Question for current Purdue parents, did your kids ever have trouble to sign up a class because the popularity of the class? Or some major has priority to sign up and no seat left for other major to sign up
For classes required for the major, there should never be any problem.
If the class is outside of your students major, yes , they can run into trouble.
My D had two classes out of 40+ that she was not able to get into - One was an elective in a different college, and the other was a selective for her major. Both classes she wanted to take conflicted with a fundamentals class for her major. She was able to find similar classes that did work in her schedule.
Your studentâs advisor will have them indicate a first, second, and third choice for each elective class. There is a computer program that Purdue uses that optimizes everyoneâs schedule. My Dâs experience was that it worked really well. Two classes out of 40+ isnât too bad ; )
1 Like
I am hoping there are parents on here who have students who are either currently at the university or have recently graduated and could share some insight about how the student life experience is. Would you say itâs work hard play hardtype of environment? How active is the Greek life and party scene? My daughter was accepted for engineering and is the gender ratio as unbalanced as it seems? Also, would love insight onto what dorms she should request. Thank you all so much!
My daughter graduated a year and a half ago.
She definitely worked hard (chem e major) but had plenty of fun too - she did theater and was in a show each semester, went to sporting events regularly, played weekly DnD, went to concerts, movies, trivia nights, etc⊠She wasnât into greek life at all. Purdue is only 20% greek so it doesnât dominate the campus culture, although itâs there if students want it.
The gender imbalance in engineering depends on the major but for the university as a whole, itâs 43% women. For engineering as a whole, 38% women (some majors are more balanced than others). My daughter didnât think it was an issue. There are also easy ways to connect with other young women - Society of Women Engineers, single gender housing, WiE (Women in Engineering), etcâŠ
In terms of dorms, I donât believe you get to request a specific building (unless that has changed). Housing has you rank the dorm âtypesâ. So if you wanted single gender, A/C, doubles, quads, suites, etcâŠ
If your child is interested in a living learning community (which I highly recommend) that will also dictate where they live.
2 Likes
This is honestly one of the only things I donât like about Purdue. My son is a junior and had a really hard time getting classes for his major this semester. In fact, he was only able to get 12 hours. Will still graduate on time but he kept trying to add another class and none of them were available.
He is in a fraternity and really likes it. There is definitely a party scene if you want that but itâs difficult as a male unless you are in a fraternity since you canât get into bars until 21
3 Likes
S24 is a freshman in Daniels Business School. For last 2 semesters, while registering for courses, he got most of the courses he wanted. For course where seats were not available, he worked with advisor to identify an alternative course. He did not have trouble finding relevant courses and could easily register for 15 credits each semester. I understand that this experience can differ based on year, major, interest in specific courses. Key is to work with advisor. As momofboiler1 mentioned, courses specific to college / major, students get priority. The process works well though it may not be perfect.
2 Likes
S24 just started his second semester and loves the school (still getting used to winter though 
). He has made friends, goes to the movies, watched some games, plays sports in Corec. All this is in addition to attending classes, going to office hours, and studying either solo or in small groups in one of the many study halls. He is in a double room and gets along with his roommate. He is not into Greek life, is under 21 and cannot go to bars but says there are enough fun things to do than just attend parties or drink. Again, I realize that every kid adapts differently to college campus life. Purdue campus is beautiful and the campus community is welcoming.
+1 to momofboiler1âs suggestions â join a learning community, study hard, do fun activities that interests you, make friends. Freshmen are guaranteed housing but one cannot choose specific residence hall or room type. There is no advantage of accepting early. Make sure you indicate your preferences before the housing deadline after accepting offer of admission and do not wait until the last minute.
1 Like
Does anyone have any first/second hand information on the IBE major at Daniels Business School?
My D25 wants to major in finance, but has been very intrigued with the IBE major. Sheâs totally open to explore it.
When we spoke to the business school, they clarified that changing majors in business school is very easy, including switching from IBE to Finance or something else, if the student wishes to.
However, switching from another business major to IBE is very hard, so we opted for IBE as first choice.
Iâd really appreciate some real experience can be shared here.
I donât have direct experience with Purdueâs IBE program at the Daniels Business School, but itâs a highly regarded program for students interested in blending technical and business disciplines. Her approach of choosing IBE as the first choice makes sense, especially since switching into IBE later is challenging, as the school clarified. This keeps your D25âs options open while allowing her to explore an interdisciplinary path.
IBE is a great fit for students interested in problem-solving at the intersection of engineering and business. It offers strong career prospects in industries like consulting, product management, and tech. I suggest check out the career website of Purdue where they publish data on different majors. Purdue CCO
One thing to keep in mind is that IBE typically has a heavier workload compared to other business majors, given the technical components. If she decides to stay in IBE, it could complement a finance career well by developing quantitative, analytical, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
If she decides to join Purdue and pursue IBE major, she will have plenty of opportunities to connect with current IBE students or recent alumni through Purdueâs student organizations for firsthand insights. In her first year, she can decide to pursue any of the paths that interests her â IBE major, Switch to Finance major OR do a double major.
Best of luck to your D25 as she embarks on this exciting journey!
2 Likes
Does anyone know what the double major process is like in the college of science? I got in oos for applied mathematics and was thinking of double majoring in data science, since their requirements overlap a lot. Is it challenging to get a double major, and does anyone have any insight on what the process is like.
The gender imbalance didnât seem like a big deal to our student and the women in engineering we met were fantastic humans in addition to being brilliant. Play hard means different things, but itâs definitely a work hard place. Purdue is so big the scene is what you want it to be, except for Big City nightlife or B1G bar crawl because itâs in W Laf. Purdue makes tons of students available for these kinds of conversations but if there are other Boilermakers from your high school, ask the guidance counselor to connect you to someone from your school at Purdue.
1 Like
There is no deadline for writing a LOCI for those deferred to RD. My D25 emailed the regional rep to confirm this. But in reality (would anyone know), is it too late to send the LOCI in during the Jan 25 weekend? My D25 is now on a school trip to play tournament in another city. She only did the draft before leaving. I just hope she will still be fully considered. Thanks.
Historically the first wave of ea deferred decisions come in mid February so I think that should be fine.
1 Like
Thank you. Her high school already sent out their mid year grades last week in the middle of the week. But she should complete the LOCI to strengthen her profile, fingers crossed.
1 Like
My little girl just been offered a place for Purdueâs IBE program at the Daniels Business School. She is immensely excited and really looking forward to commit and start. Any advise for us for what to prepare ahead of time and what are things good to know before start of class in August? - this is International freshmen applicant.
My son is a current student. OOS. Mech Eng major. He did not go Greek, although his freshman year roommate did. My son joined clubs, was in an LLC freshman year. You can party as much or little as it suits you. I generally gather that the social scene is what you make of it. Joining clubs, engaging in campus events, and meeting people in class, etc. Clubs will have âCall Outsâ - aka open invitations to come to meetings. The range of clubs and interests is really broad - take advantage of this!!
My friendâs daughter joined a sorority - and sheâs enjoyed it immensely.
I do think students at Purdue tend to work hard. Classes can be challenging.
2 Likes
So EA deferred is essentially rolling decisions until the RD decision day?
Historically yes with the first wave starting in mid February.
So when do I send my LOCI? I was planning on sending it next week Thursday (Jan 30th).
My D25 asked the regional rep by email about the time frame of the LOCI. He said the sooner the better but no date specified. My D25 is out playing tournament now. When she comes back this Thur, she will work on it. Already has a draft and hope to just send it this coming weekend. Her school already sent out her senior mid year grades.