Purdue University is a renowned public research institution especially known for their College of Engineering. Their storied alumni include astronaut Neil Armstrong, comedian Jim Gaffigan, and NASCAR driver Ryan Newman, among others. Every year, tens of thousands of applicants hope to follow in their footsteps. If you’re hoping to nail your Purdue supplemental essays, then you’ve come to the right place. Let’s dive in.
Purdue’s 2024-2025 Prompts
Purdue University only asks its applicants to write two short supplemental essays. Although these prompts may look simple, there are few tips and tricks that help you take your essays to the next level. First of all, here are the prompts:
- How will opportunities at Purdue support your interests, both in and out of the classroom? (250 words or fewer)
- Briefly discuss your reasons for pursuing the major you have selected. (250 words or fewer)
General Tips
The Purdue supplemental essays are academically focused, with some room to discuss other aspects of college life when responding to the first prompt. For these reasons, it’s important to focus your responses on academic topics. In addition, when possible, make your responses specific to Purdue.
The key to making your responses specific to Purdue is research, research, research. Look through course catalogs, department webpages, and other online or paper resources you have available to you. If you know any Purdue alumni, you may want to ask them questions about their experiences. Understanding the unique qualities of Purdue that will support your academic journey, and then describing those qualities in your essays, will greatly strengthen your application.
Purdue Short Essay Questions
How will opportunities at Purdue support your interests, both in and out of the classroom? (250 words or fewer)
This is your chance to show the admissions team why you’re excited about applying to Purdue. In other words, this is your “Why Purdue?” essay. According to Purdue’s Common Data Set, their admissions team considers the applicant’s level of interest when making acceptance decisions. Therefore, demonstrating how interested you are in attending Purdue could make or break your application.
How can you demonstrate interest in Purdue in this essay? First, you’ll need to clarify your interests to the reader. Then, you’ll need to point to the opportunities at Purdue that relate to these interests of yours. As discussed in the “General Tips” section of this article, research will be key to making your response to this prompt shine. When possible, name specific programs, professors, courses, or other opportunities at Purdue that will support you on your academic journey.
Ideally, you show the reader why Purdue is uniquely fitting for your academic interests and personal ambitions. What does Purdue offer that most schools don’t? Once you identify the unique offerings at Purdue related to your interests, you can explore them in your essay. If you have space, feel free to connect those opportunities at Purdue to your future career or other goals. Demonstrating how Purdue’s curriculum and extracurricular offerings will benefit you post-graduation will show the reader your forethought and maturity.
Briefly discuss your reasons for pursuing the major you have selected. (250 words or fewer)
This question is simple, but difficult. Most applicants struggle to identify a particular moment when the topic of their chosen major became important to them. If you do have a particular moment in mind, then that’s great. In this essay, take the time to explore that moment and how it continues to impact your academic journey to this day.
That said, your choice of major might be the result of a series of life experiences and interests, rather than a single “aha!” moment. Moreover, many students select a major on their college application without much confidence that they’ll stick to it once they get to campus. If that sounds like you, you’re not alone! According to the National Center for Education Studies, about 30% of students change their major in college at least once.
Whatever the case, you definitely have at least a couple reasons for choosing your major. Before you begin this essay draft, try to write down ten reasons for choosing your major. That might sound like an excess of reasons, and it is, for the purposes of writing this essay. But it’s a useful brainstorming exercise. After creating your list, you might realize that some of your reasons can be recombined into a few more nuanced reasons.
You may also want to brainstorm occasions when this particular subject has brought you joy or fulfillment. In your essay, you can dive into these moments and build your narrative around them. Think broadly: has there been an occasion when you have seen someone with a degree in your field of interest make a positive impact on the world? If so, that moment could be part of your essay. You could write about just one moment, or you could cover a few. Moreover, don’t feel restricted to describing a single reason behind your major of choice. That said, there’s nothing wrong with focusing on a single source of inspiration, if that is true to your experience.
In sum, look into your past experiences, plural, to guide the progression of this essay. If you’re having trouble deciding which moment(s) to focus on, try free-writing to figure out which topics you find most meaningful to explore in your writing.
If you need help polishing up your Purdue supplemental essays, check out our College Essay Review service. You can receive detailed feedback from Ivy League consultants in as little as 24 hours.
