Things to do at Purdue?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Purdue University
1

I’m most likely going to attend Purdue this fall. (yay!)

I just have some lingering doubts about the campus and student life.

First of all, when I visited, I thought the campus was really pretty. Here are my questions:

  1. Is the campus rather big or does it feel small when you get used to it?
  2. Do students often use the bus system (in general, not just to get to classes)?
  3. How would you rate the libraries and why? I’m really used to studying in the library and I hope they’re good because I only got to see one.

I plan on getting really involved in extra-curriculars, although Greek life just isn’t for me. It’s always been my dream to live in a big city, but when I visited West Lafayette, it seemed rather run down and small. Here are my questions about West Lafayette:
4. What sort of options are there for entertainment? Theaters, performances, restaurants, shopping, etc.? In specific, what is there that isn’t part of the Purdue campus?
5. What are some accessible cities nearby (defined as 2-3 hours away I guess)? I know of Chicago and Indianapolis. I’m really looking forward to spending some time in Indianapolis maybe on weekends - is this normal?
^^any cities with more activities than West Lafayette counts I guess, for the purpose of my q.
6. When people go to the city do they usually drive there? The bus time to get to Indianapolis is pretty reasonable, but on google the time to get to Chicago by bus is way too long (like 9 hours or something). How does this work, and are these estimates even accurate?
7. I heard that West Lafayette has really cool Christmas celebrations. Is that true?

My questions might seem a little weird but coming from a metropolitan area, I’m just really worried about feeling suffocated in a small town. I know and I hear from many people that the campus itself is very sufficient. However I’d really appreciate any insight on those questions above, esp. 4-7. It’s just really essential for me to mentally prepare myself as to what my options will be.

Thank you so much everyone!

2

My daughter is a freshman at Purdue. I’ll try to answer as best as I can based on her experiences.

  1. Campus is big but you get used to it.
  2. My dd hasn't ridden the bus since Boiler Gold Rush (freshman orientation) but YMMV depending on where you live.
  3. My DD studies in her lounge, not the library so I don't know how she'd really rate the library. She is in engineering and most of the time she's working with her project team. They tend to meet in the collaborative work spaces, not the library.
  4. My DD usually eats on campus unless we are visiting. There are a number of very nice restaurants but she waits for us to be visiting (and paying). There is so much going on within campus that she doesn't feel the need to leave. There are multiple theater groups, countless music groups, comedy troops, sports, lectures, etc.... She feels like there is too much going on and she often misses things because of conflicts.
  5. Indy is 1 hour, Chicago 2, depending on traffic. I don't think that many students go to the cities on the weekends because there is so much happening on campus (plus school work and projects). I'm sure there are exceptions though!
  6. There are shuttles that go to the airports and the train runs from W. Lafayette to Chicago. It's 3 1/2 hours by train. Note, freshman cannot have cars on campus right away and then need to enter a lottery for available spots mid way through first semester.
  7. Purdue does the most unbelievable Christmas show. It's AMAZING. You can find it on Youtube. Not sure about what the city itself does. Purdue has a ton of xmas celebrations.

Hope this helps!

3

Adding to the great info provided above,

I used CityBus extensively during my time at Purdue. I lived off campus and even though I had a car, it was much more convenient to have the bus pick me up right in front of my apartment and drop me off right in front of the building I needed. No hunting for a parking spot and walking a long distance from the “C” permit parking lots. I highly recommend the bus service!

Also there are many performances put on throughout the year by Purdue Convocations. Lady Gaga even gave a performance while I was a student.

I have also used the shuttles to the Indy Airport and I will warn you that if you are looking to make a flight, make sure you take an earlier shuttle. I have nearly missed my flight due to the shuttle being very late. (ie being called over the intercom at the airport)

I really think college is what you make of it! I grew up in a large metropolitan area and did not find West Lafayette stifling (actually I would love to move back there) Enjoy your time at Purdue and Boiler up!!

4

get your bike thrown up in a tree. #tradition

5

My d used the bus to get to the stores (groceries).

Basketball games!

6

Campus is somewhat large but compartmentalized. It’s nowhere near the size, or at least the feeling of size, of Penn State or Ohio State, which turned my D off when visiting. She’s an engineering sophomore and almost all of her classes have been within the engineering/science “section” of campus. A bike and/or the buses let you get around easily. And walking most places is 15 minutes at most.

