purdue university essay writing

Undergraduate Admissions

Application Essays

Below are essay prompts for the 2024-2025 Common Application. First-time college students (future freshmen) will use the Common Application to  apply to Purdue .  

When applying to Purdue you should use the Common Application.

The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Purdue's own  Online Writing Lab  offers advice on  writing essays for college applications .

The Common Application Freshman Essay Prompts 

Required minimum-maximum word count: 250-650

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design. 

Purdue Questions 

Respond in 250 words or fewer.

• How will opportunities at Purdue support your interests, both in and out of the classroom?
• Briefly discuss your reasons for pursuing the major you have selected.

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Purdue Supplemental Essays 2024-25 – Prompts and Advice

June 25, 2024

Purdue is a school where the non-scary acceptance rate figures are not truly indicative of just how competitive the admissions process actually is. This public land grant research university in Indiana is actually a draw for students from around the world—out-of-staters apply at three times the volume of Hoosier State residents. Highly renowned academic programs in areas such as computer science, engineering, and business are part of the reason that the average enrolled applicant attending Purdue today possesses an SAT of 1300+ and a 3.7 unweighted GPA. This brings us to the topic of the Purdue supplemental essays.

(Want to learn more about How to Get Into Purdue? Visit our blog entitled: How to Get Into Purdue University: Admissions Data and Strategies for all of the most recent admissions data as well as tips for gaining acceptance.)

In a competitive admissions environment, Purdue’s essay prompts are viewed by the committee as being “important” to the evaluation process. Therefore, it is vital that all Boilermaker applicants dedicate a significant amount of time to these three essays. Below are Purdue University’s supplemental prompts for the 2024-25 admissions cycle along with our advice for composing winning essays.

Purdue University Essay Prompt #1 (Required)

1) How will opportunities at Purdue support your interests, both in and out of the classroom? (250 words)

Purdue’s essay may not directly ask the applicant “Why Us?” but make no mistake—this is very much a classic “Why Us?” essay that will require some research. Luckily, they upped the word count from 100 words to 250 words, which means you can squeeze in twice as many details.

Examples of items that quality “Why Purdue?” essays touch upon include:

• Firstly, opportunities available through the Office of Undergraduate Research.
• Purdue’s 30+ study abroad programs .
• The 600 student organizations on campus.
• The Pathmaker Internship Program.
• Numerous combined degree opportunities for ambitious students.
• Unique academic opportunities available through your department/major of choice.

Of course, these are just five out of countless features that could be part of a successful essay. You may also wish to address items like specific courses you are excited about, particular professors, or internship/co-op placements that you would aim to take advantage of. Finally, be sure to explain why each program/offering is appealing to you.

Purdue Supplemental Essays (Continued)

Essay Prompt #2 (Required)

2) Briefly discuss your reasons for pursuing the major you have selected. (250 words)

Share an authentic story here of why you are interested in your selected discipline. What books have you read on the subject? What documentaries have you watched? Which podcasts have you listened to? What subtopics most intrigue you? Did a teacher excite you about a topic or was it a parent or outside mentor? Do you know where you want to take this knowledge post-bachelor’s degree? Do you aim to one day go on to pursue a graduate/professional degree or is there an occupation you are shooting for right out of undergrad? Include as much detail as possible.

You can structure the narrative of this essay as a soup-to-nuts chronicling of your entire journey toward your discipline of interest or share one or two vignettes that illustrate your burgeoning passion for engineering, history, French, computer science, business, psychology, etc.

Essay Prompt #3 (Required if listing a second major)

3) Briefly discuss your reasons for pursuing the alternate major you have selected. (Respond in 250 words or fewer.)

See answer #2 re: your first-choice major. You are essentially repeating this process for a different field. However, avoid having two completely unrelated majors/career goals. For example, if your first choice was business and your second choice was economics, it’s easy to explain the relationship. If the fields are more disparate (e.g. Dance & Chemical Engineering), be sure to provide a thorough explanation.

How important are the Purdue supplemental essays?

The essays (both the Common App essay and two supplemental essays) are “important” to the Purdue admissions committee, given the same weight as recommendations, extracurricular activities, character/personal qualities, and first-generation status. This places the essays behind only GPA, standardized test scores, and the rigor of your secondary school record, all three of which are designated as “very important” by Purdue.

Purdue Supplemental Essays – Want Personalized Essay Assistance?

If you are interested in working with one of College Transitions’ experienced and knowledgeable essay coaches as you craft your Purdue supplemental essays, we encourage you to get a quote today.

Need additional essay writing resources? Check out the following:

• Common App Essay Prompts
• 10 Instructive Common App Essay Examples
• College Application Essay Topics to Avoid
• How to Brainstorm a College Essay
• How to Start a College Essay
• How to End a College Essay
• “Why This College?” Essay Examples
• 25 Inspiring College Essay Topic Ideas
• College Essay

Dave Bergman

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Purdue Supplemental Essay 2022-2023

Purdue supplemental essay: quick facts.

• Purdue University acceptance rate: 67%— U.S. News ranks Purdue as a more selective school.
• Purdue application: Purdue only accepts the Common Application , not the Coalition Application.
• 2 (100-word) required essays
• 2 (500-word) Purdue Honors College essays (required if applying to the Honors College)
• Purdue Essay Tip: We recommend answering both Purdue University supplemental essays comprehensively and thoughtfully, highlighting in each of your Purdue essays why Purdue is the perfect school for you.

What are Purdue University’s essays?

In addition to the Common App essay , students must also complete the Purdue supplemental essay prompts. 

Required Purdue supplemental essay prompts:

• How will opportunities at Purdue support your interests, both in and out of the classroom? (100 words)
• Briefly discuss your reasons for pursuing the major you have selected. (100 words)

Required Purdue supplemental essay prompts for Honors College applicants are:

• One Purdue supplemental essay about your vision for your honors experience at Purdue (500 words)
• An additional Purdue supplemental essay about the interdisciplinary nature of your chosen field of study (500 words)

These Purdue application essays represent the final step in the Purdue application process. Strong responses to the Purdue supplemental essays can help your Purdue application stand out among the almost 60,000 applications the university receives each year.

So, if you want to get into Purdue, it’s important to spend time on your responses to the Purdue essay prompts. A solid set of Purdue application essays can make a major difference in the Purdue admissions process.

In this guide, we’ll break down each of the Purdue essay prompts and provide expert tips on how to make sure your Purdue application essays shine. Keep reading to learn how to approach your Purdue University supplemental essays!

Purdue application essay requirements

Many selective colleges require supplemental essays beyond the standard Common App essay, also known as the Personal Statement . The Purdue application requirements are no exception to this. 

There are two Purdue essay prompts required of all applicants. Additionally, Honors College applicants must complete two additional Purdue University supplemental essays. Pay close attention to which Purdue supplemental essays you should complete, as it varies by program. 

So, if you are applying to Purdue University, you must complete at least two 100-word Purdue essay prompts. Each Purdue supplemental essay is designed to give you a chance to show Purdue admissions officers who you are, beyond the rest of your application. You should treat each Purdue supplemental essay as an opportunity to showcase a part of yourself that isn’t highlighted elsewhere within the Purdue application requirements.

Honors College essay requirements

Like many schools, Purdue has additional requirements for the Purdue Honors College. If you apply to the Purdue John Martinson Honors College, you must complete two more 500-word Purdue Honors College essays. These additional prompts help Purdue Admissions ensure that Purdue Honors College applicants go above and beyond the typical Purdue application requirements. 

You should be sure to set aside more than enough time to craft strong Purdue Honors College essays and Purdue supplemental essays.

Purdue Supplemental Essay- Prompt 1 ( Required )

How will opportunities at purdue support your interests, both in and out of the classroom (100 words maximum).

The first Purdue essay asks applicants to reflect on their academic and personal interests. Then, it asks them to explain how Purdue will help them pursue those interests. In other words, the first of the Purdue essay prompts asks why you want to attend Purdue over any other school. 

You’ve probably encountered similar “why this college?” essay prompts on other applications. So, as you might expect, this Purdue application essay must be specific to Purdue. You won’t be able to copy and paste another school’s essay to answer this Purdue supplemental essay. 

Brainstorming your topic

Before starting to write this Purdue supplemental essay, think about your interest in Purdue. Write down a list of reasons why Purdue made your college list. Does Purdue offer a particular program that interests you? Or does Purdue’s campus culture fit your vision for your college experience? The best responses to the Purdue essay prompts will include specific details.

Building your narrative

Once you have created your list of interests, identify several that you would like to write about in your Purdue supplemental essays. This Purdue supplemental essay doesn’t give you much space; picking one or two interests, therefore, will help you stay within the word count and give your essay some structure. 

When deciding which interests to focus on, remember your other Purdue essay. You can discuss your intended major in the second of the required Purdue essay prompts. With this in mind, make sure you don’t delve into topics better suited for other Purdue essay prompts. Instead, use this Purdue supplemental essay to talk about interests that you have not discussed in other areas of your application. After all, you want each Purdue supplemental essay to showcase a different part of your identity.

Making it specific

Next, research Purdue to see how your interests overlap with opportunities Purdue offers. The Purdue essay prompts are a chance to show off the research you’ve done; for example, talking to Purdue admissions representatives or visiting campus. If any of these interactions relate to one of your chosen themes, mention them in this Purdue supplemental essay. This shows your knowledge of Purdue’s strengths as a university. 

For example, a prospective student could use this Purdue application essay to discuss the state-of-the-art kinesiology labs she visited and how they would help her pursue her interest in physical therapy. Make sure you discuss what you experienced along with how it relates to your interests. Once again, the best Purdue University supplemental essays will use specific details to show why you belong at Purdue.

Writing your essay

Now that you’ve done the brainstorming and research for this Purdue supplemental essay, you can start writing. Because you only have 100 words for this Purdue supplemental essay, you need to make each one count. Avoid unrelated topics, vague wording, and forms of “to be.” Instead, use clear language and strong action verbs in each Purdue essay. Compare these two sentences below:

“There is no school that is a better fit to support my interests than Purdue University.” (16 words)

“Purdue possesses the resources to support my interests.” (8 words)

The second sentence conveys the same message as the first, but it uses much stronger language and fewer words. Specific details and short, powerful sentences will help your Purdue essay stand out. 

Purdue Supplemental Essay Reflection Questions:

• Does your Purdue essay refer to 2-3 strong interests from your list?
• Do you present information not found in other areas of your application?
• Does your Purdue supplemental essay contain specific information about Purdue based on your research?
• Do you clearly explain to Purdue admissions how Purdue will help you pursue your interests?

Purdue Supplemental Essay — Prompt 2 ( Required )

Briefly discuss your reasons for pursuing the major you have selected. (100 words maximum).

The second of the Purdue supplemental essays is the typical “why major essay.” The “why major essay” is a common supplemental essay question that many schools require. Purdue is no different—they want to understand why you aim to pursue the field you’ve indicated on your application. 

The reality of the “why major essay” question is that schools want to know you’ve done your research on their programs. As a result of this, your “why major essay” for each school must relate to that school’s unique offerings. While you can include some general details, you should make sure this essay remains school-specific. 

Not all students know what they plan to major in. Choosing your college major is a big decision, and it requires plenty of forethought. This Purdue supplemental essay can be especially daunting if you’re unsure of your major, so let’s explore how to get around that. 

