Purdue NROTC

DS was a Marine Option there. Staff has probably turned over two or three times since so all this is dated:

See Facebook page
Google unit - used to publish a quarterly newsletter
Birthday ball
Clothing drives
B-ball tournaments
Color guard at home games
Stadium cleanup
Fair amount of field training
Community and veteran events

Positive experience for my DS
 
DS is there. Freshman on scholarship. Loves the unit. Has made lots of friends. Commanders care. 4Mids live on same floor in dorm. Classes are hard (especially Calc 2) but that's college. They have mandatory study hours and tutors. NROTC is involved in the community and they have fun events as well. Highly recommend!
 
BoilerProud said:
DS is there. Freshman on scholarship. Loves the unit. Has made lots of friends. Commanders care. 4Mids live on same floor in dorm. Classes are hard (especially Calc 2) but that's college. They have mandatory study hours and tutors. NROTC is involved in the community and they have fun events as well. Highly recommend!
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Hi. Is there a housing option to choose another MID?
Also, how hard is the 2.5 and NROTC for engineering? I have heard rough, but that could be alarmist.
We are headed there start of March for accepted students day.
 
bhimom said:
Hi. Is there a housing option to choose another MID?
Also, how hard is the 2.5 and NROTC for engineering? I have heard rough, but that could be alarmist.
We are headed there start of March for accepted students day.
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my NROTC DS is not at Purdue, but at a similar school/unit. he asked for a list of incoming freshman ROTC's and connected with them on social media prior to roommate selection. he found 2 that seemed like roommate material and when the time came to select a roommate preference in the housing portal they all picked each other and it worked out perfectly. they are in a triple room but in a dorm that is for all freshman not just ROTC. have your son or daughter reach out to the unit organizer and i'm sure they will do the same once they know who has committed to Purdue.

Also engineering is HARD, and adding NROTC commitment on top of that its not for the faint of heart. Your Mid will need to be dedicated and hard working and not have any free time their first semester. but they will have other MIDs to commiserate with so its doable. there is a NROTC parents support page on Facebook if you are interested in joining (PM me here)
 
bhimom said:
Hi. Is there a housing option to choose another MID?
Also, how hard is the 2.5 and NROTC for engineering? I have heard rough, but that could be alarmist.
We are headed there start of March for accepted students day.
Click to expand...
Our DS is a MID at Purdue and absolutely loves his unit and has made many friends (both male and female). Most of the 4/c hang out together.
As far as selecting another MiD as a roommate, you can only do this if you know their name and school ID. Most 4/c males are on the same floor and wing in the dorm. The females were also in the same dorm as the males but in a different wing.
There was an option to apply for the NROTC learning community through housing when our MiD applied last year, but I am not sure if this will still be available as the dorm they are in is becoming an all male dorm.
It is worth looking into as they all bonded very quickly and go to and from PT etc together. Sorry I can’t shed any light on how difficult engineering will be as that is not our DS major.
There is a tremendous amount of help and study tables that must be attended though the first semester.
 
Bmn3 said:
Our DS is a MID at Purdue and absolutely loves his unit and has made many friends (both male and female). Most of the 4/c hang out together.
As far as selecting another MiD as a roommate, you can only do this if you know their name and school ID. Most 4/c males are on the same floor and wing in the dorm. The females were also in the same dorm as the males but in a different wing.
There was an option to apply for the NROTC learning community through housing when our MiD applied last year, but I am not sure if this will still be available as the dorm they are in is becoming an all male dorm.
It is worth looking into as they all bonded very quickly and go to and from PT etc together. Sorry I can’t shed any light on how difficult engineering will be as that is not our DS major.
There is a tremendous amount of help and study tables that must be attended though the first semester.
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thank you, we are visiting in March. What is your DS major?
 
Our DS is a PolySci major with emphasis in international relations. He’s has a triple minor that one may turn into a major (would be double major then because of credits)
 
DD was just accepted to Purdue, she has a NROTC Scholarship but we haven't visited yet (this wasn't on here original list). When we go to check it out any advice to get the best view(official and unofficial view) of the NROTC?
 
FtWorth dd Dad said:
DD was just accepted to Purdue, she has a NROTC Scholarship but we haven't visited yet (this wasn't on here original list). When we go to check it out any advice to get the best view(official and unofficial view) of the NROTC?
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Some yahoo born in Dallas named Drew Brees liked Purdue a lot for what that’s worth...
 
