Academics, Textbooks, & Exams

In the United States, class attendance and participation are normally considered course requirements. You can expect daily or weekly homework assignments, frequent short tests or “quizzes” (announced and unannounced), and teachers keeping track of the number of times you participate in class discussions. At the end of each semester, final examinations are given and may cover the entire course content or only a portion of it. In addition to the final exam, most classes will have a mid-term exam. While many different types of testing are used, multiple choice, true/false, and short answer exams are the most common in lower-level courses. Upper- level courses usually involve essay exams and research papers. Engineering, Science, and Polytechnic students can expect problem-solving assignments, while Management students frequently work on group projects.

University professors in the United States generally welcome classroom questions and discussions with their students.

Purdue has two categories of delivering education. These are called Laboratory based and Non-Laboratory based. The main difference between the two boils down to what the student’s participation is.

A laboratory based instruction is where students master the subject matter either by performing experiments or practising the skills being learned. The instructor generally supervises, assists, answers questions, etc., rather than making presentations. Examples: science laboratories, computer laboratories, private lessons, auto-tutorial, or self-paced classes, studios, and clinics

Non-laboratory instruction is where the material is primarily delivered by the instructor (or a fellow student’s) verbal or visual presentation rather than through the student’s own active practice or experimentation. Instruction is usually conducted in general-purpose classroom facilities, including lecture halls and seminar rooms. Examples: lecture, recitation, quiz, discussion, presentations, case studies, team-based learning and seminar activities.

In your first year, you are likely to encounter some LEC (lectures) where you have big classes, with those for popular science and maths classes that tons of people have to take, numbering a few hundred students. They are then supported by REC (or Recitation) where you have a typically smaller groups (max 20-30) reviewing or discussing material previously presented in a lecture section. For the big lectures, they have teaching assistants (or TAs) assigned for classes like that, so that they can have a low students to teacher ratio. Once you start attending upper level classes, your classes will be much smaller, for instance, less than 20.

Teaching Assistant (TA) and Professors: Should be your first point of contact if you have any academic problems or you want to get something clarified. They’ll be able to talk you through problems or provide information about other study opportunities.

Office Hours are where your instructors and/or teaching assistants make themselves available for walk-in help or by appointment and these are offered for every course. Check your course syllabus first to see when these are held, or talk to your instructor and/or teaching assistant to coordinate a time with them. If the posted office hours do not fit your schedule, most instructors will be willing to find a time that does work for you (within reason). This is a free alternative to tutoring for extra help, so take advantage of it. For best results, make sure you go prepared (having already attempted the assignment) and do not go at the last minute.

Find out office hours for each of your classes. And try and see the professors and teaching assistants once a week in office hours esp core (such as STEM & maths) subjects. Office hours are criminally underutilised. Attending office hours allows you to grasp concepts more easily and helps you form a relationship with your professors who can connect you to jobs and internships and give you great Letters of Recommendations to potential employers. If you impress them, you have a better chance in securing research opportunities and projects.

Textbooks are very expensive in the US. Especially for those of coming from a third world country, they seem exorbitant. Textbook information is listed in the Schedule of Classes for every course. However note that textbook information is subject to be changed at any time at the discretion of the faculty member. If you have questions or concerns please contact the academic department.

Wait

The most important piece of advice here is to wait until a few days/weeks into the semester to purchase the textbook, unless you know for sure you’ll need the textbook (such as if it comes with an access code). Often at times, a textbook may be listed as “required” on a syllabus or course listing, but may not really be needed asthe Prof may opt for no textbook or recommend another. You don’t need to get a physical text book unless your professor insists or if your child is comfortable using an online text book.

Buying vs. Renting

Typically, you can choose to either buy or rent a textbook. I would only recommend buying it if it’s a textbook that you know will have substantive use after college (or if you just have a ton of money to blow).

Regardless of whether you’re buying or renting, used textbooks are pretty common and often cheaper than new versions. This can hold doubly true if you can manage to use an older published edition of the book; while the newest edition of a textbook is usually the one listed for the course, you can sometimes get away with using an older edition.

Where to Buy/Rent

In regards to where to buy or rent your textbooks, you have a few options. Many students use Amazon for its convenience – you can get pretty much any book, and it’ll be shipped right to the Amazon locker locations on campus (or to your apartment/housing if you’re off-campus). If you’re renting, all you have to do is drop the book off at the Amazon location at the end of the semester.