Brainstorming your major

Before starting to write this “why major essay,” think about the school subjects you enjoy. You may already identify as a lover of math or know you have the most fun in English class. However, Purdue University offers more than 200 different undergraduate majors across their 11 different colleges, so check the full list for options. This research will also help you show demonstrated interest in this Purdue supplemental essay.

When selecting a major for this Purdue application essay, think about the career you might want to pursue. You might consider the topics you have liked learning about, both inside and outside the classroom. If you’re having trouble selecting one major for this Purdue supplemental essay, choose the major you have the most compelling reasons to pursue.

Selecting a field of study for this Purdue supplemental essay might feel daunting. However, don’t be stressed about choosing a major. Instead, as you write your Purdue supplemental essay, focus on showing your intellectual curiosity and engagement with your studies. You can always change your major once you arrive on campus.

Using details

In order to write the best essay possible, include experiences that have made the biggest impact on your academic career. Have you had a teacher who drove you to explore more about their subject? Have you had work or volunteer experience that inspired you to pursue a particular major? Do you have a burning passion to support a specific cause? 

Your Purdue application essay should tell a story. So, highlight stories where you’ve engaged deeply with your chosen subject, whether directly or indirectly. In doing so, you’ll help readers understand why your chosen major excites you. This can help your Purdue supplemental essay showcase your intellectual curiosity.

Whatever major you choose, don’t just discuss the basic reasons why you enjoy it in this Purdue essay. Instead, go deeper. Think of this Purdue essay as a short narrative where you share moments in your life that have influenced you. A student who wants to major in electrical engineering might talk about getting a circuitry kit for Christmas and watching his dad repair wires around the house. She might then share how she helped the school robotics club win a competition. Find those formative moments in your life and use them as the foundation of your Purdue supplemental essay. Again, the best Purdue supplemental essay will be the most specific!

• Does your Purdue essay focus on the major that most interests you?
• Do you use specific details about how you came to love that major?
• Does your Purdue supplemental essay help your reader learn something new about you?

Purdue Honors College Essay Requirements

The Purdue Honors College is a separate program within Purdue University specifically designed for high-achieving students. Recently, the Purdue Honors College became formally known as the John Martinson Honors College. According to their website , “Martinson supports new programmatic initiatives which promote undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activity, leadership and professional development, global and community engagement, and innovative pedagogies.” 

You should research the Purdue Honors College thoroughly before deciding if you want to apply. Once you make the decision that the Purdue Honors College is right for you, it’s time to crack down on the Purdue Honors College essays.

The Purdue Honors College supplemental essay requirements are:

• 1 (500-word) Purdue supplemental essay about your vision for your honors experience at Purdue
• 1 (500-word) Purdue essay prompt about the interdisciplinary nature of your chosen field of study

Now, let’s break down each of the Purdue supplemental essays for the Purdue Honors College and talk about strategies to tackle each one. 

For more help on writing supplemental essays, click here . For help standing out in the college admissions process, read this article .

Purdue Honors College Essays- Question 1 

Explain your vision, ideas, or goals for how you hope to shape your honors experience while at purdue. please put this in the context of the four pillars which are the foundation of the john martinson honors college. (500 word maximum).

In order to answer the first of the Honors College Purdue essay prompts effectively, you need to reflect on your reasons for applying to the Honors College. Then, you need to connect those reasons to the four pillars that express the Honors College’s values. The best Purdue application essays will directly connect an applicant’s academic goals with the four pillars of the Purdue Honors College.

Understanding Purdue

Before starting this Purdue supplemental essay, you need to have a firm understanding of the four pillars mentioned in the prompt. These pillars are: community and global engagement, undergraduate research, leadership development, and interdisciplinary academics. Reviewing the Honors College mission statement will give you more information about the four pillars. You do not need to reference all four of these pillars in your Purdue essay; instead, focus on whichever ones best fit with your future plans.

Researching the Honors College beyond the four pillars can also help strengthen your Purdue supplemental essay. Start by browsing this year’s Honors College course list . Review some of the research projects done by past Honors students. As you brainstorm for your Purdue admissions essays, look for programs and projects that connect to your interests. You might see a course or research project that lines up with one of your passions. You can use that as evidence in your Purdue essay that the Honors College will provide an ideal learning environment to nurture your interests.

Making it about you

This Purdue essay prompt asks you to imagine how you would spend your time as a Purdue Honors student. That future will likely be rooted in your past experiences. Strong Purdue application essays, therefore, should use the four pillars of Purdue Honors to connect your past experiences to your future at Purdue. 

When you talk about your future, try to be as specific as possible. For instance, saying that you want to travel to India to study their culture is not as powerful as saying that you want to travel to India to research how native fashions have changed due to modern technology in this Purdue essay.

You can begin brainstorming for this Purdue supplemental essay by doing a fr e e-write based on this prompt: “If I could have any academic experience I want in college, what would it be?” Think about the questions you might explore or problems you would like to solve if you had the freedom to choose. Don’t limit yourself—the best way to start writing is to free yourself from any perfectionism. 

Use this Purdue admissions essay to share the subject that you could stay up all night researching or the idea you cannot get out of your head. Let your ambition come across in your writing, using the four pillars of the Honors College as the foundation for achieving your goals. Finally, help your reader envision how you would contribute to the Honors College in this Purdue supplemental essay.

• Does your Purdue essay clearly describe your goals for attending the Honors College?
• Do you include references to at least one of the four pillars of the Honors College?
• Does your Purdue supplemental essay indicate specific projects you might undertake or resources you might use as an Honors student?

Purdue Honors College Essays — Question 2

Please describe the interdisciplinary nature of your chosen field of study and how it complements or supports other fields. (examples: you might describe how your work in a liberal arts career may impact or inform the work of an engineer.) (500 word maximum).

The second of the Purdue application essays asks how your chosen subject connects to other fields. At first, this Purdue essay can seem daunting. After all, most high school classes are separated by subject without much room for interdisciplinary work. However, with a little creative thinking, you can develop relationships between just about any set of subjects and use those relationships to write a strong Purdue essay.

Finding an intersection

To get you started, here are a few examples of interdisciplinary study that would make good material for Purdue application essays:

• Creating a business plan for a health care clinic combines medicine with economics
• Volunteering at a music therapy provider combines Psychology and Music into an interdisciplinary field grounded in helping those with mental illnesses
• A project about the evolution of manufacturing technology combines history with engineering

These example topics for a Purdue supplemental essay represent a tiny fraction of the ways you could answer this prompt. Each of these potential Purdue application essays could also tie in with some of your activities from high school. 

You might also use your Purdue essay to consider what you have learned working with people who have different interests than yours and how you could bring that knowledge to your studies. Strong Purdue admissions essays can come from anywhere, so don’t limit yourself. 

Getting creative

If you struggle to form connections between academic fields based on your personal experience, you can use your imagination to come up with hypothetical situations that might foster collaboration across fields. These imaginary situations can still make for a great Purdue supplemental essay. 

For instance, as a lover of computer science, you might imagine its applications in the world of digital art to create vivid settings for a video game. The best Purdue supplemental essays will be unique and creative. Additionally, strong Purdue application essays will tell a story. The more you can use narratives to illustrate the wide range of uses for your discipline, the more successful your Purdue admissions essay will be.

Essays Reflection Questions for Purdue Honors College :

• Does your Purdue supplemental essay demonstrate your enthusiasm for your chosen field?
• Do you include a variety of possible connections between your chosen fields and other fields?
• Does your Purdue admissions essay use stories and examples to illustrate the connections between fields?

Want more helpful tips on how to approach your Purdue supplemental essays and other aspects of Purdue University’s application process? Check out this video below from Purdue’s senior assistant director of admissions! 

What does Purdue University look for in essays?

Your Purdue supplemental essays help the admissions team get to know you beyond your demographics, transcript, and activities list. Each Purdue essay also provides valuable insight into what kind of student you would be.

These specific Purdue essay prompts help the Purdue admissions committee understand how you will use your education at Purdue. Purdue looks for students who can articulate their interests and describe how Purdue’s resources will help them pursue these interests. Your Purdue application essays, then, should show the Purdue admissions team how Purdue would help you meet your goals.

Demonstrated Interest

The committee wants to see you show demonstrated interest (DI) in Purdue. DI is a gauge that universities use to determine how interested a student is in attending their school. To take advantage of this, use your Purdue application essays to explain exactly what about Purdue interests you. You don’t need to physically visit the campus to write strong Purdue supplemental essays. However, if you don’t visit , it helps to find other ways of showing your interest. These include contacting admissions officers, reviewing the school’s website, or attending a virtual information session/webinar.

The Purdue admissions team also wants to know if you can write clearly and concisely—an important skill for succeeding in college. So, ensure your writing is strong, clear, and free of any errors. Your Purdue application essays also show your attention to detail and passion for learning. Students who use the Purdue essay prompts to showcase their passions will definitely impress the admissions team.

How do I get into Purdue University?

Getting accepted into Purdue starts with filling out the Common Application and meeting the Purdue application requirements. On the Common Application, you will report your GPA, list your high school activities, and write a 250-650 word Common App essay. 

For the fall and spring of 2023, Purdue is test flexible . This means if you have the opportunity to take the SAT or ACT, Purdue admissions would prefer you do. This is different from test optional because test optional schools truly have no preference for test scores. Purdue, however, makes it clear that they would like to review test scores as part of your application if possible. Strong scores will only enhance your application . 

Purdue application requirements

Your GPA , course schedule, test scores, Common App essay, letters of recommendation , supplemental essays, and extracurricular activities comprise the Purdue application requirements and will all factor into the committee’s decision.

Last year, approximately 60,000 students applied to Purdue University. The median GPA range of accepted applicants was 3.5-3.9, the median SAT was 119-1410, and the median ACT was 26-33. As you can see, Purdue admits students with high scores, which contributes to the U.S. News Purdue University ranking.

Purdue University Application

In 2022, U.S. News assigned its Purdue University ranking among national universities at #51 overall. US News also named Purdue as one of the Top 10 most innovative universities in the last four years. Among public universities , the Purdue University ranking is #18 in the country. Purdue University’s top academic programs include Aerospace Engineering (where the Purdue University ranking is #5) and Biological/Agricultural Engineering (where the Purdue University ranking is #2). This makes Purdue a great fit for students specifically interested in those fields.

Finally, the Purdue University ranking attracts many applicants who view Purdue’s rankings as a sign of prestige. This means that Purdue supplemental essays will be used to determine which students are interested in attending for reasons beyond the Purdue University ranking. Remember, your Purdue supplemental essays are your chance to show the admissions team your genuine interest in the school. 

Looking to put your best foot forward when filling out the Common Application and writing the Common App essay? Check out this guide for helpful tips.

Top 5 Purdue Supplemental Essay Tips

How to write an outstanding purdue supplemental essay:, #1 – start early.

Be sure to leave yourself time to edit and revise each of your Purdue University supplemental essays. You don’t want to be drafting and editing a Purdue supplemental essay down to the wire.

#2 – Look at the big picture

When writing your Purdue supplemental essays, consider your application as a whole. Make sure that each Purdue supplemental essay explores something new about you. 

#3 – Be authentic

Don’t lie or exaggerate on your Purdue University supplemental essays. Each Purdue application essay is a chance for you to showcase who you are.

