Sure, everyone knows that Purdue is in the Big 10, but unless you embark on the exciting drive down I-65 between Columbus and Chicago, like I do, passing by the wind farm and seeing the signs for West Lafayette, Indiana, you probably haven't gone out of your way to check it out. I was supposed to be there in person last week for a college tour - even though the tour moved to a virtual format, I gathered a wealth of fantastic information and got to hear from some current students who couldn't be happier with their Purdue experience.
Here are 5 Fun Facts about Purdue:
1) Purdue is a leader in tourism and hospitality management education and happens to have two fine dining restaurants on campus in addition to 16 campus restaurants, 9 cafes, 3 markets and a food truck. Dining services fun fact? "We can circle the West Lafayette campus twice with the amount of bagels used in a year." For more of these, click here!
2) Purdue's computer science program is recognized as a top 20 program in the world. Purdue actually holds claim to the world's first computer science department and it is still housed in the College of Science where it started, unlike many other CS programs that live within the College of Engineering.
3) Purdue has both a College of Engineering, which has produced 24 NASA astronauts including Neil Armstrong!, and the Polytechnic Institute, offering students a more hands-on, applied approach to studying 70 academic options including aviation, animation, cyber security, UX design, and construction management.
4) Purdue's Center for Career Opportunities has been recognized for its outstanding support of students in exploring and preparing for internship and jobs. The CCO and the Academic Success Center, Online Writing Lab (OWL) and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) are all indicators of a culture focused on enabling student success.
5) Purdue students in any major can pursue a Cornerstone Certificate in Integrated Liberal Arts to ensure that they are acquiring the requisite knowledge and skills that employers will expect of them in the job market. The Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation "empowers students in all majors to turn their innovative ideas into action." 96% of Purdue students who pursued this program agreed that the skills they gained would help them in their future careers.
Interested in learning more about Purdue? Check out their virtual tour!
