Purdue University

So much to love about Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana! Let’s start with the transparency in the admissions session I attended with a busload of fellow independent college counselors. The admissions officer gave us the straight scoop on a number of programs and admissions policies.

Engineering is the most popular major here: 33% of applications are for engineering and 25% of student body majors in it. All engineering students start together in the first year, then apply into the specific major, so there’s an element of risk - no guarantee a student will get their top choice. We were told that Purdue has the largest population of female engineering students in the country! They work in teams, combining theory and practice from the beginning. The rigor is tough. In addition to the College of Engineering, they have a Polytechnic Institute with applied engineering majors that are less competitive.

Nursing, computer science and flight are the other three most competitive majors at Purdue. For those who have their heart set on attending but are flexible in their interests, the Pharmacy program has a 70% admit rate and several full-tuition scholarships, the College of Health and Human Services has many majors open to B students, and the College of Agriculture is also less competitive.  Exploratory Studies is a great option for students who are undecided. In this program, students take a required course that literally guides them in exploring different academic areas. They're very proud of this program and I got the impression it's underutilized. 90% of these students move into a major and stay there. But it’s important to know that there's some risk; students aren't guaranteed the major they want.

In admissions, they want rigor and high grades. They expect to see a fourth year of both math and science, and too often, they see kids letting up on that rigor senior year. They do NOT recommend AP Environmental Science for anyone ever, and AP Stats is acceptable only in addition to calculus or as senior year math for nursing applicants. For students who top out of math classes offered at their high school, the most competitive applicants find an advanced math class elsewhere. For business students, they don’t require calculus in high school, but it’s strongly recommended: students need to be ready to ace calculus first semester on campus.

Some other nuggets: The admit rate is 43.4% overall but the in-state rate is 70%, so you can do the math there. Average stats of admitted students by college is right on their website, clear as day. They currently offer 200 majors but expect that to shrink to 150-180 soon; some are consolidated, some eliminated. This is the university being proactive! They are deferring more students than they used to; make sure you show them the love if this happens to you!

Lastly, 20% of students are involved in Greek life, and there’s a very active music population here. Lots here to love!!