#purdookie

[evergrace]

hey, i ALSO go to purdue!! and i’m ALSO in the college of science (studying mathematics lol @ purdue math)

ahh wow i don’t see a lot of other purdue students!!!! i actually really liked math a lot until i got to purdue lmao

[evergrace]

Hello i never see other purdue studyblrs just dropping by to say hi!!

ahhh hello i’ve never seen another Purdue studyblr!!! hey!!!

[evergrace]

Hi grace! I'm ally I live in central Indiana, and I want to go to Purdue. I've been doing debate for the past two years, I'm a junior now and I've been west laf high school a few times for debate and such. On Friday I recently visited Purdue's campus, I think it was very beautiful, the other college I visited was in February for Loyola UC. My friends all want to go to IU but I don't have much interest since it's down south. Do you live on campus? I'm interested in what living there is like?

i lived on campus last year and it was p good but now i live off campus so i’ve got experience with both!!! if you want some detailed info check out my purdue tag #purdookie :))

[evergrace]

Hi! I'm the person asking about Purdue (I'm back) and I was wondering if you live in an apartment? Or if you knew if there were any near Purdue/what they're like??

hello again anon!! so last year i lived in a dorm and this year i’m living in an apartment!! lemme get into some of the details about both. i must preface with saying that i think it’s probably more in your favor to live in a dorm first year, since a lot of the apartments are booked the year previous by upperclassman (i signed my lease last october – my first semester), but sometimes you can find one far off campus (then you will need a car). SO LONG STORY SHORT, i recommend dorm first year, but apartment after that. unless you ABSOLUTELY KNOW that you’re going to go to purdue, do NOT look for an apartment; they are expensive and most leases get signed the year previous, so you’d have to start looking right now if you were to start in fall 2018.

this response is very long, so everything is under the cut to prevent cluttering people’s dashes.

dorm

features, provided appliances, services, etc.

some of the dorms have air conditioning; mine did not, however it did not bother me at all!! you can have some appliances in the dorms, but none are provided for you except for in the kitchen in the basement.

you are allowed to bring the basics: refrigerator + microwave. you cannot bring a toaster, rice cooker, crockpot, or anything else basically. a large fridge and a stove/oven are provided in most basements of the res halls. so are cabinets to store dishes + cookware, but i do not suggest leaving anything down there for public use.

in EVERY hall but Hawkins you are required to have a meal plan. meal plans are honestly a life-saver no matter how little or how much you eat. it’s always nice to be able to stop on campus and not have to cook for yourself or constantly buy meals. not saying cooking isn’t fun (i prefer it, but i have a billion food allergies), but sometimes it’s just convenient to have pre-made meals for you.

laundry!!!! there is laundry!! in!! the!! basement!! take advantage of it. i will probably end up doing laundry in my boyfriend’s dorm this year instead of going to the laundromat.

cleaning supplies are also provided either at the main hall desk or in a closet on your floor! this is useful as you do not need to buy/bring a vacuum, broom, etc.

cost

living in a dorm can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 depending on where you live and what meal plan you get. personally, i had the boilerflex unlimited 500 (tbh i didn’t use all the meals or dining dollars lmao). anyWAYS it is infinitely cheaper than living off-campus imo (unless you’re on the higher side but even then i think a dorm is more worth it).

dining dollars enable you to be able to buy food/drinks/groceries on campus with money that is pre-paid as part of your meal plan. this only exists for the boilerflex unlimited 500 and boilerflex unlimited 250, but it is well worth it imo. i used my dining dollars to get groceries at the small store on campus.

social aspect

sO i lived on a floor where there was a thing called a “learning community.” these are groups of students that share classes and have meetings and whatnot and get to know each other (basically). click on the link for more detailed information. there are LOADS of learning communities around campus in the dorms and they’re actually a great way to get to know people :)

also being in a dorm, you can get to know the people on your floor through floor events, similar classes, etc. also odds are you’ll have a roommate (or two) and you’ll be able to get to know them! my freshman roommate and i weren’t amazing friends, but we did talk and do homework together and such. it’s just kind of like a built-in friend if ya need one, and it can teach you a lot about yourself to live with someone else!

location

being on campus is honestly the best thing ever; if i had had a person i’d wanted to room with for another year, i probably would have stayed on campus.

alSO being on campus is super convenient for work + school purposes – being close to classes is super convenient, and being close to work is also super convenient! i lived in the middle of campus, only 5-10 minutes from class in terms of walking distance. i lived right across from the gym (where i worked). now i’m living up on the north end by the physics building, but it’s gonna take me WAY longer to get to classes + to my research. it’s now about a 25 minute walk to my research building as opposed to a previous 10 minutes.

living on campus, you’ll probably also just be able to walk everywhere unless you wanna get off campus. refer to the location category under the apartment tab for more, but i’ll probably have to take the bus to some classes and to the store and stuff.

further expenses

i had very few personal expenses. as i said previously, i used my dining dollars + meal plan to the best of my ability (to buy my groceries, eat my meals, etc. without buying a ton of food + spending loads of money). that being said, i think the only thing i spent money on was laundry, which was relatively cheap.