#4 – Show your unique self

These Purdue supplemental essays are an opportunity for you to stand out to Purdue admissions. Don’t generalize in your responses to the Purdue essay prompts. Instead, get specific about your experiences. Use the opportunity to not only demonstrate who you are, but also to show off your writing style.

#5 – Proofread, proofread, proofread!

Edit your essays . You don’t want to craft a stellar Purdue supplemental essay, only to have it marred by poor grammar or a spelling mistake. Have another person look over each Purdue supplemental essay before you submit it. 

Purdue Supplemental Essay — Final Thoughts

Although each Purdue supplemental essay is short, they are also incredibly important. Don’t think that a short essay will take you less time to write—often, short essays are the hardest to write. Given the Purdue University ranking, you should use every chance you get to stand out. This includes crafting strong Purdue supplemental essays.

Be yourself

The Purdue essay prompts help the admissions committee get to know the person behind the grades and test scores. Make sure that your Purdue supplemental essays are full of anecdotes and stories that show why you will succeed as a Purdue student! Let your readers know in each Purdue supplemental essay that you have done your research and thought about why you want to attend Purdue.

Ask for help!

And finally, seek help from trusted sources with editing your Purdue supplemental essays; sometimes a second opinion can help you improve your Purdue essays in unexpected ways.

This Purdue supplemental essays guide was written by Laura Frustaci.   Looking for more admissions support? Click  here  to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how  CollegeAdvisor.com  can support you in the college application process.

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Writing an Informative Essay

Informative essays engage readers with new, interesting, and often surprising facts and details about a subject. Informative essays are educational; readers expect to learn something new from them. In fact, much of the reading and writing done in college and the workplace is informative. From textbooks to reports to tutorials like this one, informative writing imparts important and useful information about a topic.

This tutorial refers to the sample informative outline and final essay written by fictional student Paige Turner.

Reasons to Write Informatively

Your purpose for writing and the audience for whom you are writing will impact the depth and breadth of information you provide, but all informative writing aims to present a subject without opinions or bias. Some common reasons to write informatively are to

• report findings that an audience would find interesting,
• present facts that an audience would find useful, and
• communicate information about a person, place, event, issue, or change that would improve an audience’s understanding.

Characteristics of Informative Essays

Informative essays present factual information and do not attempt to sway readers’ opinions about it. Other types of academic and workplace writing do try to influence readers’ opinions:

• Expository essays aim to expose a truth about an issue in order to influence how readers view the issue.
• Persuasive essays aim to influence readers’ opinions, so they will adopt a particular position or take a certain course of action.

Expository and persuasive essays make “arguments.” The only argument an informative essay makes is that something exists, did exist, is happening, or has happened, and the point of the essay is not to convince readers of this but to tell them about it.

• Informative essays seek to enlighten and educate readers, so they can make their own educated opinions and decisions about what to think and how to act.

Strategies for Writing Informatively

Informative essays provide useful information such as facts, examples, and evidence from research in order to help readers understand a topic or see it more clearly. While informative writing does not aim to appeal emotionally to readers in order to change their opinions or behaviors, informative writing should still be engaging to read. Factual information is not necessarily dry or boring. Sometimes facts can be more alarming than fiction!

Writers use various strategies to engage and educate readers. Some strategies include

• introducing the topic with an alarming fact or arresting image;
• asserting what is true or so about the subject in a clear thesis statement;
• organizing the paragraphs logically by grouping related information;
• unifying each paragraph with a topic sentence and controlling idea;
• developing cohesive paragraphs with transition sentences;
• using precise language and terminology appropriate for the topic, purpose, and audience; and
• concluding with a final idea or example that captures the essay’s purpose and leaves a lasting impression.

Five Steps for Getting Started

1. Brainstorm and choose a topic.

• Sample topic : The opioid epidemic in the United States.
• The opiod epidemic or even opiod addiction would would be considered too broad for a single essay, so the next steps aim to narrow this topic down.

2. Next, write a question about the topic that you would like to answer through research.

• Sample question : What major events caused the opioid crisis in the United States?
• This question aims to narrow the topic down to causes of the epidemic in the US.

3. Now go to the Purdue Global Library to find the answers to your research question.

As you begin reading and collecting sources, write down the themes that emerge as common answers. Later, in step four, use the most common answers (or the ones you are most interested in writing and discussing) to construct a thesis statement.

• Sample answers: aggressive marketing, loopholes in prescription drug provider programs, and economic downturn.

4. Next, provide purpose to your paper by creating a thesis statement.

The thesis attempts to frame your research question. The sample thesis below incorporates three of the more common answers for the research question from step two: What caused the opioid crisis in the United States?

• Thesis Statement : Aggressive marketing, loopholes in prescription drug provider programs, and economic downturn contributed to the current opioid crisis in the United States.
• Writing Tip : For additional help with thesis statements, please visit our Writing a Thesis Statement article. For help with writing in 3rd person, see our article on Formal Vs. Informal Writing .

5. Now follow each numbered step in the “Suggested Outline Format and Sample” below.

Sample answers have been provided for “I. Introduction” and “II. First Cause.” A complete sample outline can be seen here. A complete sample informative essay can be seen here.

Suggested Outline Format and Sample

I. INTRODUCTION

A. First provide a topic sentence that introduces the main topic: Sample topic sentence : There is a current prescription pain medication addiction and abuse epidemic possibly caused by an excessive over prescription of these medications.

B. Now provide a couple sentences with evidence to support the main topic: Sample sentence one with evidence to support the main topic : According to Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), in testimony before the 115th Congress, “In 2016, over 11 million Americans misused prescription opioids … and 2.1 million had an opioid use disorder due to prescription opioids” (Federal Efforts to Combat the Opioid Crisis, 2017, p. 2).

C. Sample sentence two with evidence to support the main topic : Volkow indicated “more than 300,000 Americans have died of an opioid overdose” since 2013 (Federal Efforts to Combat the Opioid Crisis, 2017, p.2).

D. Sample sentence three with evidence to support the main topic : According to Perez-Pena (2017), the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 25,000 people in the United States died in 2015 from overdosing on opioids Fentanyl, Oxycodone, and Hydrocodone.

E. Toward the end of the introduction, include your thesis statement written in the 3rd-person point-of-view: Sample thesis statement : Potential solutions to the growing opioid epidemic may be illuminated by examining how opioid addiction is triggered through aggressive pharmaceutical marketing, how opioid addiction manifests among prescribed patients, and how economic downturns play a role in the increase of opioid addiction.

F. Write down the library sources you can use in this introductory paragraph to help support the main topic.

• Federal Efforts to Combat the Opioid Crisis, 2017
• Perez-Pena, 2017
• Writing Tip : For more help writing an introduction, please refer to this article on introductions and conclusions .

II. FIRST CAUSE

A. First provide a topic sentence that introduces the first cause of the opioid epidemic: Sample topic sentence that introduces the first cause : One issue that helped contribute to the opioid epidemic is aggressive marketing by pharmaceutical manufacturers.

B. Now provide sentences with evidence to support the first cause: Sample sentence one with evidence that supports the first cause : Perez-Pena (2017) concluded that while the healthcare industry was attempting to effectively and efficiently treat patients with chronic pain, pharmaceutical companies were providing funding to prominent doctors, medical societies, and patient advocacy groups in order to win support for a particular drug’s adoption and usage.

C. Sample sentence two with evidence to support the first cause : In fact, pharmaceutical companies continue to spend millions on promotional activities and materials that deny or trivialize any risks of opioid use while at the same time overstating each drug’s benefit (Perez-Pina, 2017).

D. Next, add more information or provide concluding or transitional sentences that foreshadows the upcoming second cause: Sample concluding and transitional sentence that foreshadow the second cause : Although aggressive marketing by pharmaceutical companies played a large role in opioid addiction, patients are to blame too, as many take advantage of holes in the healthcare provider system in order to remedy their addiction.

E. Write down the library sources you can use in this body paragraph to help support the first cause:

• Writing Tip : For more assistance working with sources, please visit the Using Sources page here.

III. SECOND CAUSE

A. First provide a topic sentence that introduces the second cause.

B. Now provide sentences with evidence to support the second cause.

C. Next, add more information or provide concluding or transitional sentences that foreshadows the upcoming third cause.

D. Write down the library sources you can use in this body paragraph to help support the second cause:

• Writing Tip : Listen to Writing Powerful Sentences for information and features of effective writing.

IV. THIRD CAUSE

A. First provide a topic sentence that introduces the third cause.

B. Now provide sentences with evidence to support the third cause.

C. Next, add more information or provide a concluding sentence or two.

D. Write down the library sources you can use in this body paragraph to help support the third cause:

V. CONCLUSION: Summary of key points and evidence discussed.

• Writing Tip : For more help writing a conclusion, refer to this podcast on endings .
• Writing Tip : Have a question? Leave a comment below or Purdue Global students, click here to access the Purdue Global Writing Center tutoring platform and available staff.
• Writing Tip : Ready to have someone look at your paper? Purdue Global students, click here to submit your assignment for feedback through our video paper review service.

See a Sample Informative Essay Outline here .

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dang bro i got an A

Having faith with all this mentioned, that i will pass my english class at a college. Thank you for posting.

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How to Write the Purdue University Supplemental Essays 2020-2021

We’ve updated this post! Read the  2021-2022 Purdue essay guide .

Purdue University, home of the Boilermakers, the “world’s largest drum,” and an expert-approved writing lab , remains today as one of the most innovative schools in the country. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, Purdue has come a long way since its founding in 1869.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has called Purdue the number one destination for international students studying STEM, and Purdue’s engineering and agriculture programs are also both world renowned. What’s more, Purdue was the first university in the world to offer a degree in aviation, and it even has its own airport on campus (the second largest in the state of Indiana).

Many of Purdue’s 30,000+ undergraduate students describe it as a place of opportunity. Purdue’s reputation precedes it as a haven for undergraduate research, but it also provides students access to a wide variety of pre-professional opportunities like co-ops and Fortune 500 internships.

As a member of the Big Ten Conference, Purdue’s campus lights up with school spirit, especially during rivalry games. Ever since 1891, the winner of the annual Boilermakers vs. Indiana Hoosiers football game has taken home the Old Oaken Bucket, an iconic rivalry trophy.

Purdue is highly coveted among high schoolers all across the nation. With an acceptance rate of 58% , admission is somewhat selective. Writing strong essays will certainly help you stand out, and we at CollegeVine have provided several tips below to help as you undertake the Purdue supplemental essays. Want to know your chances at Purdue? Calculate your chances for free right now.

Purdue University Application Essay Prompts

How will opportunities at purdue support your interests, both in and out of the classroom (100 words).

The primary purpose of this prompt is for you to pinpoint specific programs at Purdue and why you wish to take advantage of them. The key to answering this prompt will be making sure you balance discussion of your interests/accomplishments and the unique offerings at Purdue.

One easy mistake you could make here would be focusing too much on either one of these two facets . For instance, not focusing enough on Purdue-specific programs might convey a lack of knowledge, but mentioning too many of them would not leave room to explain why they’re relevant to you. Because the word count is so restrictive, concision is key.

Regarding concision, make sure your introductory sentence gets straight to the point. Unless you’re extremely crafty, don’t try to set up an extended metaphor. Additionally, don’t concern yourself with elaborate transitions between sentences (keep them brief). It is best to be direct and methodical here.

