BGR and BGRi

BGRi is for the international students, who arrive 3-4 days ahead of their domestic peers; to live, play and eat together, and to set themselves up for a new life in the US before their domestic peers join them for BGR.

BGRi aims to provide information and assistance on how to successfully transition to Purdue, differences in the American classroom vs their own, how to connect to their domestic peers, form new relationships, their role as a student, imbibe the Purdue culture and develop a sense of belonging.

When we were there in 2023, more than 8,000 students participated in BGR activities and nearly 700 students from 72 countries took part in the BGRi programming preceding BGR. More than 700 team leaders, team supervisors, staff and student orientation committee members volunteers helped ensure that this long-standing Purdue welcome was a success. There’s no other institution in the US where these many student volunteers sign up to facilitate orientation at this scale. BGR provides an immersive orientation experience that universities across the country try to emulate.

When Purdue started, they had various traditions such as The Tank Scrap (1890’s-early 1900’s) where sophomores had to defend a water tank from the freshman (which ended after a student had his neck broken). Another tradition was for freshman to wear green pot hats to indicate that they were green to the college experience, which got ceremoniously burned at St. Patricks Day.

Thankfully, these riskier traditions are no longer practised, and new Boilermakers experience other unique Purdue traditions. During fountain runs with their teams, they will zigzag past – and through – five fountains in the heart of Purdue’s campus and made their way to Rush Crossing, where jumping over the tracks signified the beginning of their Purdue journeys.

New students will participate in BGR and BGRi activities in teams of 10-20 new students led by a BGR Team Leader (TL). A Team Leader is an upper-class student who is knowledgeable about campus and its many resources. They will guide your group through the week of BGR(i) together and be your go to resource during that time. All these student teams will also be a part of a bigger BGR Hall Team. Hall Teams are determined by which residence hall you live on campus (or off campus) and are meant to encourage community and friendly competition throughout the week! More information on Hall Teams will be shared via email in August.

You will be doing a lot of walking throughout the week, so you will want to wear comfortable shoes. August in Indiana is often very hot (80-90°F/ 27-32°C), so wear cotton shorts and T-shirts. Be sure to wear things that allow you to participate in a variety of activities. Keep a water bottle with you at all times- and keep refilling at the water fountains- Several students suffer dehydration by forgetting this!

Usually, the first thing in the morning when students meet, they will have some ice breakers (like Hotseat/ big wind blows etc). Next up, there would be sessions relating to Purdue as a whole and its resources/ ISS sessions. After that, there is usually another ice breaker/ session/ followed by lunch. Then comes break time for fun activities like Follow purdue Traditions (Den pop, Crossing trails/ Clapping Circle/ Tradition Tours (i.e a tour of the campus/ Chauncey Hill etc). Each day would then end with one other sessions and finally dinner. You will be with your group from 7-8 am till late in the evening like 7-8pm. There is something to do throughout every day and even into the night. BGR is honestly what you make out of it. There’s really no force to go to any activity you don’t want to, though there are a few assemblies that are scheduled that I’d recommend going to. Some of the assemblies are repetitive, but others are pretty useful in noting resources available for you on campus (i.e. the Academic Success Center).

You get to try food at most, if not all, the dining courts over the course of BGR/BGRi. This allows you to see what dining amenities you prefer and get used to locations.

A student’s mileage of these first days varies by how good a BGRi/ BGR Team leader is and how your team dynamics are. Although each has been provided with a list of mandatory things they should cover, they are given a wide latitude to structure their day.

Being a part of a great Team can make a huge difference. Although not officially encouraged, students do switch teams. My son’s group had really gelled and some brought in their other friends unofficially into his team! Just let your old team leader know that you are moving.

It’s corny. But it’s purposely corny. Just embrace it and resist the temptation to be too cool or above it. For many, college is their first opportunity to truly grow as individuals, but most of that growth happens when you step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself to do things you might not normally do. BGR/ BGRi is a great opportunity to step out of that comfort zone, and your willingness to embrace change is the first step toward becoming your best self.