(besides of course buying stationery and shampoo and whatnot but that’s all my decision ya know – personal i guess??)

apartment \ i will talk about my apartment which may or may not be different from others just fyi

features, provided appliances, services, etc.

some apartments have air conditioning; mine does not haha but again, it does not bother me at all, and it makes it slightly cheaper!! in my apartment (and in most, if not all) some appliances are provided already such as the full-size refrigerator, stove/oven, microwave, and dishwasher. i personally am bringing a crockpot, rice cooker, and toaster.

you will not have a meal plan and will have to cook for yourself, but if you like cooking, then you’ll be fine. you’ll also have to buy groceries to do this – an extra expense.

there is no washer or dryer in most apartments and if there are, they are likely more expensive in terms of rent; i do not have one, so you must either go to a laundromat, pay for laundry services in west lala, or handwash/use the dorms. thankfully i have a way in to the laundry via my boyfriend (it’s relatively cheap on campus).

cost

my rent is roughly the cost of living in the dorm i did last year BUT i don’t have a meal plan, so the rent is actually more than the board w/o the meal plan. does that make sense? like the board for my boyfriend’s room w/o a meal plan is like $5k, but my rent is a total of around $10k… so yeah. anyways, you also have to pay for internet, heat, electricity, water, etc. so those are some extra expenses. for me, heat, elec, and water are all a static fee every month, but internet and laundry do cost extra money.

extra expenses that you probably don’t think about: cleaning supplies, groceries, gas, cookware, furniture, heat, water, electricity, internet, etc.

i looked at about 15 different apartments; the one i’m living in is the cheapest one i could find. i found anywhere from $700 - $3400 per MONTH in terms of rent.

social aspect

i mean, you’re living in a building where you don’t really know anyone unless you chose to live near someone in that building that you’ve known for a while. for me, i’m living two floors below a couple friends of mine and my boyfriend’s. but other than that, i know no one else in the building and honestly no one else in any other buildings around me. i don’t know a lot of people at purdue, but sometimes living in an apartment can cause you to isolate yourself since you’re not in the heat of campus anymore.

but you can have parties + functions + dinner get-togethers at your place, which are always fun. i personally like having other couples that we are friends with over to have dinner + drinks. but like i said, harder to develop relationships since you’re not on campus – this probably requires previous friendships.

location

you’re off campus. walking to classes will take longer, getting to the grocery store will require the bus; i’ll probably even take the bus to some classes that are far away.

tbh it’s kind of inconvenient to live in an apartment far away; having a car is not in my interests, but it would be useful. i am probably going to use a car service such as blueindy or zipcar to get around when i can’t take the bus.

again, you’ll have more unforeseen expenses that require more money than you may have planned/allotted.

further expenses

cleaning supplies, groceries, gas for your car if you have one, laundry if you go to the laundromat, furniture, appliances, cookware, etc. – basically things that you’ll need for an apartment + other things you’ll need for cleaning, food, etc.

internet, water, heat, electricity – some places have a flat/static rate but you will never be provided with internet.

netflix, hulu, amazon prime, other services for shipment/tv.

personal expenses: clothes, stationery, books, coffee at starbucks, etc. – things that you want. these come last now that you have other needs to pay for that are not provided for you as they are on campus.

if you have further questions about any of the above, please do not hesitate to ask. for personal questions such as the cost of my rent, more specific details of my apartment, total costs, how long my lease is, more specific location, etc. please come off of anon and i am more than willing to talk.

[evergrace]

Sorry if this is weird, but your studygram says you study at purdue and I'm thinking of applying there so I was wondering if you could tell me what it's like

ahh this questions makes me so happy i love talking about purdue tbh (haha does that sound weird?? just school pride i guess). anyWAYS here’s some inside info!!!

overall environment/campus life

i love the purdue campus and tbh lots of people don’t think it’s pretty but i really do think it’s quite beautiful! the buildings are somewhat old but they are all relatively nice (especially WALC, Wetherill, and CL50!) also the libraries are amazing and i love to study in the library in Hicks (it is wonderfully big and quiet). i also love to study in Wetherill – they’ve got a nice coffee shop there :)

i lived in the dorms last year and tbh i liked my dorm okay? it didn’t have air conditioning but it was pretty big compared to the rest of campus (i lived in Wiley). the dining courts are pretty nice tbh and my favorite was Windsor since they have multiple vegan options for me (i’m lactose-intolerant).

i’ll be living in an apartment next year but i’ll be living close to my friends and i’m actually super excited!

people

overall, the student body at Purdue is pretty friendly; there are lots of srats and frats around campus and rush is a very big thing here! there are generally lots of parties and lots of campus events, so lots of time to socialize with people!

speaking of rush, i rushed and it was incredibly fun! i don’t know if you’re looking to rush but it is a very good experience regardless of if you join a srat/frat or not.

