Purdue University . . . One of America’s “high flying” universities!
Surprisingly, the rural farm land of West Lafayette, Indiana is home to some of the world’s leading scientific research and one of America’s top colleges! But its rural location is hardly the only surprising aspect of Purdue. Although it features a vast and diverse curriculum, Purdue is perhaps best known for its outstanding Engineering Department.
One of the most interesting areas of study at Purdue is aviation and aerospace. Purdue was the very first college to offer a four year degree program in aviation. Purdue’s contribution to the American space program is unmatched by any other college. At least 22 Purdue alumni have become astronauts including Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, and Eugene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon!
The university maintains its own small fleet of aircraft including a turboprop King Air and a BeechJet. In fact, Purdue actually has its own airport . . . Purdue University Airport (LAF). Although it no longer has scheduled commercial service, LAF is still the 2nd busiest airport in the State of Indiana.
Purdue has a long tradition in support of women’s education. Classes first began at Purdue in 1874 and women were admitted the very next year. This means Purdue featured female students nearly a full century before many of the supposedly “progressive” Ivy League colleges! In fact, noted aviatrix Amelia Earhart was a staff member at Purdue. She was Purdue’s “Counselor on Careers for Women” until the time of her famous disappearance over the Pacific Ocean in 1937.
Without question, Purdue is one of the “best values” of any top college in America. The “in state” cost of room, board and tuition is roughly $17,000 and even the “out of state” tuition is $10,000 to $20,000 less than many other comparable colleges!
Sports fans across America know the Purdue teams as the “Boilermakers”. A newspaper reporter writing about the Purdue football team first coined the term back in 1891 and it stuck. But did you know that before the name “Boilermakers” became famous, Purdue athletes were known as “hay makers”, “rail splitters” and even “cornfield sailors”!
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