My advice is that it is worth it. At worst, you’ve wasted $375. However, for $375, there’s a realistic chance that you’ll meet at least one or two other people who, even if they don’t become lifelong friends, will least give you someone to know for your first couple of semesters – someone to talk to, eat meals with, etc. That has value. And if your family is really strapped for cash, you can likely get a fee waiver.

If you do participate in BGR, know that you get out of it what you put into it. Much like life, if you passively wait for things to happen to you in BGR, you’ll be disappointed. Don’t limit yourself to only making friends with people within a narrow criteria. Make an effort to see the best in people and be willing to step outside of your comfort zone a bit. Your goal needn’t be to find your best friends for life, but rather a group of people who can help each other assimilate to college life. If you end up drifting apart after a few semesters, it would still be worth it.

International Parents will be invited to the International Parents Welcome program over the same 3 days as that of BGRi and we had activities such as:

• Parent Welcome Dinner hosted by the Honors College (for the first 250 parents/family who signed up).
• A Walking Tour around the Campus.
• Exploring Chauncey: an orientation walk around Chauncey where students will be frequenting
• A Parents & Family Connections session where they talked about ways to stay in contact with our student.
• ISS session where they discussed visa issues and maintaining student status.
• A Cookout/ Barbeque for students & parents on Slayter Hill sponsored by PASE.
• A Q&A session with parents of a current Purdue student.
• A Student Ambassador session where 3 international students presented the challenges and important information from their perspective.
• A session from the Purdue Police on safety and scams at Purdue.
• An Immigration Counselor Q&A session on immigration issues.
• A Resource Fair where you had the chance to talk to individual offices like ISS, PUSH, Dining, Housing etc on a one-to-one basis in case you have questions which you want to ask in private.
• An Academic Advisor Chat where they presented about how they work with our children to map out their study programs.
• A community event, Mosey Down Main Street, which was a free and family-friendly event that brought together local artists, vendors, and people. There was music, food and street performers etc.

Meals are provided for the students, but parents are responsible for finding and purchasing own meals except for one or two occasions which will be listed in the program (such as a Cookout). You will have been given vouchers as part of your Welcome Kit at the time of Move-in Registration which will give you discounts over the period at restaurants in Chauncey.

If you are looking to buy some apparel or mementos- get them at Discount Den, University Bookstore or Follett’s. Before you leave, you should try and get contacts for your kid’s friends (in case of an emergency where their child is not contactable)

I suggest that as Parents you pay for yourself and try to eat at few dining courts to experience the food your child will be having for the next few years.

International Parents should plan to leave after the Welcome is over, unless there is something from your to-do list (such as scouting for Housing etc) left to do.

BGR, unlike BGRi, is meant for individual students specifically, not families. That’s because they want to promote student success, academic achievement, fostering a sense of belonging, and general comfort with being on Purdue’s campus while the student is spending their early time with their peers instead of their parents.

Like BGRi, there will be get-to-know-you games, presentations about things like school and mental health, discussions, and things to do on campus. They also take you to lunch and dinner (and sometimes breakfast) at the dining courts. They will show you around campus and help you find where your classes are. In addition, you will have an opening ceremony at the Elliott Hall of Music; presentations on diversity, freedom of expression and academic success; and the B-Involved Fair, where students could connect with university clubs and organizations. Last year they had a Purdue-themed, 300-drone show from Sky Elements.

Make sure you don’t miss the B-Involved Club Fair. It’s a great opportunity to network and find groups you may be interested in joining during the school year. There are loads of clubs and there is practically something for everybody. Take info on more groups than you think you can manage. Then after joining them and gauging your interest, you can drop a few later into the year.

The BGR Opening Ceremony is strictly for the students. Parents cannot attend. You will be able to watch a livestream of the first 30 mins or so – they will provide a link nearer the date.

This is the reason I believe that International Parents can return home straight after the Welcome is over