I don't know the best way to view the unit. DS and I met with one of the unit staff. We didn't think to ask to talk to a midshipman back then. I was very impressed with the school and the unit though. I know the NROTC unit cleans the stadium after football games, Sunday morning I think, as a unit fundraiser. The ROTC units share the armory building, so they have own area. I wish I could remember where we ate one night there, a place right on the river. If you like fish and have never had walleye, it is delicious.
 
FtWorth dd Dad said:
DD was just accepted to Purdue, she has a NROTC Scholarship but we haven't visited yet (this wasn't on here original list). When we go to check it out any advice to get the best view(official and unofficial view) of the NROTC?
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Here are some suggestions if you opt to visit Purdue and their NROTC unit. I'll just share the steps my DS and I took there that I found useful.

1. Ask if your DD can spend a day/ night to shadow/ stay with a midshipman- attend all classes/ eat on-sight/ stay in the dorm.
2. Visit on a day where the most active military science/ PT sessions are happening - you can both sit in.
3. Offer to take a few midshipmen off campus for a meal. Use the time to ask them their opinions. Can't tell you how much I learned when doing this on the "real" skinny of what it's like to participate in their unit there. Meet the cadre - ask a simple question - how could she meet and exceed their expectations as a member of their unit?
4. Explore the impact Purdue ROTC programs make on the community - I was impressed.
5. Explore off-campus options for housing for later years.
6. Did she apply by 11/1, in order to be eligible for Purdue's additional merit scholarships? if so, while DD is off shadowing, you should meet with admissions/ fin. aid and go over what options exist for you to cover room/ board fees, and understand what those are. I believe those packages come out soon, if they aren't already. Purdue does not as a standard cover room and board.
7. Spend a part of one of the two days with her desired academic department - again sit in on classes in her major. Purdue's classes range from large general lectures to smaller interactive sessions - understand how this is structured.
8. Pay attention to how many people are in the library at 8AM, studying away (a lot). Do the same at 10PM. Take a moment to decide if this is appealing/ palatable to you.
9. Ask the unit if any special events are coming up that you might coordinate with your visit to attend or avoid.
10. Take the campus tour - wear comfortable shoes - you'll walk the campus end to end. You too should eat on campus - Ask if you can eat in one of the several on-campus residential dining halls. Lots of additional choices there too.
11. Explore living community options - they have communities for honors housing for example.
12. Ask admissions for an overview of Purdue's coops/ intern programs. Also ask about their on-site career fairs and their programs to help students with wardrobe, resume support, networking - I was impressed.

I've learned the most in visits just sitting and talking with the midshipmen on their experiences at the school and the unit.

If flying they do have an airport on-campus. They also have a hotel, though in my experience off-campus options for both were more affordable in comparison.

It's a great school, in the middle of Indiana. Cold dreary winters, academically rigorous. Strong alumni network. Did I mention cold winters?

Good luck and congrats to your DD on her scholarship and acceptances. Awesome that she is willing to serve. If you are willing, share a summary of what you both thought of the unit and school after your visit, in case it may help future candidates.
 
Great post by @Herman_Snerd

I second the suggestion of visiting on drill day and shadowing students to class.

Rather than tag along with my DS, I got him where he needed to be and then went and worked in the library. We met up later in the day. No judgement on others - "different strokes for different folks" - that approach worked best for our family unit.

Ask about the Saturday morning pregame ritual called the "breakfast club". Kind of unique. ;)

Also, be on the lookout for the miniature locomotive "the Boilermaker Special" which drives around campus and sounds its horn.

Good luck!
 
Herman_Snerd said:
10. Take the campus tour - wear comfortable shoes - you'll walk the campus end to end. You too should eat on campus - Ask if you can eat in one of the several on-campus residential dining halls. Lots of additional choices there too.
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I remember this part of the tour and my DS eyes lighting up when he saw the gallon tubs of Nutella :D

Herman_Snerd said:
3. Offer to take a few midshipmen off campus for a meal. Use the time to ask them their opinions. Can't tell you how much I learned when doing this on the "real" skinny of what it's like to participate in their unit there. Meet the cadre - ask a simple question - how could she meet and exceed their expectations as a member of their unit?
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Great idea! Wish I'd have thought of that when we were visiting units.

I'll say, after visiting Purdue, part of me hoped he'd go there. The school and the unit both impressed me a lot. In the end he chose his dream school and is very happy with his choice. I think one of the things that influenced him was that it was the only school that, when he contacted them, a midshipman replied and was the first person he met with. We talked together for a while, then they went off on their own. We later met up together again at the ward room where he met with the recruiting officer and the XO stopped in. I think this really resonated with his Boy Scout background and the philosophy of the "boy led troop".
 
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