In terms of structure, here is a general outline:

Introduction (0-2 sentences).

You most likely won’t need two sentences to introduce your response here. If you’re choosing to write about organizations that relate to just one interest, you might consider making an umbrella statement about that interest here.

For example: “My friends call me a political junkie.” This is a concise statement that allows the writer to pick out different programs at Purdue University that relate to politics and explain their value.

Don’t do this: “Purdue is a great school with a plethora of organizations I want to join.” This sentence is 14 words long, but it adds nothing to the response following it. This author now has an 86 word limit! General statements like this aren’t necessarily bad writing, but it’s much better to just dive right into the content.Unless you feel strongly that the introduction warrants its own paragraph, try to keep the entire response just one paragraph long. If your introduction doesn’t allow you to directly segue into a specific program or interest, it can likely be deleted without changing the meaning of the essay as a whole.

Body (5-7 sentences)

The sentence count here isn’t exact since it largely depends on how long your sentences are. In this section, you need to answer the question point blank. One useful strategy here is to couple specific programs with descriptions of how they relate to your interests. Strive to alternate between the two. Here are some examples:

• “I find the social aspect of singing enriching, so I hope to join one of Purdue’s many acapella groups.”
• “I’ve always been fascinated by the effects of pesticides on crops. That’s why I want to conduct research under one of Purdue’s brilliant agriculture professors. This will enable me to pursue a career as an agricultural specialist.” (Side note: Don’t mention a specific professor for the sake of name dropping them; only do so if you are very familiar with their work.
• “I want to join the Honors College, where I hope to immerse myself in a group of similarly motivated scholars.”
•  “I’m hoping to be the starting running back for the Boilermakers one day. I’ve played football for eleven years, and it’s always been my dream.” This is a good method to ensure balance. The only risk you run here is saturating it with too many disparate interests. While you should avoid complicated transitions, you should still include them, so the essay flows well. Also, make sure you always clearly explain the connection between each respective interest/activity. You might have multiple activities that go with each interest, or multiple interests that culminate in one activity. Both of those are perfectly fine.

Conclusion (0-1 sentences) 

The conclusion is the most skippable part of this supplement. Only make a closing remark if it is powerful and gives the essay a greater sense of overall cohesion. Don’t bother with it if you included a larger variety of interests.

Good example: “Through these medical programs, I will strive to make the world a more healthful place.” This would enhance what is likely a more focused essay by giving it some broader global context.

Don’t do this: “All of these programs will make my Purdue experience truly one of a kind.” This is a sweet sentiment, but it’s just adding extra words. Instead, begin the last interest/program pairing with a transition like “finally” to signal the end of the essay.

Briefly discuss your reasons for pursuing the major you have selected. (100 words)

Ah, it’s the classic “Why Major?” question. This time, however, you hardly have any space to answer it! These types of questions are deceptive, because they actually require you to complete two objectives. Primarily, you need to explain what compelled your choice in major, but you also need to demonstrate that you understand what that major involves moving forward.

Often times, college coursework in a given subject is vastly different than its high school counterpart. Make sure you show that you know what you’re getting yourself into. For instance, psychology in high school might just be learning vocabulary, but it will involve observational studies and statistical analysis in college.

Because of the word constraint, you won’t be able to give the full history of your experiences with the subject at hand. Instead, focus on what motivated you most directly. This inspiration can come in many forms. It is often helpful to frame it within the context of one or two activities, classes, or experiences. Specific turning points in your education (both in and out of class) are often the most powerful.

Here are some examples:

• You had a medical internship where you witnessed a surgeon conduct heart surgery. This inspired your long-term goal of attending medical school and saving lives. Thus, you want to major in biology with a pre-med concentration.
• You always hated math until you got to AP Calculus. You couldn’t believe it at first, but when you caught yourself thinking about velocity graphs while driving, you knew you had discovered your true passion.
• Growing up, you were a huge tennis fan. You loved playing and idolized the pros, but it broke your heart whenever any of them would get injuries. That’s why you want to major in sports medicine and eventually work alongside of them at the ATP World Tour.
• You felt so inspired by your first Model UN conference that you just knew you had to go into diplomacy and international relations. You began reading official UN resolutions in your spare time.

One important caveat to all of this is that you need to focus on how your unique experiences impacted your choice in major. Use lots of emotionally charged language. The more in touch with yourself, the better. It is not enough to superficially mention your involvement in something. For this prompt, depth is better than breadth.

You have more room to be creative with the formatting of this one. If your essay truly has two distinct sections that focus on different ideas/parts of an idea, it’s okay to break it into two smaller chunks. For instance, the first part might be an anecdote, while the second is a declaration of how you plan to act accordingly.

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or experiences. (250 words)

Here’s another college application staple: the “elaborate on an extracurricular” prompt. This time, however, you actually have some breathing room.

Compared to Purdue’s other prompts, this one is more straightforward. For this essay, you should expand one extracurricular activity beyond the scope of what is listed in your activities section or resume. Bonus points if you can convey personal growth.

The biggest challenge here will be choosing the right activity to write about. You don’t necessarily want to choose your most impressive one. Often times, writing about your personal experience with something more grounded can be just as effective.

If your application has a central theme (like commitment to service, intellectual fervor, or social activism), you might consider using an activity that relates to this theme, even if it is only tangentially related. This will uphold the overall cohesion of your application.

On the contrary, it can be good to demonstrate your capacity to engage with the world in multiple, often contradictory ways. A diverse portfolio can be a good indicator of a mature thinker, capable of seeing multiple perspectives.

Which of the following major/activity pairings do you think would be most effective:

• A political science major who writes about student government
• A biology major who writes about ceramics
• A linguistics major who writes about ice skating
• A statistics major who writes about social science research
• An English major who writes about HOSA

The truth is, all five pairings have equal potential to be great! It just depends on your unique circumstances and how you wish to frame your response.

While you have liberty with subject matter, don’t just write anything. Make sure your response to this question provides new information. Adcoms will be able to see what accomplishments are on your application, so you need to focus on specific tasks within these activities and why they were so impactful.

This essay isn’t lengthy, but it’s still a chance to be creative in terms of content/structure. Try to begin with an interesting hook that leaves the reader begging for more.

Two examples :

• Good example – “‘Point of order! The delegate from Germany forgot to state his name!’ In the heat of the moment, I was thankful for those lessons in parliamentary procedure. Model UN certainly taught me to choose my words carefully, but it also bolstered my confidence and informed my overall worldview…” This student begins with an exciting anecdote from their time in committee and proceeds to set up further discussion regarding their personal development through Model UN.
• Bad example – “The decision to join Model UN was the best one I ever made. I learned so many invaluable lessons there. I also learned a number of crucial skills during my time in committee…” This essay is not off to a good start. Not only is it uninteresting, but it’s also lacking in focus. It’s unclear where this essay will go, and it shows no signs of going beyond surface-level observations.

Of the three Purdue essays, this is the one where you have the most freedom. Despite this, make sure your response adds value to your overall application. Purdue admissions are competitive, so you need to capitalize on every chance to present yourself as a complex, mature individual. Essays are a perfect place to do so!

Some Final Words

Writing college supplements can be tricky, but if you follow our tips, you should be just fine. You’re probably really stressed out right now, but just remember to breathe! It might not seem like it, but the college application process does, in fact, come to an end. Everything will work out, and you’ll feel so relieved once it’s all over.

The biggest thing about writing college essays (whether for Purdue or any other school) is to make sure your unique voice resonates. If you’re worried about this, ask friends or family members to read over your essays. They know you best, and they can tell if your work actually sounds like you . Outside opinions are always useful in the writing process!

Want help on your college essays to get into your dream schools? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses, as well as our Essay Manager.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

The Admissions Strategist

How to write the purdue university essays 2020-2021: your complete guide.

Purdue University is a byproduct of President Lincoln’s signing of the Morrill Land Grant Act in 1862. A decade later, the doors were open to students, and Purdue’s legacy began.

Today the university hosts over 40,000 students and has educated innovators and inventors who will have an impact on our society for many years to come.

• Purdue has an acceptance rate of 57%.

Holding fast to ethics and integrity on the journey to innovation lies at the heart of Purdue University’s mission. The school further believes that “ Our responsibilities and obligations toward the advancement of learning, discovery, and engagement in the University and in Indiana extend to our nation and the world.”

This mission can be seen woven into the fabric of university culture.

What Are the Purdue Essay Requirements?

Purdue University gives prospective students two different options to apply for admission. You may choose to apply via the Coalition for College Access, Affordability, and Success Application or through the Common App.

Check out our advice for the Coalition App  and the Common App .

In this guide, we will focus on the supplemental writing prompts that are nearly identical on both application platforms.

Click above to watch a video on how to write Purdue Supplemental Essay.

• These responses are short –  each 100 words or less.

Before you get started, it’s important to know that Purdue University is well known for their Online Writing Lab. In fact, you have probably used this website at some point in your high school career.

On their admissions page, Purdue notes that they expect your essay to demonstrate “your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and… [to] distinguish yourself in your own voice.”

Additionally, they are looking for what “you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores”. They even suggest you seek out writing help from their Online Writing Lab .

Clearly, Purdue values writing as a skill and, therefore, the admissions committee will be looking for much more than content in your essays.

Below, we will outline advice for writing these specific supplemental responses, as well as general writing advice that will help you to tighten up the style and form of your writing.

The two standard prompts are as follows:

How will opportunities at Purdue support your interests, both in and out of the classroom? (Respond in 100 words or fewer.) Briefly discuss your reasons for pursuing the major you have selected.(Respond in 100 words or fewer.)

For reference, the first two paragraphs of this blog post are roughly 115 words.

While you may have a lot to say about each topic, you will be forced to be brief, as the online application will not allow you to break the word count limit.

If you choose a second major, then you will have to answer a prompt that is similar to the second one:

Briefly discuss your reasons for pursuing the second choice major you have selected. (Respond in 100 words or fewer.)

There is an honors prompt , which we will address toward the end of this guide:

Explain your vision, ideas, or goals for how you hope to shape your honors experience while at Purdue. Please put this in the context of the four pillars which are the foundation of the Honors College. (500 word maximum)

Purdue Supplemental Essay 1: Your Interests & Purdue

How will opportunities at Purdue support your interests, both in and out of the classroom?

The first writing supplement question is the type of essay prompt that you will see asked in a similar fashion on many college applications. It’s the quintessential “ Why This College ” essay prompt.

Purdue opens your response up to elements in and out of the classroom. Since the second prompt asks specifically about your intended major, you should probably only quickly mention this in your essay in order to conserve your word count.

• First, explore Purdue’s website to learn more about the many opportunities the school provides, such as study abroad options, intramural sports, and clubs.
• Look over the activities you have listed on your admission application.
• What activities, sports, clubs, etc. interrelate?
• Are there activities that you have always wanted to try but never had the chance to? Perhaps they are offered at the university.
• For example, maybe you pursued swimming or diving throughout high school because you did not have the opportunity to pursue sailing.
• There are many activities in college, such as sailing, archery, and rifle club, which you would not usually be exposed to as a high school student.

Get personalized advice!

Next, perform the same process with researching academic programs and activities at the university.

