The Purdue Way

This is my first semester taking less than 18 credit hours. Now, don’t fret; most students at Purdue don’t need to overload their schedules like I have. Call me an over-achiever or a little OCD at finishing my courses early, but either way, it comes down to the fact that I don’t have classes this semester on Friday, only clinicals for athletic training.

Yet, I found myself (somewhat) awake and in the basement of Mackey Arena this morning at 7:15am preparing to help teach taping techniques to the freshmen in my program. Why? Because that’s just what Purdue does to you. I have always enjoyed volunteering, but there was always a goal in mind in the past. Now, I know that I’m never going to put on a scholarship application or resume that I sat in a chilly room at 7:15am on Friday mornings coaxing freshmen athletic training majors to touch athletes’ and patients’ feet and that — no, you won’t have to put that humongous needle into someone’s skin. But I’m doing it, and happily so. I can tell that this is a quality that Purdue has instilled in me that will continue as I begin my professional career.

Now, two hours later, I’m sitting in the university honors lounge taking a quick break from internship applications to blog this entry. The life of a college student never stops, even without classes. But at Purdue, I don’t mind that at all. I welcome it in-fact!

Alyssa McPherson, Class of 2011
Athletic Training Major, Dance Minor

The Library Quest

So it might be my Tolkien class influencing me, but this semester I have decided to go on a quest. I may not be visiting Middle Earth or seeking dragons, but I am going to unexpected places. And all of them have books.

Due to my class schedule this semester, I am often left with an hour break between classes. Since I am involved in various clubs around campus, I enjoy finishing as much homework during the day as possible. The past few weeks I have found myself in HSSE or the Cafe at Hicks, where I can easily read for any of my four literature classes. Sometime last week I realized there were at least eight libraries I had never visited.

So began my quest to visit all the Purdue libraries. Despite an icy trek, my friend in Health Science showed me the  Pharmacy Library, where I hid out on a balcony surrounded by tombs and read my Comparative Literature anthology. Then, one of my high school acquaintances in Accounting and I got lost in Wetherill looking for the Chemistry Library. I ended up at a study carol reading Spanish.  Both experiences were worthwhile, but of course I should have expected it. After all, I am constantly finding more and more gloriously random places to explore at Purdue.

Colleen
Comparative Literature and English, May 2012

Internship

Let me first just say that I LOVE THIS INTERNSHIP!  It is fast paced, people oriented, and full of politics.  I have met the Lieutenant Governor, countless lobbyists, and I am really starting to understand the inner workings of the Indiana State Senate.

My first day on the job, I was a little concerned even though we had a week of orientation prior.  Although most of it is not too complicated, it is fast-paced and trust me, you do not want to mess up Indiana legislation.  I have been continually getting more responsibility and I have started to learn the majority of the Senators’ names.  It is amazing how friendly everyone is and how willing they are to help. 

Obviously I am just the ‘new kid’ but I really feel that I am learning so much.  It does put quite a bit more pressure on you than a class would becuase if you do not know the ropes, it could cause problems.  The faster you learn, the less likely you are to make a mistake.  Although it may be more pressure than I have experienced in my life, I am thoroughly enjoying my internship with the Indiana State Senate.  Anyone who has the opportunity to work with the Indiana Legislators should jump at the opportunity.  Well, it is time to take care of some Senate buisness!

Katie
Law & Society, May 2011

The Love of a Boiler

I sit here this afternoon watching the Purdue Wisconsin basketball game. Each time I watch a game on TV, I immediately return to my memories of cheering on the Boilers in Mackey Arena – Freshman year in the Student Section, Father-Son days with Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, and most memorable – Coach Gene Keady’s final game (which I still have my ticket stub).

Being a second generation Purdue Graduate, I spent my entire childhood watching Boiler sports, especially Coach Keady pacing up and down the court through the days of Glenn ‘Big Dog’ Robinson, Brian Cardinal and Matt Painter. My life began to revolve around Boilermaker Athletics. I even grew up with a bathroom in my parents’ house completely devoted to Purdue – Purdue Pete wallpaper, Purdueopoly on the wall, Purdue soap dispenser, anything imaginable. Needless to say, from birth, I had Black and Gold pulsing through my veins.

