What is Purdue University Known For?
What’s Covered:
- Overview of Purdue University Admissions
- Unique Aspects of Purdue University
- Is Your “Why Purdue” Essay Strong Enough?
Purdue University is a public university in Indiana, renowned for its strong programs in STEM fields like engineering and mathematics. Due to its influence on the U.S. space program, the university is called the “Cradle of Astronauts”—more than 30 Boilermakers have become astronauts, including the first person to walk on the Moon and the most recent.
Keep reading to learn more about admissions, academics, culture, and traditions at Purdue University.
Overview of Purdue University Admissions
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana
Undergraduate Enrollment: 44,819
Acceptance Rate: 50%
Middle 50% SAT: 1210-1470
Middle 50% ACT: 27-34
Purdue is a moderately selective school, with an acceptance rate of 50% in its most recent admissions cycle. The university is known for setting students up for success after graduation—its extensive career counseling services reflect the time and resources Purdue invests in helping students plan their futures. Consequently, Purdue consistently ranks highly for employment outcomes.
To take advantage of Purdue’s extensive career counseling services, students must first apply to the school and gain admission. To apply to Purdue, prospective students should use the Common Application. In addition to the Common App’s personal essay, the university requires that students complete the “Why Major?” and “Why Purdue?” short essays.
As you read more about the academic programs at Purdue and the university culture, you can start to generate some ideas for your supplemental essays. Nevertheless, be sure to check out CollegeVine’s Guide to the Purdue Essays for more guidance!
Unique Aspects of Purdue University
Academics
Purdue offers more than 200 majors and over 120 minors through its 11 colleges and schools. Popular majors include mechanical engineering, computer science, and business. In total, the university offers 108 different undergraduate majors within the following schools and colleges:
- College of Agriculture
- Daniels School of Business
- College of Education
- College of Engineering
- Exploratory Studies
- College of Health and Human Sciences
- College of Liberal Arts
- College of Pharmacy
- Purdue Polytechnic Institute
- College of Science
- College of Veterinary Medicine
Purdue’s College of Engineering is one of the most noteworthy engineering programs in the country. Many students end up attending Purdue because of the school’s name recognition in the engineering industry. A considerable part of the school’s prestige is thanks to its aerospace program, which counts Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon, among its alumni.
The College of Agriculture is also notable. It offers more than 25 different majors, including:
- Agricultural Engineering
- Biochemistry
- Agricultural Systems Management
- Sustainable Foods and Farming Systems
- Turf Management Science
The College of Agriculture at Purdue educates students on the challenges that affect our planet and our journey toward sustainable living. Students are trained to think efficiently and creatively about how to approach these challenges. While agriculture is a niche field of study, graduates from agriculture programs are in demand and play critical roles in the future of sustainability.
Purdue’s College of Pharmacy was established in 1884 and has built a strong reputation. It offers two undergraduate programs: a B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Pre-PharmD program. In the Pre-PharmD program, students participate in a two-year, non-degree program, then apply for the four-year PharmD program. This six-year accelerated path to a PharmD professional degree is advantageous for future pharmacists looking to incur less debt.
Purdue’s College of Veterinary Medicine is commonly thought of as a top 50 program in the world. The college offers one undergraduate degree in Veterinary Nursing. To pursue a DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) professional degree, students must first complete a bachelor’s degree outside of the College of Veterinary Medicine. Students who want to pursue a DVM professional degree through the College of Veterinary Medicine typically complete their undergraduate studies through the College of Agriculture or the College of Science.
Students at Purdue have access to over 400 study abroad programs in 50 different countries. While study abroad has not always held a prominent place in Purdue undergraduate studies, over the past decade, more students have taken advantage of these programs. Popular study abroad locations for students include Australia, China, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Location
One major perk of Purdue University is its urban/suburban setting in West Lafayette, Indiana. Like most cities in the Midwest, West Lafayette is characterized by friendly residents and tranquil geography (the city overlooks the pleasant Wabash River).
West Lafayette also presents uniquely vibrant energy because the area is primarily populated by Purdue students who bring life to the city’s bars and restaurants. Purdue University’s location makes it the perfect place for students seeking a healthy balance of serenity and vibrancy in their college community.
Extracurriculars
Many universities will advertise the large number of clubs and organizations that they have on campus, but few can back up their claims as well as Purdue University. The university truly offers something for everyone. Interesting clubs at Purdue include the Purdue Vinyl Club, Purdue Board Gamers United, and the Purdue Outing Club.