• Are there any particular research fellowships that you are interested in?
• Did you do research in a lab during your summer breaks that got you interested in a particular field? For example, you might have competed in a science fair based upon your research in a biology research lab.
• You might be interested in pursuing similar research further with the intent of publishing, or you might be interested in pursuing something completely orthogonal. The main point here is to explain your motivations and where they are coming from.
• Any professors that you have heard about and would like to take a class with?
• How do these match up with the classes you completed in high school or topics that you are interested in moving forward?

Be specific in describing how your academic and non-academic interests align with Purdue’s opportunities.

• For example, let’s say that you have been a strong student in high school taking mostly honors and Advanced Placement/IB courses when available.
• You could have taken AP Computer Science A and then developed your own web apps or games. You could be interested in taking this further and going into software engineering principles, something you could pursue through class offerings at Purdue.
• You might be particularly drawn to the leadership opportunities available to students who are members of Purdue University’s Honors College.
• Perhaps you were in a leadership position of a service such as Beta Club in high school. You could be interested in further developing your academic and service leadership experience through similar organizations at Purdue.

In your response, link your high school experience in rigorous classes with your expectations of yourself as a college student.

• You might write about how taking classes in the Honors College would allow you to branch out of your major classes, collaborate together with other students on a team, and work on gaining leadership skills, which are important to you as an aspiring professional.

When describing your out-of-classroom interests, you might write about Purdue’s theatre program.

• In high school, you may have worked on many school plays on the technical side rigging lights.
• However, you’re excited about the opportunity to volunteer in other avenues of production, such as costume design and makeup.
• In your actual response, focus on activities that either further your current interests or allow you to try something new.

In both of the above scenarios, we chose specific examples of opportunities actually offered by Purdue University. You should do the same.

Not only will it reflect well in your essay, but it will also allow you to gain a better understanding of whether this university is the right home for you.

Purdue Supplemental Essay 2: Your Major(s) at Purdue

Briefly discuss your reasons for pursuing the major you have selected. Optional: Briefly discuss your reasons for pursuing the second choice major you have selected. (Respond in 100 words or fewer.)

This prompt is also fairly standard in the college application realm. The admissions committee is interested in understanding how your experiences led you to choose this particular major.

You do not randomly select crop science as a major; rather, you are drawn to it.

• There are many different reasons you could list for choosing the major that you have, but you should avoid simply listing money or status as your intention.
• While there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to make a decent living, you should push yourself to list more intrinsic motivations for your choice.

Just like the previous question, you should make an effort to be specific.

• Being interested in crop science because you think farming is interesting and you took one horticulture class isn’t going to cut it.
• Instead, describe what it is about farming that specifically interests you – the ability to cultivate living plants, providing food for people, watching the process of farm to table, etc.
• You might personally know some farmers or been involved in your high school’s FFA (Future Farmers of America) club in high school. There are a lot of innovations being applied to agriculture, from IoT to crop growth simulation and forecasts.
• By focusing on the specifics of what interests you, you will be able to convince the reader that you are engaged in what you would like to pursue at Purdue.
• You could definitely write about that horticulture class but, instead of mentioning it in passing, add detail about what you learned , how it changed the way you think about plants, and how it opened your eyes to careers you had never even heard of.

If you are unsure of your major, you can still address this prompt.

Choose a field that you could see yourself working in. Remember, this is not a contract you are bound to for the rest of your life, so it doesn’t hurt to explore one of your “maybe” options.

Let’s say that you might be interested in pursuing a degree in an English-related field. In high school, you took three years of creative writing and joined a tutoring club, where you helped students whose first language isn’t English.

• In your essay, you could describe how much you enjoy writing and imagining landscapes but also that you felt rewarded by working with your peers.
• You could see yourself working full-time in a writing field or maybe even becoming an ESL teacher.
• Explain how you plan to explore these interests while taking introductory-level English classes at Purdue.
• You might even mention specific programs, clubs, and activities you are interested in.

It’s common to not know exactly what you want to major in during your freshman year of college. However, don’t let this be a weakness in your essay when it could be a strength.

If approached correctly, this essay could show that you are passionate and motivated to find a career that you will thrive in.

This journey, you believe, will benefit you the most if traveled at Purdue University.

Purdue Honors Essay

Now that you have more of a word count to work with, take the liberty to brainstorm a story or anecdote that connects to your desire to engage in rigorous learning and the pillars of the Purdue Honors College.

The pillars of the Purdue Honors College are leadership development, undergraduate research, community and global experiences, and interdisciplinary academics

• Perhaps you are an immigrant who appreciates the opportunity to learn more during your formative years. You want to learn more because your home country had much fewer resources for students.
• You have a secondary goal to build bionic arms and legs for kids is in Laos who’ve stepped on landmines and lost limbs. You firmly believe that an honors education at Purdue would give you the knowledge and practical expertise to jumpstart this dream.

Once you’ve found your story, connect it to how you’d take action as a Purdue honors student. In the same case as the standard two Purdue essays, do your research and list how you’d become a proactive student:

• Do you want to start a club, nonprofit, or charity on campus?
• Perhaps you want to organize town halls to discuss solutions to economic inequality.
• Is there a program or fellowship you want to take advantage of?
• Do you want to apply for a tech grant and perform research in the artificial intelligence field?
• Perhaps you want to join a study-abroad program in Guatemala that promotes the building of Internet infrastructure in villages.

Pick one or two of these actions. Then, explain their significance to you and how you’d build momentum to make a difference in the Purdue community or world at large.

Whatever you choose, focus on action. Tell the reader how you’d use Purdue’s resources and values to improve the world around you.

A good way to structure this essay is to use an example from your past – perhaps a volunteer or leadership experience – and connect it to what you want to accomplish as a Purdue Honors student.

This is what the structure of your essay could look like:

• Flashback anecdote that tells us a quick story about your past
• Tell us how your past inspired you
• Discuss what you want to do in the future and how this relates to the Purdue Honors Pillars
• State what you want to do at Purdue Honors and how you will take advantage of its resources

Conclusion: The Purdue Supplemental Essays

Once you have written a draft of your responses, it’s time to revise . At a most basic level of revision, you should:

• Spell Check
• Grammar Check (use your best judgment, since not every suggestion will be accurate)
• Ask a Peer/Adult to Review

For further impact, analyze your word choice. Have you chosen words that carefully express your ideas? In a 100-word (or less) response, this is particularly important since there is not much room for explanation.

• For example, instead of writing that “I really liked horticulture class and learned a lot of new stuff,” you might instead say, “I enjoyed horticulture and the opportunity to explore new concepts through experimentation.”

Both of these sentences are 12 words in length, but the latter is much more effective in its message.

As you can see, specific word choice is not about choosing long and difficult words to sound “smarter.” In fact, this strategy often backfires and “your voice” disappears from your essay.

Varying sentence structure is another way you can increase the effectiveness of your responses.

Avoid writing that sounds like a list or opens with the same structure.

For example:

• “I would like to become an English teacher. I think tutoring was a great experience in high school. I will be majoring in English and Education. I want to graduate and then teach at a private school.”

Instead, you should vary your sentence structure by writing:

• “I would like to become an English teacher. As a tutor, I learned about the relationship between student and teacher. It was a great experience and has led me to believe that teaching at a small private school would be ideal. Therefore, I intend to major in both English and Education at Purdue.”

The second example captures the reader’s attention. This is unlike the first example, which is boring and difficult to take seriously at an academic level.

Finally, read your responses while looking for a clear progression of ideas. Do you jump from topic to topic, or do you wrap up one idea before transitioning to the next? Consider reorganizing your sentences so that similar topics are together. Use transition words such as “additionally” and “also” to bridge your writing.

Purdue University’s advice is solid, so it is worthwhile to check out their Online Writing Lab . It has many resources that could help you to write their supplements as well as essays for other college applications (shh, we won’t tell).

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Purdue Supplemental Essay: 4 Top Tips for Writing Yours

College Essays

Known for its highly ranked engineering program and huge array of academic programs, Purdue University is an excellent public university to consider for college. To apply here, though, you will need more than just good grades— you will need to write unforgettable essays as part of the Purdue supplement .

In this guide, we go over the current Purdue essay prompts and offer helpful tips on how to write each Purdue supplemental essay you're required to submit. 

Feature Image: Wes Jackson /Flickr

What Is the Purdue Supplemental Essay?

Freshman applicants to Purdue are required to submit two short answers; there's also one optional longer Purdue supplemental essay. You must additionally write an essay in response to one of the Common Application or Coalition Application prompts , depending on which application system you apply through.

In total, then, you'll be writing three to four Purdue essays of varying lengths.

For each Purdue supplemental essay, you'll get a specific prompt to answer . (By contrast, the Common App/Coalition App personal essay offers you multiple prompts to choose from.) Every Purdue supplemental essay prompt has its own word limit and angle.

Here are the prompts for the 2022-2023 application cycle:

• [OPTIONAL] Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (250 words max)

How will opportunities at Purdue support your interests, both in and out of the classroom? (Respond in 100 words or fewer.)

Briefly discuss your reasons for pursuing the major you have selected. (Respond in 100 words or fewer.)

The first Purdue supplemental essay above must be no longer than 250 words , whereas the two short answers may only be up to 100 words. Note that there is no minimum word count for any of the essays.

Now, how can you ensure you're writing your best Purdue supplemental essay possible?

Every Purdue University Essay Prompt, Analyzed

In this section, we'll look at each Purdue University essay prompt in more detail and give you tips for writing a highly effective response.

Purdue Supplemental Essay

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences.

As a reminder, this longer Purdue supplemental essay can be up to 250 words and is optional (though we highly recommend answering it) . The prompt here's pretty straightforward: just give a bit more detail about one of your extracurricular activities listed on your application.

The activity you choose could be pretty much anything , from a sport or instrument you play to an animal shelter you volunteer at on weekends.

The admissions committee at Purdue asks you to elaborate on one of your activities because they want to see other facets of your personality and learn more about what drove you to do a specific activity.

The key is to pick an activity or experience that has helped define you in some way. The best activity to choose is one that showcases an important and unique quality of yourself, such as your leadership skills, your can-do attitude, your adaptability, etc. You should also be heavily passionate about the activity you choose.

Here are examples of activities you could write about for your Purdue University admission essay:

• Clubs or organizations you're a member of
• Volunteer service
• Arts and music
• Work or internships
• Family responsibilities
• Any activity or experience that is meaningful to you

When trying to decide on an activity, it might help to ask yourself these questions :

• Do you have a story to tell about this activity?
• How has this activity positively impacted or influenced you?
• If you're still doing this activity, why is that? What about it makes you want to keep doing it?
• Have you already written about this activity in another Purdue essay? If so, consider choosing a different topic for this essay.

Don't feel obligated to pick your most "impressive" activity either. For example, maybe you've been figure skating competitively since middle school and have won many big national awards, but you'd rather write about your more recent experience with trying out for and making your school's basketball team after realizing you wanted to get involved in a new sport.

Be sure to explain what the activity is, when/how you started it, and what kind of meaning it holds for you. You won't have a lot of room here (just 250 words!), so make sure to keep the focus on its significance.

Purdue Short Answer 1

This first Purdue short-answer question is essentially a mini "why this college" essay that's asking you to answer the basic question, "Why Purdue?"

A cogent essay will answer these two questions:

• What does Purdue offer academically that makes it a good fit for you? 
• What does Purdue offer in terms of extracurriculars, student clubs and sports, professional connections, contests, etc. that makes it a good fit for you?