There are three book stores on campus.

1) Von’s
2) University Book Store
3) Follett’s

University Book Store sells used books as well. They were clearly marked as ‘Used’ and kept in the basement. Check these places and online (Amazon etc) for best deals on new and used books.

What ever you do don’t go to libgen.is and look up your books to see if you can get them for free. This is very illegal. Let me say it again. Don’t go do libgen.is and search the exact name of your book in the text bar and hit the blue search button. Don’t do this as it gives you free textbooks in pdf format that you can download onto your computer. This is illegal!

A special mention is reserved for this. Prof Chen is a legend at Purdue. And his lectures are all available on line as Chenflix. My son has often used his courses, like other students, when he doesn’t comprehend maths from other professors. Some students have given up on going to other Professor classes and just follow these instead!

Developed and maintained by two Purdue undergrads, Boilerexams lets you study like you’ve never been able to before. Say goodbye to printing pages and reading off of PDFs. Say goodbye to not knowing how well you’re doing compared to your classmates. Say hello to a one-stop-shop for the entire studying process and more statistics than you’ll know what to do with. Boilerexams v2 went live recently. See it here

Always go to class

You/your parents paid for it, so don’t be an idiot. Going to class is the easiest way to give yourself, and your grade, a boost. Missing one class may not seem like a big deal, but it can trigger a landslide of skips that you (and your GPA) will find it difficult to recover from.

Do Your Homework

It’s basically your teacher giving you material to help you on the tests, and you’ll be glad you did when finals week arrives. Do it early on; don’t postpone it to the last minute.

Be Patient with Yourself

Be patient with yourself. Undergraduate studies aren’t like High School, and you will never know everything. Especially in the STEM courses, you will be surrounded by really smart peers, unlike in school where you were always the class topper. Don’t get caught up in comparing yourself to your peers. People learn material at different rates. You belong at Purdue, or you would not have been admitted! Do your best, Purdue is determined to help you succeed and graduate. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask.

Don’t stress it if you feel like you will know no one, when arriving to campus. You will gradually get to know people and create a friend group. Give it time. Take care of yourself. Enjoy life.  School is not everything.  Go out, relax, workout, eat well, sleep well. 

Save your Homework/Lab/Quiz Drops

You’ll find yourself swamped with deadlines nearing the end of the semester, and being able to drop a difficult assignment as you’re preparing for midterms saves you a lot more stress than wasting a drop on the second assignment two weeks into the semester.

Develop Good Study Habits

What works for you is different from what works for everyone else. Maybe you like flashcards, or creating your own study guide, or hammering practice exams over and over again. Regardless, experiment a bit and figure out what works for you. It’s highly likely that this will be topic-specific – for Calc, maybe it’s the practice exams. For Psych, maybe it’s the flashcards. There’s obviously more to study habits than studying methodology. I would recommend a blend of individual and group studying. Studying with a group is immensely helpful because you can talk with peers about what you each don’t understand, and work together to figure it out. But ultimately, you’ll be taking the test as an individual.

Separate Your Spaces

This goes hand-in-hand with developing good study habits, but in college it can be easy to study in your dorm room – the same place you watch Netflix, sleep, talk with your room-mate, etc. I’m no psychologist, but there’s definitely something to the fact that you associate a space with what you normally do in it. You will likely find yourself more focused and in a study “mindset” if you’re at a library or another study spot on campus. Working on a CS project? If so, go to Lawson and be surrounded by people doing the same thing. Doing some light homework? WALC basement or Hicks is a good casual environment to get some work done without being eerily quiet. Need to really hit the books for a huge exam coming up? Can’t beat the dead-silence and study atmosphere of the Reading Room or HSSE stacks/upper floors.

Ask for Help

Supplemental Instruction (SI): Supplemental Instruction (or “SI”) sessions offer help in a variety of maths and science courses. You work in small study groups with a leader and go over the class material in depth. Connect to them here

Peer Success Coaching: A Peer Success Coach (PSC) is a point-person who can offer guidance to students as they navigate life at Purdue. PSCs function as guides, listeners, and motivational partners, but not as tutors, instructors, parents, or academic advisors. See here.