The presence of Greek life on Purdue’s campus is notably large, with about 20% of students involved. More than 80 fraternities and sororities call the school home. While Greek life can play a considerable role in campus life, students don’t feel left out if they choose not to participate.
One popular campus activity is the Boiler Gold Rush (BGR), a week-long orientation program that incoming freshmen participate in at Purdue. Because BGR is so enjoyable, older students love contributing as BGR Team Leaders, allowing them to plan new activities and events for the younger students. Through BGR, younger students learn the importance of the Boilermaker spirit, while older students can show it off.
Boilermaker spirit comes out in full force in athletics. Purdue is a Big Ten school with 18 varsity sports teams, almost 40 club sports teams, and dozens of intramural teams. For example, the Men’s Basketball Student Section is a registered student organization called “The Paint Crew.” The Paint Crew is named after Matt Painter, the current coach of the Boilermakers (it was previously called the Gene Pool when Gene Keady was the coach).
Traditions
Purdue has an abundance of traditions, many of which center around the school’s sports culture, but others are random and fun, and some are just plain weird. Below are some of the most interesting and prominent traditions on campus:
Fountain Runs: This tradition involves running through all five of the university’s fountains during BGR. Some students participate with their friends at the end of each finals season, while others bookend their Purdue experience with fountain runs—participating only during their first and last days at the university.
Hello Walk: During this unique and stereotypically Midwestern tradition, plaques that say “Smile And Say Hello To Everyone You Meet” are placed at both ends of the east-west sidewalk between University Hall and Stewart Center. Students are “required” to greet anyone who passes, leading to an air of positivity and sparking interesting conversations.
The Boilermaker Special: Many people think Purdue Pete is the mascot of Purdue University, but Pete is just the mascot of the bookstore. Purdue’s official mascot is also the largest college mascot, the Boilermaker Special—a multiton Victorian-era locomotive train. This year, the Boilermaker Special is being replaced by its smaller counterpart, the Xtra Special.
Old Oaken Bucket: The Old Oaken Bucket is a football trophy representing the rivalry between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Purdue Boilermakers. Introduced in 1925, each year the winner of the Hoosiers versus Boilermakers football game gets to add a link to a chain that goes around the bucket, shaped like an I or a P depending on the game’s winner.
Boiler Blackout: This is when all the sections at a Boilermaker football game wear black, creating an intimidating visual spectacle. This is one way that Purdue students show their support for the football team.
The Breakfast Club: Students, alumni, faculty, and family members dress up in wacky costumes and go to Lafayette’s bars early on Saturday mornings before football games as part of this fun tradition. The festivities typically start around 5 a.m. and end around 10 a.m., when everyone heads off to tailgate. The Breakfast Club tradition has been around for decades, so the bars know to be open, and many even have specific Breakfast Club menus.
Financial Aid
Because Purdue University is a public institution, its costs vary significantly for in-state and out-of-state students, with in-state students paying $9,992 in tuition and out-of-state students paying $28,794. The university has frozen tuition for 14 consecutive years!
All students can apply for need-based financial aid and merit-based scholarships to help cover these costs.
Career Resources
Students agree that one of the best characteristics of Purdue is the resources it has to help them secure jobs and internships. These resources are primarily facilitated by the Purdue Career Center for Opportunities (CCO). Students can access a portal called myCCO to search for alumni and apply for jobs. Through CCO, students also have access to “Quick Chats” where they can get quick application questions answered and have professional documents reviewed.
The university is highly ranked for the support it provides students hoping to secure jobs. Additionally, Purdue has a strong alumni network—with more than 600,000 living alumni—that’s actively involved in campus life and helpful when students are trying to decide on their career paths post-graduation.
Is Your “Why Purdue” Essay Strong Enough?
If you are interested in any of Purdue’s outstanding academic programs or the university’s emphasis on school spirit and tradition appeals to you, your essays are the place to show that! They are your opportunity to set yourself apart from other applicants who will likely also have strong profiles.
The “Why This College” essay is especially important because it gives you a place to describe how your values and interests align with those of the school you are applying to. The main goal of your supplemental essay is to demonstrate your interest in the university while showing that you would contribute to campus life academically and socially.
To improve your “Why Purdue” essay, you can use our Peer Essay Review tool. With this tool, you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also review the work of other students, which can be immensely valuable to improving your writing skills. Peer review will make it easy to see your essay’s strengths and weaknesses so that you can know where to focus your time and energy.