Note that you don't need to go into much detail about your major here, as that's what the second short answer is for (see below). But you will still need to identify two key points about Purdue (one academic, one non-academic) that drew you to apply to this university specifically .

To start, do some research on the university by browsing the official Purdue website . Look for any defining features that stand out to you, such as a professor with whom you wish to work, a course you can't wait to take, a club you'd like to join, a study abroad program you want to do, etc. Think about how these qualities, both academic and non-academic, could help support your own aspirations, whatever they may be.

For example, maybe you visited a Purdue art gallery and felt inspired to apply after realizing, as an artist yourself, just how much Purdue values creativity and freedom of expression.

Finally, be extremely specific here . You want it clear that your essay is about Purdue only . So use actual names and places while avoiding generalizations that can apply to other colleges!

Purdue Short Answer 2

This second short-answer question is all about your intellectual curiosity. Admissions officers want to know not only why you have selected your major, but also how studying this major at Purdue will help you achieve your goals .

Like the Purdue supplemental essay above, you don't have a lot of room here (just 100 words!), so you'll need to be concise but effective.

While it's great to mention how you got interested in your field, you should also try to steer your response toward your academic and professional goals. What do you plan to do with your major once you graduate? How will Purdue help you do this?

For example, perhaps you've been fascinated by bugs since you were little and now plan to major in insect biology.

In your essay, you could talk about what propelled your interest (perhaps a bully tried to shove an ant in your face once, but instead of being scared, you were enamored with the insect's tiny body), mention what you've done to further that interest (e.g., taken some classes and built your own ant farm), and then discuss how the insect biology program at Purdue gives you the opportunity to do real fieldwork and participate in the College of Agriculture's Career Fair so you can find jobs in pest management.

How to Write a Great Purdue Supplemental Essay: 4 Tips

To wrap up, here are four tips to help you write a great supplemental Purdue University admission essay.

#1: Write Succinctly and Purposefully

All three Purdue supplemental essays you need to write are pretty short, with one 250-word essay and two 100-word essays. You'll have to really use your space wisely if you want to produce solid and memorable essays in the end. This means that you should practice being more concise.

If you have a tendency to go on and on or add way too many details or flowery language to your writing, take some time to practice writing more directly and more crisply . You likely won't have enough room to throw in any extended metaphors, so don't even try—just write honestly about your passions and goals.

Additionally, be sure to cut out any words, phrases, or sentences that don't directly answer the prompt or reveal more about you as a person.

You might feel that your writing is boring, but as long as you're telling your story openly and with real emotion, you're sure to write an unforgettable Purdue essay.

#2: Be Extremely Specific

One thing lots of students struggle with in their college essays is being specific enough . Especially when it comes to such short essays, you want to ensure you're telling admissions officers the most important and essential information you can give them about yourself.

Remember, they already know the basics about your achievements—they can see your test scores, grades, and extracurriculars. But what they don't have is a clear understanding of what makes you you . It's your job to paint this picture for them.

For example, don't just write that you want to major in Jewish studies because you're Jewish. What specifically drew you to this major over all the others out there?

Maybe you had a special experience that cemented your connection to Jewish history and culture, or maybe somebody you deeply admire inspired you to research your ancestry, making you want to use this knowledge to support and empower other young Jews like yourself.

Whatever you choose to write about for your Purdue essays, just be sure that you give admissions officers the "what" and "why."

#3: Always Bring It Back to Purdue

As we saw with the Purdue supplement essay example we analyzed, it's critical that you bring your essays (mainly the two short answers) back to Purdue and why this school is ultimately a good fit for you, your talents, and your ambitions .

Avoid bland, meaningless compliments, such as "Purdue is very prestigious," and instead focus on the unique and specific aspects that you believe make this school worth applying to.

Here are some qualities of Purdue you could mention in your essay(s):

• A professor whom you wish to work with
• A specific class you're excited to take
• A piece of equipment, facility, lab, etc. you really want to use
• Opportunities for career building, such as its 30+ annual career fairs
• Schoolwide competitions or events you want to take part in
• A student club or organization you plan to join
• Its emphasis on inclusion and diversity
• Its vocal support of the arts

Regardless of what aspect of Purdue you choose to focus on in your response to the Purdue University essay prompt, just be sure to tie this characteristic back to yourself somehow and explain how it will help you achieve your goals.

#4: Polish It Up

Our final tip is to spend ample time editing and proofreading each Purdue essay you write.

Once you've written a rough draft, put the essay away for a few days. Then, take it out again and look it over with a fresh set of eyes. Note any irrelevant, incorrect, or unclear places and edit as needed. Do this process a few times until you have a fairly clean draft.

Next, hand your essay off to someone you trust, such as a parent or teacher, and ask them to read it over and edit for content, structure, and grammar. Use their feedback to tweak your essay until you're satisfied with how it sounds.

Right before you submit your application to Purdue, proofread your essay one final time . Follow these tips and you're guaranteed to have one great Purdue supplemental essay!

What's Next?

Want to learn more about what it takes to get into Purdue? Then check out our Purdue admission requirements page to see what GPA and SAT/ACT scores you'll need to aim for.

Applying to other colleges in and around the Midwest? Then it might help to look at our college essay guides for Notre Dame , UIUC , and the University of Michigan .

If you're getting ready to write your long Common App essay , you'll definitely want to read our in-depth guide to all Common App prompts and how to answer them effectively .

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Hannah received her MA in Japanese Studies from the University of Michigan and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California. From 2013 to 2015, she taught English in Japan via the JET Program. She is passionate about education, writing, and travel.

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Purdue University 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 15

You Have: 

Purdue University 2024-25 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 2 short answers of 250 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s):   Why , Short Answer

How will opportunities at Purdue support your interests, both in and out of the classroom? (Respond in 250 words or fewer)

This is basically a super short Why essay and the best way to answer it is to do your research. If you set aside an hour to crawl through the school website and jot down the things that appeal to you, you’ll end up with a pretty comprehensive list of things that are relevant to your interests. Write down literally everything: courses, professors, clubs, traditions, you name it! You’ll put this information to good use in this essay and the next one. When you’ve finished your research spree, group your notes thematically, and pick a small cluster to cover in this brief essay. For example, let’s say you love creative writing (we get you). You might describe how taking a combination of English and history classes will help you write the Great American Novel, while joining an improv group in the meantime will sharpen your wit and creative thinking. College is a time to explore, so show admissions just how you plan to do that. Space is limited, so don’t worry about getting too detailed about your major and professional goals. You’ll have an opportunity to do that in the next short essay you write.

Briefly discuss your reasons for pursuing the major you have selected. (Respond in 250 words or fewer)

We told you! Can we predict the future? Did we read all the questions before writing this guide? Who is to say? At any rate, now is the time to get nerdy. This prompt is all about your intellectual curiosity, but also your ambition for the future. There are so many reasons to pursue a degree in economics: because you’ve always wanted to apply your interest in math to the real world; or because you’re gunning for a career in finance; or even because you want to make policy one day. No one is more or less valid than the other, so first and foremost, be honest about your reasons. Then refer to your notes to fill in the details with colorful examples. In a short essay like this, you’ve got to shoot from the hip, so be specific and succinct. What makes Purdue the ideal place to pursue your dream? How will their offerings and opportunities inch you towards your goal?

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, how to write a strong 'why purdue' essay.

I'm applying to Purdue and I need to write a standout 'why Purdue' essay. Does anyone have any examples or advice on what kind of points I should focus on? Any help would be appreciated!

To write a strong "Why Purdue" essay, you should focus on specific aspects of the university that genuinely appeal to you and align with your academic and personal goals. Here are a few steps to help you craft a compelling essay:

1. Research Purdue University thoroughly: Begin by gathering information about Purdue's academic programs, research opportunities, campus culture, extracurricular activities, and any other aspects that interest you. This will help you find the aspects of the school that resonate with your own interests.

2. Connect your interests and goals with Purdue: Identify how the university's offerings align with your academic interests, career aspirations, and personal values. For example, if you are interested in aerospace engineering, discuss Purdue's renowned program and some specific courses or research facilities that impress you, and how you see yourself taking advantage of them.

3. Go beyond the academics: Colleges want to see your fit in their overall campus community, so showcase how you plan to engage with student life, clubs, or organizations that align with your interests. For example, if you have a passion for community service, you might mention Purdue's Boiler Volunteer Network or one of the service-oriented clubs on campus.

4. Be specific and personalize: Write about specific programs, courses, professors, research projects, or even campus traditions that truly appeal to you. Avoid general statements like "Purdue is a great engineering school" - get into the details and show that you have done your research, so that admissions officers understand why you want to attend their school specifically, rather than just your general goals for college overall.

5. Showcase your unique perspective: Reflect on how you can contribute to the Purdue community by sharing your own experiences, background, or ideas. This will help demonstrate not only why Purdue is the perfect school for you, but also why you are the perfect student for them.

6. Proofread and revise: Make sure your essay is well-written, concise, and free of grammatical errors. A carefully crafted and polished essay shows dedication and attention to detail, which can impress admissions officers.

7. Take advantage of CollegeVine's resources: CollegeVine has a blog post dedicated to breaking down each of Purdue's supplemental essay prompts, including the "Why Purdue?" essay: https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-the-purdue-university-essays. CollegeVine also offers both free peer essay reviews and paid reviews by expert college admissions advisors - sometimes, getting a second, more objective set of eyes on your writing is just the thing that takes your response from good to great.

Overall, you want craft your essay around your own unique experiences, goals, and interests, and make sure to demonstrate how Purdue can help you achieve your objectives. Good luck!

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

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Podcast Ep. 119: ‘Boilers to Mars’ Film Premiere Panel with Former NASA Astronaut Drew Feustel, Purdue Professors Briony Horgan and Marshall Porterfield, and SpaceKids Global Founders Marc and Sharon Hagle

In this episode of “This Is Purdue,” we’re talking to former NASA astronaut and Purdue University Presidential Ambassador Drew Feustel (BS solid earth sciences ’89, MS geophysics ’91), Purdue professors and NASA contributors Briony Horgan and Marshall Porterfield, and SpaceKids Global founders Marc (BS electrical engineering ’71, MS business and industrial administration ’72) and Sharon Hagle. 

These five Purdue space experts came together for a live panel after Purdue premiered a first-of-its-kind short film — “Boilers to Mars” — in front of a sold-out crowd in Fowler Hall.  

“Boilers to Mars” is a 10-minute film designed to explore what it will take to go first — to take the small steps that lead to the next giant leap. Each character’s persistence in this short film was inspired by our very own Boilermaker students, faculty and alumni. 

In this episode you will: 

• Discover the panelists’ emotional reactions to “Boilers to Mars” and how they saw their own unique experiences in space reflected in the short film. 
• Get to know their experiences traveling to, working in and researching space. 
• Get closer to answering the question “What will it take to go first?” as these panelists share how Boilermakers eventually could lead the way to humankind traveling to Mars.  
• Hear their advice for the next generation of Boilermakers who hope to travel to or work in space one day. 
• Learn more about the mission of “Boilers to Mars” supporting partner SpaceKids Global, which inspires and empowers young people by introducing them to the wide range of careers available in space exploration and technology.    

You don’t want to miss this special live recording celebrating Purdue Brand Studio’s short film “Boilers to Mars” with insights from these Purdue space experts and leaders.