Accountability Groups: Are you struggling with motivation and accountability? Tired of studying alone? Studying or working on homework can sometimes feel isolating and may lead to reduced productivity or procrastination. Join and help hold each other accountable for success!

Academic Consultations: Consultations with a professional which cover academic skills and strategies related to time management, studying for exams, and reaching other academic goals. Consultations are not for course registration information, prospective and admitted student meetings, or CODO planning; please see your academic advisor to discuss those topics. Click here to learn more

Attend a Workshop: Attending an ASC workshop is a great way to jump-start the process of achieving your goals. Designed to tackle some of the most pressing challenges student’s face today such as Exam Preparation, Planning Your semester etc. They rotate the workshops throughout the semester. In order to stay up to date with what’s going and when workshops are offered follow them on Instagram @purdueasc

Download the ASC Handouts: Staff at the Academic Success Center have put together several handouts to help you organize your goals, study for exams, track your time, and more. Feel free to download their guides and print them out.

Writing Lab: The Purdue Writing Lab offers many different services for students including one-on-one tutorials and general writing workshops. See here

Purdue Library: The Purdue University Libraries system on the West Lafayette campus includes six subject-oriented libraries, the Hicks Undergraduate Library, and the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center. Hours of operation vary, but all libraries on campus are open during weekdays. The larger libraries are open seven days a week and have evening hours. The Undergraduate Library is open 24 hours with your PUID card. The Purdue Library is an amazing resource that students can access in-person and online. Viewing the Purdue Library Tutorials to learn how to navigate it online, and then for specific guides for your educational major: Guides by Subject.

The final exam schedule will be published in late September for the fall term, in late February for the spring term, and in late June for the summer term. Until the final exam schedule is published, students should be prepared to be on campus through the end of the final exam period. These exam weeks are shown in the calendar above.

Once exam schedules are released, if your student logins to mypurdue, he/she can look up their personal examination schedule and see all their upcoming exams. They can see a perfectly tailored exam schedule.

For us parents, there is an Exam lookup tool for each subject. You can type in the number of the course and get the exam date.

In case of examination conflicts (exams scheduled for the same student at the same time),  students faced with a direct exam conflict are entitled to reschedule either examination. It is the responsibility of the student to make the request for the necessary arrangements at least one week before the scheduled exam. Course instructors shall not penalize a student who chooses to reschedule an examination under these options. In the event the student is unable to reach an agreement with the course instructors to reschedule one of the exams, student will contact the Office of the Registrar. See here for more details under Misc section/ answer to the question “What if a student has 3 exams scheduled in a day?”

Academic performance in each course is evaluated by the professor using letter grades of “A” to “F.” The grading system used to evaluate a student’s
academic performance is based on a four-point scale. At the end of the semester you will receive a number of credits corresponding to the courses
you have successfully completed. These credits are multiplied by your grades to determine your “grade-point-average (GPA).” A GPA provides
a general indication of overall academic performance and is used by U.S.graduate school admissions offices and employers interested in a
student’s academic history. Generally, undergraduate students are expected to complete their studies with a “C” average or better, which
explains why achieving good grades is so important to American students.

Colleges around the nation have inflated grades for years, allowing students some slack and higher grades. Purdue, ranked as one of the toughest grading colleges in the country, does not follow this policy. Purdue is one of the “Sweet Sixteen of Tough Graders,” ranked among Princeton, MIT and Southern Polytechnic State. At least for STEM it does have a curve. If they left it like the Prof and TA gave grades – the average FYE or CS student would get a C or even lower. See this article.

For those taking Maths especially, Calc 1 and Calc 2 stand out as weed-out classes. See this article.

They adjust upwards using a curve, but it is not grade inflation. It is to reverse some of the tough marking they have done! If you are interested in reading about the curve and how it is used at Purdue refer to this post and this one.

All students enrolled at the Purdue West Lafayette campus  may submit their requests directly on myPurdue under the Academic tab.

Always order these for your records. It will be useful for your academic records/visa renewals/tax purposes etc.

If you have a semester of low grades where your GPA drops below 2- you will be put on Academic Notice – it is not a phrase Boilermakers and their families want or plan to hear. Being placed on academic notice is a notification from the university that they are concerned about your academic performance and progress. Academic notice means you are given a chance to improve and if you don’t it may lead to academic separation. You can read more on it here.