To make a childhood dream come true, a fraternity brother (another second generation Boiler) and I were vacationing at Hilton Head, SC and ran in to our coaching idol – Coach Keady. He was walking in to the same restaurant in which we were dining and we hurried to approach him at the entrance. Nervous because we were personally meeting our coaching idol and the face of Purdue Basketball, we cordially got his attention and introduced ourselves. I will never forget how impressed and excited he seemed to be meeting us. Like children telling Santa what they wanted for Christmas, we spilled to Coach Keady our history with Purdue and how we have followed his career our entire lives. The joy we were experiencing was only multiplied when he asked to know more about what we were doing at Purdue, activities and what we wanted to do after graduation. Coach Keady was not just being friendly to his fans, but actually caring about a new acquaintance he was making. Coach Keady even took a picture with us before heading off to his table. Before leaving the restaurant, we wanted to say goodbye to Coach Keady and wish him luck with the Toronto Raptors. When we approached his table, he stood up and immediately began talking to us as if old friends. We talked a bit about golf and the summer and then unexpectedly, he introduced us to his friends at his table – assistant coaches in the NBA and NCAA. He could have easily said that we were students and fans of his, but he reiterated our history with Purdue and what we planned on doing after graduation, something that definitely impressed us about the man. Sometimes athletes and public personalities have an air of being bothered by fans, but it was then solidified that Coach Keady lived up to his outgoing personality and deep appreciation to Purdue Athletics and students; a memory I will never forget.

Outside the walls of Mackey Arena/Keady Court, memories come back to Saturday afternoons walking up the hill to Ross-Ade Stadium, shoulder-to-shoulder with black and gold clad fans. The fall in West Lafayette cannot be described to its clearest beauty just in words, but the memories are just as vivid as they were three years ago. The leafs beginning to change, an auburn shadow mixed with the brightness of the afternoon sun filling into the confines of Ross-Ade Stadium filled the entire campus with the excitement of a football Saturday.

Purdue Athletics were just a percentage of the memories I had while growing up and then as a student at Purdue; memories that continue to fuel the love of being a Boiler.

Alex
English, May 2007

Semester in Review

How time flies when you’re taking 19 credit hours, doing research for two professors, and are sharing an apartment with three other people!

Looking back to the beginning of this semester, I remember being worried that nothing could live up to freshman year: getting lost on the way to class (but discovering new things on campus!), trying new restaurants, pulling my first all-nighter, discovering all Purdue has to offer. But as soon as these worried thoughts passed my mind, they disappeared as my semester began with a rush of activities.

I returned to Purdue this fall as a Boiler Gold Rush Team Leader. For a week, I introduced incoming students to Purdue’s campus and made friends of a lifetime with my fellow Team Leaders. Even though I had been worried than everyone had made their friends by sophomore year, this was far from the truth.

My classes are now all 300 levels, so I was worried I would struggle with the course loads. As it turned out, I loved my classes even more because they required more work, but along with the extra work came a better understanding and application. My favorite classes were the two honors classes I took. One professor even brought a 20 pound bar of dark chocolate to every class, daring us to finish the bar by the end of the semester! (I am ashamed to say that we did, and I probably ate half of it!)

I continued working on a research project I began last semester with a Women’s Studies professor. We have spent an entire year compiling her latest book, which has included countless hours of fixing citations to fit the ASA style guide. Yesterday, I e-mailed her my final contribution: the Global Bibliography. I am now done with the project and can look forward to seeing my name in the book in 2011, when it will be published. Although this was a lot of work, the experience was incomparable. It gave me the opportunity to see what a professor does on top of teaching and planning lessons, and gained skills in editing and formatting manuscripts.

Living off campus was much more difficult than I imagined. I had to cook for myself and buy groceries every week. When time was an issue, there wasn’t an On the Go in the basement of my dorm to visit for quick meals. This gave me the opportunity to learn how to cook and to bond with my roommates. Unfortunately, one of our cooking experiences ended in our fire alarm going off for an hour and panicked calls to the apartment office explaining that our apartment was not one fire!

Taking 19 credit hours, 2 honors courses, and 2 research projects made me realize that there is always time to take on new adventures, and now is the best time to do it. Even though it was a lot of work and a hard semester to get through, I would not change or give up any of my experiences.

