15 Things You’ll Regret Not Doing At Purdue University

Greetings Boilermakers! It’s the spring semester soon, which means it is some of you guys’ last semester – Cheers to the class of 2017! In honor of graduating soon, or graduating at some point (which all of you should be doing at some point), here’s a few things you’ll regret not doing at Purdue University. You need to put these on your Purdue bucket list and you need to finish before you leave the good old West Lala!

1. A fountain run after a long, hot day.

It might get extremely cold in the winter, but you’re going to get used to the extremes that Indiana offers you in terms of weather soon enough. That means scorching heat in the Spring or the Fall can get to you. What’s better than a swift cool down, like throwing a glass of cold water on to a burning hot stone overflowing with unsolved equations and homework stress. A fountain run is not just meant for BGR kids, but it can be helpful in giving you a fun break and an opportunity to do something with your friends.

2. Ride the Boilermaker Special

There’s something special between the sound of that horn as it blares down State street, waking everyone up at 8am on a Saturday morning. You just want to be a part of that at some point. Riding the boilermaker special is something that cannot be skipped on your bucket list, it is a long-lasting tradition. Just make sure you don’t do that in the winter, it is too cold.

3. Take a picture with Neil, and try doing the leap on the moon.

That’s not a small step at all Neil, but sure enough, his statue will smile at you as you try ever so hard to make that giant space suit shoe. Purdue graduates have always been proud of the fact that Neil Armstrong is an alumnus, and that has led us to have a statue and a building named after him. The casual position he is sitting in calls for plenty of whacky pictures or poses, one of which you must think of and take. That picture will stay unique to you and will always be a memory at Purdue.

4. Have a picnic out at the Memorial Mall.

There is not much need to explain this one. Memorial mall is always so green, beautiful and always has so much space to use for whatever you may think of. From setting up your hammock to laying down in the grass, this is definitely something I do every week at least once.

5. Sled down Slayter Hill.

I’d give you all ideas on how to get a makeshift sled, but I’ll leave it to your imaginations. Show us what you can do! Wait for a good snow, and get out there. Make sure you pad up because you are guaranteed to fall into the snow and roll around many times. It’s totally worth it.

6. Explore the tunnels.

Purdue has a vast network of underground tunnels that connect many buildings on campus. It’s a lifesaver in the winter, but have you ever wondered how many tunnels are there or if there are any more? Are there shortcuts you don’t know about yet? Back in my freshmen year, I would grab some friends and walk along the tunnels, turning randomly to look for new connections and shortcuts to use daily. It was a lot of fun and it’s something that is surely worth your time.

7. Go to the Union during Christmas, check out the jaw-dropping tree.

Every Christmas, the Union is crowded with a giant tree, to celebrate the tradition and Holiday Spirit. The tree is way higher than you can imagine, if you already haven’t seen it and always calls for some great pictures.

8. Go to Harry’s Chocolate Shop.

Yes yes, it is a chocolate shop indeed. Harry’s is the oldest ‘chocolate shop’ on campus, and takes the No. 1 spot for national college bar, making this an unmissable spot to visit once you hit the big 21. As bad as it sounds, take the birthday shot; its tradition.

9. Meet Purdue Pete!

The clichéd college mascot photo must be a part of your album. Purdue Pete makes us proud as he cheers the Boilermakers on at every sporting event and keeps our school spirit up. 40,000 of us cheering on with Pete has definitely made a connection between us all. Most probably, you will be able to see him at the senior send off when you are graduating, but if you see him before that, run and post that picture up so everyone can see how proud you are.

10. Use the CoRec, do extracurriculars.

You only have a limited amount of years where you will have free access to the CoRec and all its state of the art equipment. You do not want to let that slip. Purdue stands as a large stage for you to try and learn anything you want, and go wherever your hobbies take you. That is not only good for your personal development but also good for your career building. You will look back and wonder why you never took advantage of that sauna and hot tub, while gloating over the amazing workout sessions you could’ve had. Go for it!

11. Go to a Purdue Basketball game.

Purdue has always been proud and filled with school spirit as we cheer our sporting teams on. Besides basketball, any Purdue sporting game is a treat. It is worth mentioning that the atmosphere at Mackey Arena is out of this world. It is completely worth going to one of these games. Be sure to take a picture, and cheer loud and hard for our boilermakers that represent us on the field or court!

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12. Hit the big Bass Drum.

The world’s largest drum, a part of the All American Marching Band, is an icon at Purdue, and is something everyone should see before they graduate. If you’re lucky you will see it on campus every now and then while you scurry about for class, but it is almost necessary to make sure you have a chance to hit it. Usually, they will have it at the senior send off, but make sure you find opportunities anyways, just in case you know?

13. Make the most of Grand Prix week.

If you don’t know what Grand Prix week is, you haven’t explored. It’s the biggest event in the year where everyone is maximizing fun. Whether you attend parties, go to the bars or kick back with some friends, you need to make the most of this celebration. If you make it to the end of the week, get tickets and go see the race! It’s a tradition at Purdue for longer than you can imagine.

14. Go bowling in the Union.

Many don’t know, but we have a bowling alley in the basement of the Union building. It makes for a good evening with some friends and if you’re really into it, they even offer a bowling class during the semester. Let’s face it, who doesn’t like bowling. Give it a shot, it’s not too far from anywhere around campus!

15. Go to callouts and job fairs for the free food and merchandise.

If you didn’t do this freshmen year, you’re missing out. At the beginning of semesters, tons of clubs at Purdue have callouts that incentivize you to go by offering free Pizza. Get some pizza, check out the club and there you have it, free dinner. Hey, for all you know you might just like it and join. As for career fairs, once you have visited the stalls you planned to, walk around and get some free stuff, no harm if they’re giving it away and you might find some useful stuff like water bottles, calculators and bags. Worth it.

There you have it! If you guys have any other suggestions, please let us know. Don’t forget, these four years of undergrad are the best years of our lives and we should make the most of them. Being at Purdue is a blessing and we should take advantage of everything it has to offer. Boiler up!

Featured image source: purduekkg.tumblr.com