She had a bike, so only used the campus buses when it was snowing/raining. They come every 5 minutes so they’re quite functional. She uses the city/municipal buses to go shopping, get off campus, etc.

She spends a lot of time in the new Engineering center, which I suppose is the modern equivalent of a library (not much need for checking out dusty hard-covers any more). There are lots of nooks and crannies to meet and study. Freshman year they worked a lot in the lounge of her dorm, but she was in an apartment this year.

Iirc, 1000+ organizations on campus - there will be something to do. While being an engineering major, she has acted and directed in one of the campus theater organizations and participated in the Theme Park Engineering and Design organization.

West Lafayette and Lafayette have many restaurants, movie theaters, museums, etc., but they are small scale - no one is going to confuse it for a NY/Chicago/etc.

I don’t think there’s anything significant outside of Chicago and Indy. From what I’ve observed, going off to one of those cities for a weekend is out of the ordinary. Maybe it’s just engineering, but you spend your weekends working on school work. You have several hours each day to go to the CoRec center, work with student organizations, etc., but just traveling to big cities for weekend fun isn’t typical. College is much more rigorous and intense than high school. Plus, there’s plenty to do on campus/in the local area.

7

Congratulations! My son too is starting in the Fall.

He will be our third kid at university so I will try give you some insights that we have gained from their experiences.

Keep in mind that your time in Purdue will fly so fast than when you are walking to get your diploma on your graduation day, you will be hard pressed to believe that four years went so fast. So seize the day each and every day while at Purdue. Keep in mind that student life and all that it offers academically, socially, and culturally will only available while you are a student. So get on board the #BoilerUP spirit. It will remain with you and will bring you great joy throughout your whole life.

You are going to Purdue to develop academically, so will I assume that academics is your first priority as it what will dictate your future prospects. So go to class, participate in class, meet the professors, get a part time job on campus doing research (good for resume and for building relations with faculty outside classroom), ask for help when something is hard, and don’t wait until last minutes to do school work. If you do that you will succeed.

Having a balance life is important. After you complete all the school work you will have ample time for distraction. That is where the 1000 student organizations/activities (let’s call them clubs) come to play. These clubs cater to any interest, subject, hobbies imaginable. By finding the activities that you like (and if something is missing you can start your own), discovering new ones and participating, you will meet folk who will become lifelong friends. If a club sounds interesting just check it out, try a few and then over time narrow it down to the ones that you like. Purdue will have a “club” fair (not sure what they call it) in the first week(s) where all clubs will have a table/stand to discuss what they do and their activities. 1000 clubs is huge. DON’T MISS THAT FAIR & DON’T RUSH THROUGH IT. There are so many that may seem overwhelming, but take your time; explore and ask questions (what do you do, how often do you meet, what is the goal, whatever, etc). I am so jealous. Frankly that alone makes me want to be a student again.

Yes it’s great to have Chicago two hours away for an occasional visit, but frankly there so much on campus that in time the idea of a 4 hour round trip ride will seem like a hassle. You will think of all the fun stuff on campus that you will miss by going to Chicago for the day or two. Also keep in mind the social life that you’ll have available in Purdue is only available for your four years at Purdue. Chicago is not going anywhere. You can always do all that Chicago offers when you get one of those high paying jobs after Purdue.

The Purdue campus has an incredible amount of resources. Having so much on the campus will quickly erase the need of having to go off campus. Remember your time in Purdue will fly, so BoilerUp.

Another angle (the financial one) to think about on why stick to Purdue as a student vs going up to Chicago or Indy:

Let me start with caveat that I consider myself a very cheap guy, and I am proud of it. So let me provide you one last angle. Yes I too love Chicago. It is an amazing US City. It is up there with NYC, SF and Miami in my book as some of the most interesting US cities. I go to Chicago often to eat at their amazing restaurants, go to their theaters, and shop (well walk, remember I am cheap :wink: - the Magnificent Mile. Trust me all these activities are expensive to do. Meanwhile most if not all the clubs at Purdue,YOU ALREADY PAID FOR with your student fees and activities. So take advantage of what you have already paid. You can go to Chicago and pay for all the Chicago stuff after you graduate. Later you have no alternative, but to do Chicago, because after your graduate, you will not have access to Purdue student activities. :frowning:

SO BOILERUP!