Megan
English Education, 2012

Be where you are

So it’s November-the time of year where undergraduate students are scrambling in a desperate search to fall into some kind of housing agreement for next year. In my opinion, it is way too soon to be making these kind of decisions, because who knows what can come your way in 9 months when you actually move in to your new place of residence. Some consider apartments, residence halls, Greek and cooperative housing, and (grown-up) houses, but wherever I look I see one thing in common: anxiety about the situation. The truth is, your environment and where you live is very important.

I currently live in an apartment with three amazing friends whom I am so blessed to have, but next year housing is already an issue! As we have just established our “family” here at Purdue for this year, it’s time to think about the next year as they have already asked us to sign leasing agreements. But wait, slow down! This year has just started! As I think about next year, I feel the pull to move back into the residence halls as (hopefully) a resident assistant, but that means leaving my three best friends in the apartment. As a matter of fact, they have already resigned their lease and are looking for a roommate in place of myself! While all of this is overwhelming yet exciting, I’m not ready to move on to thinking ahead just yet. I’ve realized that despite all the busyness of everything outside of this apartment, I love these girls more than I act like I do, and I’m definitely not ready for all of us to move on so fast. Instead of looking ahead all of the time as we are encouraged to do so much, especially in college, I need to look at the here and now. How am I making the most of every opportunity with the people I love?

Let’s just say I’m not, and I’m ready to be where I am. I must say that it is definitely wise to look ahead, but I’m not in any hurry to be there.

Jacqueline
Communication and Religious Studies, May 2011

See For Yourself!

Hello!

Welcome to a beautiful day in West Lafayette! Who knew it would be 60 plus degrees on November 12! It’s terrific! The weather is just in time to watch the Boilermakers beat Michigan State this weekend in our last home football game! Go Boilers! (The men’s and women’s basketball teams start their seasons this weekend too. Lots of Purdue sporting events to attend!)

I invite you to visit our campus and see for yourself what Purdue and the College of Liberal Arts has to offer you! This is the best way to evaluate if our academic programs, student life, residence halls, study abroad programs, etc. are the right fit for you! Make sure to call us before you visit, so we can personalize your experience! You can reach us at 765-494-6291 or newstudent@purdue.edu.

Looking forward to seeing you on campus!

Jodi
Student Recruitment Director
College of Liberal Arts

Try something new! :)

So 2010 is only a few months away.  Thanks to my recent LSAT test date, my honed logical reasoning skills tell me that this means I graduate in less than 8 months.  Henceforth, (I like to use this word for dramatic effect) I am currently going through the rigorous, self-analytical, final decision-making, yet HOPEFUL process of applying for graduate school and planning for the next stages of my life.  It’s easy to get lost in reverie sometimes when I’m required to compose essays about myself, conjuring up my past experiences to explain why I’m qualified to do the things I want to do.  And my memories have made me realize that some of the largest, most uncertain leaps I took as an undergraduate at Purdue brought me to the  level of certainty and confidence that I have built up and prepared for the application to my future.

Case in point number #1: I joined a student organization that sent me on a spiraling adventure of self-realization and networking opportunities like you wouldn’t believe.  As an extremely homesick, shy, self-conscious freshman, I pushed myself to share pieces of my life with strangers that have wound up to be some of my best friends today.  And I never pictured myself becoming friends with my professors or advisers!  I will always remember the day I made myself go one of my adviser’s offices and start up a conversation.  Imagining my Purdue experience without our occasional, familiar chats is something now that I can’t even consider.

Case B)  I went on a trip to New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina reconstruction during the spring break of my freshman year, and I’ve found myself using pieces of that experience for nearly EVERY scholarship application I have ever applied for…because it touched my life to such a profound degree.  And when I loaded 3-4 consecutive semesters with 18+ credits, I never regretted the knowledge that I had gained by their completion.

III)  Last year I went to Mexico (against the strongest wishes of my parents and cautions of some friends) to participate in an active learning cohort that detailed the social/economic/cultural/political complexities of immigration between the United States and Mexico.  I’m pretty sure that I finally made a decision of “what I wanted to be when I grew up” only after going on this trip.  And just last May, I went to London to study similar trends in international immigration through literature.  I learned that peoples’ stories never get old – whether they are found in a novel, a conversation, or a museum display.  “Stories” will always matter–because there is always a human being being the story with an experience that created it.