• Watch the short film “Boilers to Mars”  
• Learn more about Drew Feustel  
• Learn more about Briony Horgan  
• Learn more about D. Marshall Porterfield  
• Learn more about Marc and Sharon Hagle  
• Learn more about SpaceKids Global  
• Learn more about Purdue Brand Studio

Podcast Transcript

Kate Young: 

Hi. I’m Kate Young, and you are listening to This is Purdue, the official podcast for Purdue University. As a Purdue alum and Indiana native, I know firsthand about the family of students and professors who are in it together, persistently pursuing and relentlessly rethinking. Who are the next game changers, difference makers, ceiling breakers, innovators, who are these Boilermakers? Join me as we feature students, faculty and alumni taking small steps toward their giant leaps, and inspiring others to do the same. 

Drew Feustel: 

I still remember the moment I got my acceptance letter to Purdue, and when I saw that film, I literally started crying when I saw that scene, because that moment for me was so impactful in my life, and I knew that it was going to lead to many amazing things, and it has. The fact that I’m sitting here now sharing this story with you means that it did make a difference, and I hope that all of you believe in the reason you’re here, and that you remember the moment you were accepted to Purdue, and that you’re here to make giant leaps, because you will. This is the place to do it, and we all commend you for being here and taking those steps. 

On September 12th, 2024, Purdue University premiered a first of its kind short film called Boilers to Mars, in front of a sold-out crowd in Fowler Hall. And in this episode of This is Purdue, we are featuring a special panel we recorded live at this incredible event. Designated as the Cradle of Astronauts, Purdue University knows what it takes to travel to space. And chances are when humankind makes its way to Mars, a Boilermaker will be in the lead. Boilers to Mars is a 10-minute film designed to explore what it will take to go first, to take the small steps that lead to the giant leap, and each character’s persistence in this short film was inspired by our very own Boilermaker students, faculty, and alumni. So before you tune into this episode, I highly recommend checking out the first ever short film produced by Purdue, on boilerstomars.com. 

Then come right back here and listen to our panel conversation. See, during this event, the audience was able to view a special screening of the film, and then afterwards experience a conversation between five Purdue space experts. Former NASA Astronaut and Boilermaker alum, Drew Feustel; Purdue professors and NASA contributors, Briony Horgan and Marshall Porterfield; and SpaceKids Global founders, Mark and Sharon Hagle. I had the honor of moderating this panel and I’m really excited you all now get to hear these panelists discuss the future of space exploration. Here’s our live panel conversation from the Boilers to Mars movie premiere. But first, a quick word from this short film supporting partner, SpaceKids Global, an organization with Boilermaker ties that is advancing space awareness and exploration opportunities for the next generation. 

Mark Hagle: 

The short film Boilers to Mars is supported by SpaceKids Global, an organization dedicated to the future of space exploration. SpaceKids Global inspires and empowers young people by introducing them to the wide range of careers available in space exploration and technology. 

Sharon Hagle: 

Discover how we are shaping the future of space exploration one young mind at a time. Visit BoilersToMars.com. 

That was incredible. There’s just so many moments in that, that give me goosebumps. I’m sure you all felt that in the crowd too. My name is Kate Young, I’m the host of This is Purdue, the official university podcast. Any podcast listeners out there? All right. Okay. Well, I am so excited and honored to be here tonight to lead this panel and we have some incredible panelists with us. I know you all will enjoy it. So I’m going to start off by introducing them and we are going to have that conversation of what it takes to go first. So first up, we have former NASA astronaut Drew Feustel. 

He is a Purdue University presidential ambassador and proud Boilermaker College of Science alum. He’s also part of Purdue’s esteemed Cradle of Astronauts. Okay, next up we have Mark and Sharon Hagle, founder of SpaceKids Global, a supporting partner for Boilers to Mars Tonight. Now they are space pioneers in their own right. Mark and Sharon made history after becoming the first married couple on a commercial space flight in 2022, and they also brought with them Saba the Space Dog as you can see here. And now, Mark is a proud Purdue alum. He’s a leading advocate for space exploration. Sharon is the CEO of SpaceKids Global, which is an organization that introduces kids to the diversity of careers in space exploration and technology, and it has a special focus on empowering young girls. The couple was also the lead donor of Mark and Sharon Hagle Hall, the home of Purdue bands and orchestras. 

Next up we have Briony Horgan, a professor of planetary science in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. Briony specializes in Martian geology, so super fitting for us tonight. She’s also a co-investigator and long-term planner on NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover mission. We also have a podcast about Perseverance Rover and Briony, so be sure to check that out. That rover has been collecting core samples of rocks on Mars since 2021, with the hopes of bringing it back to earth for further study. 

Okay, and finally we have Marshall Porterfield. Marshall is a professor of agricultural and biological engineering in Purdue’s College of Agriculture, and former division director for Space Life and Physical Sciences at NASA. Marshall has been studying life in space for over 30 years, so he’s going to be a great panelist to join us tonight. And Marshall and his team’s LEAF project was recently selected by NASA for the Artemis III mission. This project will explore cultivating crops in space with the goal to grow plants on the moon by 2026. So give another round of applause for our panelists. Thank you all for being here. We just watched that film. What’d you guys think? 

I think it’s amazing. 

So to kick this panel off, Boilers to Mars has host a crew of people that all help together to take this mission and be the first. So with your all experiences within the space industry, what did it take for you to go first? We’ll start with Drew and we’re going to go down the line. 

I don’t think I was first at anything. I was just following the long tradition of astronauts coming from Purdue and we always say that we stand on the shoulder of giants, those that came before us, that’s certainly been true in NASA. And I think now with the private space sector building capabilities, those individuals and those companies are standing on the shoulders of the giants that came before them, and the heritage that as a university like Purdue has created to allow that to happen. So it’s just amazing to be associated with such great institution and history, and just pleasure to be here. And I want to thank everybody for coming out, and I did think the show is amazing. I just really love that film. 

Mark and Sharon for you both. What themes in Boilers to Mars resonated with your experience going up in space as the first married couple? 

First of all, you guys are so lucky and so fortunate to be at such a wonderful university. What this university has to offer is just incredible. And the opportunities, the opportunities it gives you in life is just amazing. And it said in the thing not to be afraid to be first. Richard Branson said it a little differently. If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough. So think of what the future could be for you, think what the opportunities are and what the benefits could be with an education that you get such a wonderful university. So my congratulations to you for being here and we were very fortunate to be the first married couple to go on a commercial flight to space, and probably the first legal kiss in space. I’m not sure about that. 

And we’re still talking. No, what better way to venture into space? We are so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the space industry so early on, as it starts to take flight. We did have an opportunity to meet with some people and I always like to say there’s three things that can change your trajectory. It’s education, opportunity and experience, and being at the right place. And I think you guys did an excellent job, because I’ve always told people when I’m speaking, that going to space is the most emotional and spiritual journey you will ever take, and I think this film pokes you on how emotional it is and how it’s so exciting. 

Saba, do you have anything to add? 

By popular demand, anybody that follows SpaceKids Global knows that Saba is always there. Blue Origin made him a flight suit to match ours, so every time we go into schools or science centers, he has his space suit on. And the first question Q&A is can we see your dog again? 

Briony and Marshall, same with you too. How did you resonate with Boilers to Mars on a personal level? 

Briony Horgan: 

Yeah, I mean it’s amazing seeing what Purdue students can do, right? We’re giving them all these amazing opportunities and skills, but it’s really up to the students to take them and do an incredible thing with them. And so, for me it was just so rewarding to think about maybe some of our first planetary science graduating class of students who graduated just about 10 years ago, might be some of the first astronauts on Mars, using some of the things they learned in our classes about the planets, about the geology of Mars to actually go study things on Mars, which is just really, really uplifting for me. 

Marshall Porterfield: 

For me it looked like home, because the students in the greenhouse, those were my students in the greenhouse just this morning to me, so it looked like home. But no, how do you go first? You have to prove that you’re ready for that, and how do you prove? You prepare yourself, you have to learn. And really, learning requires making mistakes, so you have to be not afraid of making mistakes, and learning from those mistakes, and that’s how you learn to move forward. That’s how you become the first, to get the chance to go first. 

And that persistence after you make a mistake to keep going, right? 

That’s right. 

Each of you have worked closely with government agencies like NASA and commercial entities like Blue Origin. Can you share some of your professional experiences when it comes to working towards traveling to and sustaining life in space? Drew, we’ll start with you. 

Of course NASA has been working for decades to put humans in space and one of the mandates of NASA is to enable low earth orbit economy ultimately, and assist lunar economy, to see that not only government agencies are sponsoring human space, flight and space travel, but also private industry. So what’s been amazing is to see very recently, I mean, over the last decade, is how the private companies are coming online. We see that SpaceX has been very successful in providing access to the International Space Station and the idea is that we’ll keep developing those capabilities, allow NASA to focus on returning to the surface of the moon, and ultimately going on to Mars with the support of these private industries. And those industries with government funding right now are enabling or creating spacecraft and vehicles to get us there, and that allows NASA to do more with less budget, but also focus on the longer term, bigger picture projects and allow companies to be service providers for that access to space. 

So it’s been incredible to watch that happen. I was speaking with Mark just earlier about the idea that I have that we’re at an inflection point in human space exploration, where our technologies and capabilities are finally catching up with our desires and intentions in space, and that to me is really exciting. This is the most dynamic period of human spaceflight in its entirety of the entire program, since we started sending people into space in the late ’50s and early ’60s. So this is incredible time. We look forward to more advancements and really, we’re still at the infancy stage of human exploration. This is just the beginning and in 20 years or 50 years, we’re going to look back at the shuttle era, the Apollo era, the Gemini era, even the SpaceX Dragon era, and think how these were humble beginnings that led to all the great advances that we’re going to see I think in the next few decades. It’s just incredible. 

To amplify on that, the public-private partnership has been such a dramatic change to the space industry, and its ability to excel and move forward, and move forward at a pace that’s never been seen before in the history of the world. It’s incredible the accomplishments that have been made in the past years. And if we look to sustainability, if we look to the future of that, what it really means, the future isn’t necessarily the people that are sitting in this room, because we’re looking at going to Mars in sometime in the 2030s. The future of the young kids today and the education of the people that are 16 and younger, those are the people that are probably going to be on those first missions. And to encourage them to go into the STEM fields and to encourage them to get educations that are transformable into what is needed to go to Mars, not just as an astronaut, but as Sharon I’m sure will expand on, other professions. That’s what it’s really all about. That’s the sustainability for the future. 

Drew, when you were talking the way you were explaining it made me think about us outgrowing our logistics capabilities. That’s essentially what you’ve explained, and that means how do we provide food, water, sustainable human life? How are we going to sustain humans on these long duration missions? That’s going to require bioregenerative technologies, and that’s where we’re at now in terms of the gap. It’s the gap is biological, and so that’s why we’re really looking at developing the foundations for Bioastronautics, to create what comes next here at Purdue. 