professors are always friendly (usually) and they absolutely love to help you out so i highly encourage forming strong relationships with them!!! (plus they’re actually really easy to talk to because they teach university students so they kinda understand what we’re like and can relate haha)

classes

there is a lot of variation in the size of classes depending on what they are. my chemistry class my first semester had ~600 people in it; my physics one had ~1700 people; my french class had like 9 people, so it really depends on what you’re going to take!

i’ve only met one professor i didn’t like and he was my math professor for first semester (i was taking MA 166 which is the equivalent of Calc 2 or BC Calc in high school). he wasn’t very good at teaching, but he was good at helping if you were stuck!

speaking of help, there are amazing help resources around the campus; there are help rooms for nearly every subject in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and i spent a lot of time in the help rooms and i highly recommend utilizing them even if you’re not struggling!

course loads can get heavy; i took 23 credit hours one semester and it affected my health so greatly that i will probably never take more than 15 now. this coming semester, i’m taking 14! but courses are a LOT of work, so be prepared for doing homework and studying more than in high school!

clubs + extracurriculars

there are so many clubs and organizations on campus that it’s impossible not to find somewhere to fit in! i am personally in a biology-related fraternity and i love the people i’ve met there!

join clubs but do NOT overwhelm yourself!! this is v important, especially if it comes at the cost of your health.

if you’re interested in doing research, there are SO many opportunities on campus and i absolutely lovE my research professor and my work in the lab!

please do let me know if there’s anything else you’d like me to address!!! i’d be happy to answer questions about purdue/classes/whatever basically :)

send me an ask!

[evergrace]

So Purdue anon is back, thank you for answering all of my questions. I appreciate it a lot. Anyway, I was wondering what the attitude towards minorities is like at Purdue and in the city? I'm a minority and am worried about what I will face in college when I'm not in a minority filled school.

hello again!! and of course, always happy to help :)

as for attitudes towards minorities, i’d say it’s pretty chill around campus. there are so many different people of different ethnicities, races, religions, etc. on campus! there are centers such as the black cultural center, asian american and asian resource and cultural center, native american educational and cultural center, etc. in terms of in the city, i’m not really sure. i haven’t been in the city enough to give you an accurate opinion.

[evergrace]

Last question (for a while until I have more) but how easy is it to get a job in the city/near campus? (Not including work study)

very!! there a so many places both on campus and off that are pretty much continuously hiring. places on campus that are constantly hiring students: corec (gym), third street, dining courts, harrison grille, union, etc. there is definitely no shortage of job opportunities on campus. i personally worked at the corec for about a year before i stopped and focused on my studies! it’s also pretty easy to find a job in chauncey, but i would suggest finding one on campus as they pretty much exclusively hire students and are very understanding when it comes to sickness, exams, studying, etc. 

summary: work a campus job because basically they understand that school comes first; i.e. you can work as much or as little as you want and they are mostly always okay with you taking time off if you need it. there are also benefits of working on campus which i can get into in detail if you would like :) and yes, please bombard me with questions hehe, always willing to answer!

[evergrace]

Soooo I'm back with more questions (sorry). What is the financial aid package like at Purdue? Also, what is the food like? How rigorous are the classes? Is there something you dislike about the university?

hi!! it’s really no problem at all tbh, i love questions about purdue and anything i can do to help :)

financial aid

so i personally do not qualify for financial aid, but my boyfriend does and it is quite generous i think (?). anyways, here’s a link to the financial aid division’s website for more information!

here’s a link to the scholarships website! scholarships are amazing; i’m on a small one but it goes a long way! they are definitely worth looking into if you can’t get financial aid or need more help than financial aid can offer.

food

as i mentioned before, i do not eat dairy as a result of being lactose-intolerant, but the food there is actually quite good! there are a total of 5 dining courts with loads of different options and there’s always going to be something for you!

if you have food allergies like i do, you can ask for the cooks to make it for you specially. 

either way, there are SO many different food options i don’t think i ever ate the same thing twice (except when i wanted to haha). my personal favorite meal was a burrito bowl from the mock Chipotle inside Windsor dining hall!

classes

okay, let’s talk classes. personally, i could go on for hours about classes, but in terms of rigor, they are quite rigorous. but not in a terrible way, they are challenging in order to make you a better student. 

my classes definitely differed in terms of level of rigor depending on the class. my language classes are easy for me (but i did study abroad in france so i’m theoretically fluent by now) but my physics class demanded a lot of work and it was mentally and physically tiresome for me. i think the rigor depends on how much work you want to put into the class too! some classes require more work than others.

in terms of not liking things about the university, sometimes there are so many people in a class it’s hard to get help when it’s convenient for you, so you really do need to put in the effort to go talk to professors and get help. this intimidated me at first, but after i started doing it, i really enjoyed getting to know my professors!

there are small things that i get annoyed with, but overall there is nothing that i really dislike about campus!

send me an ask!