdue does them will also be recorded. Can’t guarantee to what degree they’ll be considered but they’ll know you took part…
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