Purdue University-Main Campus Top Questions

Academics at any Big Ten school are known to be challenging. The same thought goes with any top-ranked University. While our classes may be very challenging from time to time (with most being about upper-average from what I experienced in high school), the classes tend to be engaging enough to keep your interest, so you find yourself learning things you didn't expect to learn!

Agriculture. Engineering. Biology. Chemistry.

The academics at Purdue are rigorous, there is no beating around the push on that topic. We are consistently voted as one of the toughest schools to receive an 'A' and that may seem daunting but it really is a benefit of the degree you will receive while you are here. Purdue does not just teach you facts, you are taught concepts and skills that will be invaluable throughout your life. The student life is competitve, but focused towards group interaction as well. It is not a "dog-eat-dog" or "every man/woman for themself" attitude here, if you need assistance from a professor or a fellow student it will not be hard to find. The requirements are applicable for every discipline and you don't have to ever feel like you are taking something just to check it off the list. The academics alone at Purdue are enough to move someone to the top of the resume pile, tied in with everything else that is offered here it is a wonderful mix of an invaluable learning experience.

Purdue didn't get its reputation for producing some of the best engineers for nothing - it's tough. Lots of work and tough exams, but professors are willing to help you out in office hours. They'll learn who you are (once you get past intro-level classes) and from there, they'll even help you land jobs. One professor in my department legitimately told a rocket company to hire my buddy - and they did. The same professor recommended my other friend to them and he got an interview. If you get to know professors at Purdue, they'll help you out. Simple as that. Just stay awake in class, participate, go to office hours, and you'll be fine. Despite it being pretty competitive in my department, no one is cutthroat. If you go to class and understand your homework, you'll be just fine. You'll get some of the best education in the nation, get a job, and have fun doing so.

I definitely did not recall many intellectual conversations inside nor outside of class. In fact, I recall thinking many times, "How the hell did that person get accepted here?" After all, most Purdue students and alum are very conservative, which to me means they have very limited and biased world views and like to keep themselves that way. Honest, objective, intellectual dialogue is not on their radars. (That's just my opinion, as a critical thinker.) If you read any online forums in which Purdue folk congregate, such as in ESPN.com article comments, you'll see that they can intellectually slum it up with the best of 'em. Maybe that's an unfair representation, but I was not impressed with most of my classmates, and I really frown upon the classless taunting I hear on TV during game telecasts from many of the students there today. To me, that doesn't represent a way of behaving that extends from deep ruminations on our relations with others or on how we choose to represent the institution we attend.

Introductory classes can be as big as 476 but most classes will be less than 30. Labs and recitations are always small. All professors and teaching assistants are required to hold office hours and all of them give out their email address or phone number. Generally professors suggest spending one to two hours per class hour for studying. So if you have biology for 4 hours a week, you need to spend 4 to 8 hours outside class studying. A full schedule is 12 credit hours. Most students take 15-19 credit hours. Purdue has a 94{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} "settling rate": 6 months after graduation, 94{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of that graduating class either have a job, have entered graduate school, or are pursuing the military.

Academics are good pretty much across the board. As an Economics student, I am in the Krannert School of Management and I have found it solid thus far. There are a variety of options within the school and many are very highly ranked. I also like the versatility of my major in particular. In order to get a balanced education, my plan of study includes required concentrations that take me out of economics and into some other fields that I'm interested in. I feel that I am getting a quality and balanced education here at Purdue.

10 Words That Come to Mind When I Think of Purdue Academics: 1. Challenging 2. Time Management 3. Engaging 4. Group Projects 5. Professor Office Hours 6. Curves 7. Class Participation 8. Worthwhile 9. Case Studies 10. Internships

Purdue's academics are definitely something they're known for, though if you apply yourself there's no reason you shouldn't succeed. I'd say management is very geared towards balancing their degree program and producing well-rounded students. It's very focused on getting a job (interviewing skills, etc.), which some other schools don't emphasize as much because they feel a Purdue degree will speak for itself. One pro of going to such a large school is definitely the random extracurricular course offerings though: horsebackriding, jewelry making, wine tasting, bowling, tennis, flower arranging, countless languages, etc.

Professors in lectures will not know your name unless you go to office hours, which are readily available. I enjoy my MA 154, (Math) class because my professor is hilarious and he makes class enjoyable, even at 7:30 in the morning. My only problem with classes is that since everyone has different english professors and they all go about teaching in a different way, it frustrates me when my friends are getting class cancelled two to five times a month. I am a management student in the Krannert School of Management and I feel that this school lays out a good plan of study for its students.