My son was recently accepted into Purdue Poly which we are seriously considering.
We read some not so pleasant things regarding the Purdue dorms, over crowding, no updates, etc. I also know that Purdue is one of the few schools that lets freshmen live in off campus housing.
I know the benefits and advantages of living in dorms at least the freshman year but I would love some input on the housing situation from those who have gone through it at Purdue- both regarding dorms and off campus but close to campus housing.
TIA!
There was a good amount of overcrowding my D’s year (she’s a junior now) when the university underestimated their yield numbers. D ended up being in a triple but with four girls. We were super nervous about the close quarters but she LOVED it! Anyone who was in temporary accommodations were moved within the first few weeks of schools starting. Since then, they’ve built two brand new dorms and I don’t think there will be any issues with housing this cycle.
FWIW, I would strongly encourage living on campus as a freshman. Just easier to transition when you are living with your peers, have tutoring in the building, access to the RA social outings, etc…
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Thank you!
Do you which the two new dorms are?
Meredith South and Griffin are the two new dorms. Meredith is all women. Griffin is suite style.
The way housing works at Purdue is you choose your room type, not the actual building. You’ll be asked for your top three. Housing ranges from suites with A/C and private baths to triples without A/C and shared baths.
Purdue Parent and Family Connections hosted a virtual Q&A about housing yesterday. You can find it on their you tube page or there is an extensive FAQ page for prospective students on the housing page: Prospective Students | Purdue University Residences
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Thank you for the great information!
I would strongly encourage a student to live on campus first year, and probably at least two years. There’s just so much to gain being around others in your situation, sharing experiences, etc.
Yes, some of the dorms are standard college 2-person shoebox dorms (my D was in Shreve, on a Women’s Freshman Engineering floor - I think several floors were part of the Women’s Engineering Learning Community), but it’s a common college experience everyone should go through, IMHO.
She moved into a Hilltop 3 person apartment with two friends she met freshman year, and then into a campus-owner 4BR/2BA apartment the final two years - more seniority opens up the better dorms.
She looked into apartments, but the cost (full year lease, don’t assume you can sublet over the summer) and many negative landlord stories, plus her fairly decent apartment, kept her there.
Housing will also let you know that Campus housing average GPA > Fraternity/Sorority GPA > off-campus GPA.
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Are University Residences Purdue Apartments on campus? They seem to be eligible for meal plans?
Yes , but it would be difficult for freshman to get housing there.
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They are scattered around campus or on the fringes. They are basically commercial apartment buildings put up around campus over the years which the University has purchased recently to provide additional university housing. My D is in one of them, about 4 blocks from the edge of “campus” - 5 minute walk, 2 minutes by bike - and 15/5 minutes to her most distant classroom.
But as mentioned, housing signups are by seniority. My D and her friends all had Senior status (through AP and other credits) by the time the signed up for Junior year housing, so they were able to get one. Freshman are almost certainly destined for Shreve, Earhart, and similar, unless in Honors College
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Great information. Thank you!