Purdue University-Main Campus Top Questions

I would make sure that not only do the classes fit your needs but also the social, extracurricular, and volunteer aspect of the campus. While achieving good grades is certainly a main goal while attending a university, what you will remember most of your college experience is the lifelong friends you have made as well as the experiences that help to shape your life. While attending school, involvement in a variety of activities will allow you to network and make the most of your time at college.

From looking on the outside it is nearly impossible to know if a school is the right fit for you. Do not be afraid of transfers, but do it early on. Make sure to take some fun classes, otherwise you WILL get burned out in your first year. Also, make sure to get acquainted with the resources available, like computer/writing labs, tutoring, counseling, career help, etc.

College life is not all about studying, there is a lot more to it. The bigger the college, the more sponsored opportunities there are. For science majors, the bigger the college, the more experts you can find in your field. It is important to look at the rankings of universities before you apply, the lower the ranking, lower the chance of world class experts in your field to be in that college. Also looking at faculty is very important and anyone can look at faculty and what their research interest has been. Many universities are famous for few fields of research, there is not a single university that is famous for every research aspect. If you know what your interest is, applying for a laboratory technician position and finding out what is your university of interest is known for is very important as well. Working for a professor starting freshman year helps with everything from schooling to finding a job. Extracurriculars are the best ways to find friends, many times people college students see are people only within their major. Extracurricular help not only with reduction of stress, but also finding new friends that will be friends forever.

Visit the campus. If you don't get that "I'm home" feeling, then it's not the place for you. If you are on a campus visit, and you walk around feeling like you are already a student, then you're at the right place! When you go to your choice college, don't focus too much on your social life or your academics separately. Figure out the best way for you to combine them. You can't let yourself lose touch with the world because you have your nose in books, or you will miss out on all of the wonderful once-in-a-lifetime experiences. And, you can't miss out on a great career because you had too much fun either. Be careful with how you spend your time.

Don't believe that you will be too busy to have a social life. If you're in engineering, DO your homework when it is assigned, you won't have to cram as much before finals if you do. Don't ditch all your classes, most of them are useful, you learn/remember more than you think you do. Don't stop having fun, do the things you like, but don't go wild. Don't get hooked on video games, many of my friends have failed classes because of Halo and WoW, most are on academic probation.

Don't get hung up on school rankings/reputation or on finding the "perfect" fit. If you feel really out of place and uncomfortable on a college visit, then yes, you're probably in the wrong place. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry about it. Find a place that is capable of supporting your academic success and providing a social environment you can enjoy, and then just run with it, making the best of everything it has to offer. Every school has it's upsides and downsides-- Purdue is huge, which can mean oversized classes and inattentive professors, but it can also mean world-class resources that are frankly irreplacable. Take advantage of every pro and learn to work around every con, and you'll just fine.

I definately encourage that you go and visit the school. Sometimes people say that you can just feel that the school is right when you walk around the campus. Don't pick becuase it's where your friends are going. Try and pick a school that has a good background in your desired major.

Make a list of what you want and expect from a university. Do you want to learn from internationally renown professors? Do you prefer smaller class sizes? How about community service: should your university be in a friendly, giving community? Or is proximity to city life more important to you? I owe my most personally developing and maturing years to Purdue University. My decision to attend Purdue was largely based on my desires to attain my education where I could be exposed to a wide variety of educational, social, and character-building experiences that would benefit me academically, professionally, and personally. I have not been let down. Research. The fact that your friend goes to State should never be the end of discussion. It is your life. Lead it. And yet, you may also find that after all your research and measuring pros and cons, you may find, as I did, that your gut, your heart, your soul knows exactly which university is the right one for you.

The advice that I would give to parents or students about finding the right college and making the most of their college experience is (in the order of priority) to evaluate where the student wants to be in twenty years, how strong of a social enviroment that the student needs, and how much the parents are able to afford/ the availability of loans. Where the student visualizes his or her placement in life is extremely important because obtaining an education is mainly about facilitating the chances of reaching goals. If a student desires an ambitious future, the student should go to the best university that they would be accepted that has their desired program. If the student would be satisfied with not obtaining a nobel prize, social experience and affordability should be a dominating factor.

Take time to relize what it is you want to do, so you don't end up wasting money and time figureing it out.