As an incoming student to Purdue, I was very doutful that I would be anwhere near the person I am today.  And while I see my experience here is nowhere near complete, I encourage everyone reading this to evaluate the leaps that you have taken in your life lately.   You never know what you will learn from something you might have been afraid/nervous/too shy to do.

Happy Fall.  It’s the greatest season of all.

Ashley
Comparative Literature & Politicial Science, May 2010

Dress to Impress

I am one of those people who always dress up for a class presentation. I just feel like the professors can tell if you’re serious or not. Most of the time, if I know that I am meeting with a professor in his or her office hours, I also dress nicely with the same theory. Unfortunately, Purdue’s campus is bustling with people, and you never know who you’re going to run into. Only a sophomore, I was also under the impression that once I had completed a class, it would be unlikely to ever see that professor again. Come to find out, however, I was wrong.

After my last class this past Friday, which I dressed for in sweatpants and a t-shirt, I waited for my roommate to pick me up outside of Heavilon. It had just begun to rain, and I was texting my roommate, telling her where to pull up, when I heard someone call my name. I glanced up, thinking it would be a friend or someone I could just respond “Hey” to, but at second glance, and I am mean about five awkward seconds later, I realized that it was my dance instructor from my first semester at Purdue. I did the Purdue Repertory Company for one semester freshman year and danced in his piece, but at the end of the semester I assumed I would never see him again since I had no more free credit hours to place aside for taking dance.

First of all, I was surprised he recognized me at all, and especially in my lazy outfit. Then, I couldn’t figure out why he was at Heavilon, which is filled with mostly English classes. We talked for a little bit about dance, and then I asked him if he was taking a class in Heavilon. He laughed and said that he was teaching a few class. Not only is he a graduate TA and studying English, but he is teaching a class that I will eventually need to take in order to graduate! This was great news, and he had been a great dance instructor, but I had never imagined that he was studying English, or expected to see him in Heavilon, let alone that I would eventually take an English class taught by him.

It wasn’t a huge ordeal that I had chosen to dress grungy that day, but it showed me that I will never know what is going to happen on campus in a day. Personally, I decided not to wear sweatpants to class again. I would rather give the professor a better impression, and I can be prepared for whoever or whatever situation I run into on campus.

Megan
English Education, 2012

I finally had that “ah-ha” moment…

…you know, that moment in your life when you come to a sudden realization, when you understand your place on this earth and what your true calling is. Sadly, it took me 7 semesters to have my moment…

I am a senior in liberal arts, specifically in Spanish and Linguistics. Although I have always enjoyed my classes and loved learning about languages, it seemed as if I never found my niche. Semester after semester I loved my courses, but just not enough to do any of it for a living. Phonetics: interesting, but not for me. Phonology & morphology: loved its complexity but couldn’t do it forever. Semantics & syntax: yes, finally amazing grammar skills, but no life calling. When I had completed all of my required courses for both of my majors, I began to panic. I am a planner–I had my life planned out the day I walked onto Purdue’s campus. I would become a Spanish translator and do fantastic work at the UN. However, I quickly learned that path was just not for me. I figured out what I wanted to do by stumbling across something called the Purdue Infant Labs.

Last semester, I began working in a research lab that studies language acquisition, and I have never been so passionate about any of my coursework. My experiences in the lab led me to explore speech-language pathology, and I must admit, I am in love. I recently sat down with someone in the field, and she said the most inspiring words to me: “You will love graduate school and the program. It is perfect for you.” And, it is. After she spoke those words, I knew that I had found my calling. No more worrying, no more wondering what my life holds in store, no more hoping that my college career wouldn’t go to waste.

What is the moral of my story? It’s ok to not have it all figured out. Realistically, it’s hard to decide your life’s career at 18. I think the turning point for me occurred when I accepted that I was in limbo for awhile and explored my options. I am lucky to have a great support system of family and friends who encourage me to step back and wait until I found the career that would make me happy.

Now all I have left to worry about is graduate school. But, that’s for another day…

Carrie
Spanish & Linguistics, 2010