Purdue University Reviews

West Lafayette is a small town,...

West Lafayette is a small town, and it’s very safe to walk around campus alone, even at night. There are yellow call-boxes wired directly to the Purdue Police Department every 100 yards (they say that if you hit one call-box, a squad car will be waiting by the next one that you run to). Also, all of the residence halls are locked down at 11:00 p.m., after which you have to swipe your ID.

West Lafayette doesn’t have that...

West Lafayette doesn’t have that much to visit, and I don’t think that Lafayette does, either. There aren’t any other universities in the area, but I love the atmosphere in West Lafayette. That’s one reason I miss it so much during the summer; it’s just all people my age walking around, just chilling and hanging out. During the summer, spring, and fall, people are everywhere outside: having fun, listening to music, grilling out, drinking, and playing sports. It’s a great atmosphere.

West Lafayette is basically just...

West Lafayette is basically just Purdue, so the population is mostly us college kids. You don’t really have to worry about offending older people with music or college stuff, because you rarely see people above the age of 23.

My favorite restaurant out of all...

My favorite restaurant out of all the food places around campus is definitely Triple XXX, an old-style burger joint that has great homemade root beer (it’s not astrip bar).

Because there are roughly 40,000...

Because there are roughly 40,000 students enrolled here, unless you major in something that only three other people have ever majored in, you will experience all types of instructors. The problem I have run into (mainly in the technical majors, not so much liberal arts) is that the TAs have a limited command of the English language, so unless you speak some form of Chinese or Indian (just to name two), you may have trouble understanding a TA sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, they try really hard, but it’s frustrating when you can’t even get them to understand your question. Now, moving right along to professors (commonly known as docs or profs); the problem is not as widespread as it is with TAs, but some profs also have limited English ability. The profs are really intelligent, though. Some are really cool, and some are just jerks. I’ve had some profs show up in T-shirts and shorts (they are usually the cool ones), and some will always wear a suit and tie (sometimes they are cool, but some are just evil).

The local atmosphere is pretty...

The local atmosphere is pretty relaxed, when you don’t have anything to do, or a place to be. Stay away from campus during home games.

After your first year, you have...

After your first year, you have the option of living in Hillenbrand Hall, which is one of Purdue’s newest residence halls. It’s not surprising to find juniors and seniors living in this hall—the rooms are suite-style with a connecting bathroom. The rooms are the largest of all the halls, the dining hall is the bomb, and there’s air-conditioning. Best of all, someone comes in to clean your bathroom once a week, so even though you have your own bathroom, you still don’t have to clean it! It’s the next best thing to living at home!

I lived in the dorms for three...

I lived in the dorms for three years, and I lived in Earhart and Windsor. Windsor is really close to campus. Earhart has a convenient bus stop right outside. I would probably not want to live in McCutcheon, because it is so far away. Owen and Tarkington for the same reason.

The boys here are hot! It’s great!...

The boys here are hot! It’s great! And there are more guys than girls here (not by much, but still) so we have the advantage! You get all types of guys and girls here. Yeah, there are still the ‘players’ and the ‘sluts,’ but it’s not like everyone is going around judging everyone else. No one really cares. It’s a total change from high school—the people are much more mature.

Are the guys hot? The girls that...

Are the guys hot? The girls that go to school at Indiana University say they prefer Purdue boys to their own, so that is how I would answer that question. Everyone is generally really nice here; you will run into some snobs, but that happens everywhere. I get along well with almost anyone, so I’d like to think that we are a rather personable university.

At Purdue, for a true Boilermaker,...

At Purdue, for a true Boilermaker, football is life. Sports are huge here. Intramurals are very popular, especially with the Greeks and in the residence halls.

Greek Life is huge at Purdue....

Greek Life is huge at Purdue. According to the Greeks, everyone who’s anyone is a Greek here. I was Greek for a while, but it wasn’t for me. I did meet a lot of people with whom I will be friends for a long time. I recommend taking part in rush—no matter what you decide about joining Greek life.

I will mention that an alarming...

I will mention that an alarming number of people smoke cigarettes. Lots of people smoke pot, too.

Don’t go to parties. The ones I...

Don’t go to parties. The ones I did attend were at fraternities and, looking back, they were all the same. Rooms with colored, spinning lights and beer, and people dancing. Apartment parties are far more fun, because it’s usually a group of close friends and you don’t have to deal with all the sorority/fraternity crap! Good bars: Where Else?, Jake’s (for food and drink), and the Cactus.

The parking scene on this campus...

The parking scene on this campus is crazy. If you don’t live at least one and a half miles from campus, you can’t even get a ‘C’ permit (the only parking passes that are available to students). If you live in a residence hall as a freshman, you are at the bottom of the list for a resident parking pass. Don’t try parking in a business parking lot, because you’ll get towed for sure. Unless you’ll be living in an apartment, I wouldn’t even think about bringing a car.

My overall experience at Purdue...

My overall experience at Purdue was excellent; I wouldn’t change anything about it. I didn’t know anyone when I first got to school here, but I made friends right away without any problems.

Not only did I have the time of my...

Not only did I have the time of my life socially and meet a ton of great friends, whom I know that I will keep in touch with for the rest of my life, I also received a college degree from a prestigious university.

Overall, I thought that attending...

Overall, I thought that attending Purdue was the best experience of my life. I discovered a lot about myself and about others. The one thing that sums it up is this: everyone knows Purdue. It is a great school with a wonderful reputation, and it really helped me get a job right out of college. It’s a school and a name to be proud of.

I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere...

I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else. I know it sounds cheesy, but I’ve had the best three years of my life here, and I am really going to miss this place when I graduate. I’ve met so many people, and I’ve had so many great opportunities. I wouldn’t trade my experiences here for anything.

Watch out for the ice-polishers in...

Watch out for the ice-polishers in winter—Purdue’s idea of snow removal is to send a fleet of Bobcat-like machines with rotating brushes to sweep the snow from the sidewalks. However, the brushing motion only serves to pack down the snow and form ice, which turns the walk to class from a simple endeavor into a full-out fight for survival. One year, the passers-by were treated to the amusing spectacle of me slipping and flying into the air, limbs flailing, and then landing flat on my back with the wind knocked out of me.

Purdue was actually my...

Purdue was actually my second-choice school. My original plan was to go to school here until I got enough credits to transfer to my first-choice school, but once I got here, I didn’t want to leave.

There is literally nothing to do...

There is literally nothing to do in this town except drink.

Here is the deal with hot girls on...

Here is the deal with hot girls on campus: It’s all a scheme to reel in the sucker engineer boys. Every summer, Purdue imports (or, if you will, stocks the campus with) hot girls and makes them walk around in those ‘pour here—do not overfill’ pants and tank tops. All the engineers go ‘oh man, this school is awesome!’ Then, a couple of weeks later, they’re all gone. At the end of the year, however, they stock the campus again to make the engineers want to come back.

It often seems like there are four...

It often seems like there are four guys to every girl. This can be quite frustrating for the guys. That isn’t to say that the girls at Purdue aren’t hot. The only problem is if you see a hot girl, chances are she has a boyfriend.

There’s a little of both, hot and...

There’s a little of both, hot and not so hot, but mostly people are really fun and outgoing; that always makes people more attractive.