But if I might expand on that and you’re exactly on point, and that is that problems that have existed on earth and problems that have existed in what do we do tomorrow? How do we solve the problem? They’re done by imagineers. They’re done by people that have the wherewithal and the capability of solving technological problems in advancements and discoveries for the future. The average age of the person that worked on the flight to the Moon was 26 years old. Sharon and I had the opportunity to tour SpaceX’s facility in Los Angeles, and the gentleman that designed the spacesuit, if you were watching what was happening today in space, where they had the spacewalk with the commercial astronauts, that spacesuit was designed by a graduate from MIT whose first job was working for SpaceX to design that spacesuit. Why is that? Young people don’t have boundaries. They don’t have preconceived notions on what should be and the way it should be. They’re problem solvers. That’s our future. 

So in 2016, NASA graduated the first crew that was 50% women, 50% men. That was unheard of. At SpaceKids Global, we focus on elementary schools, getting the students excited about living off planet and preparing them for their futures in space. When they asked the astronauts when they knew they wanted to be in the space industry, nine times out of 10 it was a first grade teacher. That’s why it’s critical that we get students in early ages, from five years old to 12 years old, to participate and get them engaged. 

I’ll say the thing I’m most excited about, looking ahead to having humans on Mars is the amazing science we’re going to get to do. As it’s true, right? Because we’re going not just for exploration, but to learn new things, to push the frontiers of science, to learn basic things, like is there life in the universe beyond earth? And we’re trying to do that right now with our Rover, with the Perseverance Rover. We’re searching for signs of ancient microbial life on Mars, trying to collect samples to bring them back to earth, hopefully one day. But that’s the first step, right? But what’s really great is watching how things have evolved at NASA in terms of integrating science into the exploration, right? It’s not just flags and footprints anymore. It really is about where’s the best place we can go on the, back to the moon or to Mars, or we can learn the most to really help advance our science. And just watching that get closer and closer, as our little Rover gradually climbs up the giant crater rim of Jezero crater. It’s just getting closer every day. 

In Boilers to Mars, as we talked about sustainability, the crew tackles one of the toughest challenges the world is facing, is maintaining a sustainable presence to be on space. Drew, why do you think traveling to Mars is an important mission? Not just for Boilermakers, but for the whole world? 

In the words of John Young, “Single-planet species don’t last forever, just ask the dinosaurs.” And right now we are a single-planet species, and I truly believe as an astronaut that it’s really important for us to learn to live off of the planet, but also in attempting to live off the planet, we will create and understand technologies and capabilities that will allow us to survive on this planet. The regenerative life support systems and biogenetics, and all those things that are going to be important for us as we use resources on our planet, sometimes responsibly, sometimes irresponsibly. Those technologies that we create and the way we understand what it will take to live in the hostile environments of space will also provide opportunities for us to continue to live and thrive on this planet, which is going to be really important in our near term. 

Yeah, the sustainability issue is, really that is the gap. If you think about the cost of these missions and the mass issues, you buy down that mass by making everything recyclable. Now all of a sudden these missions are possible both in terms of the human life support, but also economically too. So we can actually buy it down that way. But what we’re trying to do in space is solve all the problems that are already a problem here on earth, but they’re harder in space. So it’s kind of ironic in that way too, but it’s also profoundly interdisciplinary. It’s not just an aerospace problem, it’s agriculture, biology, medicine. All the disciplines of life have to become together, and you think about an engineered system that brings together all the disciplines of life and of humanity, and that’s really the challenge. It’s a major challenge for humanity. We need to create the technology to be sustainable here. At the same time, that’s going to enable us to be able to project humanity out into this universe. 

Briony and Marshall, as professors at Purdue, what do you think it will take Boilermakers specifically to go first with this? 

I think they’re already doing it, to be honest, right? I think we’ve got some of the best students in the country thinking about these exact problems, right? Really putting their minds to this. And already we have student groups there, Marshall was telling you about student groups that are trying to build the first to Habitat at a university to test living on Mars. We have students group trying to fly small stats in the space. It’s really, really incredible what Boilermakers students can do and they’re already doing it. So all you have to do is graduate and keep doing amazing things. 

And there’s so much energy and excitement right now with some of the students, and students groups are starting to respond to these opportunities, and starting to organize themselves. In some ways they’re actually ahead of NASA and trying to build a habitat here to actually do that kind of work. So yeah, it’s really important. We can do it here too. 

Mark and Sharon, what motivated you two to be so involved in inspiring the next generation? You’ve talked a lot about that with SpaceKids Global. What makes you two really inspired to have kids think that they’ll be the first, right? 

Well, it all started a while ago when we were with Richard Branson. We signed up, what, 20 years ago to be Virgin Galactic Future Astronauts. And by the way, space, you have to have patience. It’s not an overnight success. We’ve founded SpaceKids Global based on three things. At the time I was reading the International Educational Forum, where it stated that the US students had fallen to 38 in math and 71 in science out of 71 countries. Then I was at a college where Dr. Michio Kaku was speaking, the physicist, and he said, “If you don’t have kids hooked in math and science by six and seven, you’re going to lose them.” 

And then when we were speaking to Richard, Richard kind of pushed me and said, “Sharon, if your dreams don’t scare you, they’re too small.” 

So I think the universe wanted me to start this. What’s so exciting about our mission is we’re inspiring elementary school kids in STEM, education, plus environment, but ensuring that girls are equally represented. There are 3.5 million STEM job vacancies predicted by 2025. Three years ago that sounded like a long time away, but it’s just right around the corner. The thing that we’re doing at SpaceKids is we’re bringing hands-on projects through the partnerships of our space companies, and we’ve been able through that program to send 21 science projects to the ISS. Remember, these kids are only five to 12 years old. Through our partnership with Zero G, we had a national essay competition on why I want to go to space. Interesting reactions to that. Some kids wanted to go to space, others said, “No way. I’ll stay on the ground and help you design the rockets.” 

And then we bring Title One students over to Kennedy Space Center. But the project that I’m really excited about is the one we just released, the winners of our SpaceKids Press Squad. And these are kids across the country between the ages of eight and 12, and they are going to come to Kennedy Space Center, two day all expenses paid. They are going to be space reporters. They’ll come to Blue Origin, they’ll get a behind the scene tour, New Glenn. They’ll be interviewing scientists, engineers, everyone that it takes to put a trip together, a launch together. We’re really excited about this, because these kids have no idea, seven of them have never been to Kennedy Space Center. So by bringing these hands-on projects to kids across the country, we’re making them participators, not spectators. The big thing is we’re making learning fun again. Did you want to add anything? 

Yeah. SpaceKids was originally designed as Sharon said, to encourage the young children to get excited about the possibilities of STEM education as it relates to space, and other scientific and environmental fields. The ultimate goal of SpaceKids, and it’s on its mission to get there now, is to expand that program and partner with other people that have the same vision that we have, but then go vertically integrated. It’s my Purdue education talking, go vertically integrated and start partnering with companies that take the kids once they get past the elementary age, and take them up through the junior high school and the high school, and the college age, and eventually into internships and jobs with industry, and inventions that they might have going in the future. That part of the program is presently in process in, there’s nothing more important than education. Education is what solves the problems in the world. Education is what’s going to keep humanity alive on earth. 

That’s what we’re trying to do is bringing the possibility of space to kids everywhere. 

This is something we touched on throughout this whole panel. We look out on our audience tonight. We have so many students out here. There may be future space researchers, maybe even a future astronaut or two out there. So what advice would you all give to these Boilermakers who are trying to tackle the world’s toughest challenges? 

My advice is to do what you love. And also, something that people told me growing up and that we’ve all heard is that okay, you can do anything you want to do. Anything you can imagine. I grew up really thinking, okay, maybe that’s a cliche, like, okay, sure you can do anything you want, but guess what? Actually you can. Your mind is very powerful thing, and that subconscious programming and goal that you have in your head, you may not realize the mechanics required or the events that are going to transpire in your life that will get you to the place you want to be. But if you have that drive in your mind and in your soul, you will end up where you need to be. Just pursue the things that are important to you and that are meaningful, and you’ll achieve the goals that you set out in front of you. 

It can happen and it will happen. And I know, because it happened for me and I had a rocky start. And I owe a lot of it to my wife, Indra, who’s here today as well. A lot of your success depends on who you align with, your friends, your family, in my case, my spouse, to create those successes and those opportunities. So just remember that you’ll never walk through a door if you don’t knock on it first. So don’t leave any doors closed and try to walk through all of them that you have an opportunity to. If you have a chance, why not? Because you only have so many chances to be able to say no to something. So take the opportunity to make decisions and take those chances in life, but believe in yourself so you can get there. 

Boy, that’s hard to follow. You’re getting an education that gives you the background and the understanding of how to face problems, and how to solve problems, and that’s important. And as Drew said, make sure you do something that you’re excited about. If you’re excited about it, guess what? If you keep your eyes open and listen to the world, opportunities are going to present themselves to you. They always do. I had no idea where I was going to be in life when I was taking my education at Purdue. 

I started out majoring in physics, changed to electrical engineering and graduated in that, but I had an opportunity my junior year to take a small business management class, and that opened my eyes to the possibilities of combining my engineering education with a business education, and that’s what gave me the capability of being able to do what I’m doing today. Opportunities will present themselves. The person that is able to identify those opportunities, face them, solve the problems associated with them, take the challenge associated with them, and move forward. You’re going to have so much fun in your life and you’re going to enjoy what you’re doing, and it’s going to be a benefit to everybody. 

What excites me today is this basis for everyone. It’s people like you and me that are getting the opportunity to go to space. I can tell you as a sixth grader and listening to a PA system in a class in West Virginia, back in 1961 when Alan Shepard did his suborbital, that had never been done before. I mean, you guys are used to watching launches every week, but for that little girl, she had no idea how that was going to affect her, because it’s a long way away from West Virginia to Kennedy Space Center. But little did I know 61 years later, I would be launched on a vehicle named after him. My point is, the curiosity, the hope, that’s the changes. Mark and I are getting ready to be launched again next month. We’ll be making our second trip into space, and now when I go outside and look at the moon, it’s the hope. Maybe I can go there. 

Briony and Marshall, what do you have to say to people out there who want to go up in space one day? 

Start small. It really is at the first step. The first step leads to a giant leap later. It’s as I think Drew was saying really nicely, it’s just go for every opportunity you can. Don’t tell yourself no. I always tell people, especially women have a tendency to say, “Oh no, I’m not qualified for that. I’m not going to apply.” 

Let the people looking at your application or whatever tell you no, don’t tell yourself no. It’s so important, because once you get one thing funded, awarded, one group you’ve joined and had a good time, the next thing comes so much more easily. It just keeps snowballing and that’s how you get to have an amazing life doing amazing things, because you went for that first shot and just didn’t give up. 

But if I may, let me add to that. If you do get a no answer, don’t accept it. I understand the problem associated with that no answer and solve the problem, and do it again. It’s going to happen 

To be this age, the possibilities that you guys are going to have, and who knows? The person sitting next to you might be that first person on Mars. 

I identified with one of the characters in the movie and grew up with fathers in the military. So I moved around a lot and I think that made me more open to diversity, more creative in how I thought about things. But I think right now for the students to realize if you’re really interested in space and the opportunities in space, that there’s a huge gap in terms of life support. It is the last unsolved problem on bioregenerative life support. How are we going to accomplish that? So there’s going to be so many opportunities for students across all different disciplines and walks of life to contribute to what comes next in space, because it’s really about what life on earth. We are working to get, a group of faculty and I are working together right now to try to develop a new curriculum program in Bioastronautics, so keep your eyes open for that in the next year. We’re hoping that we’re going to create more curriculum opportunities for students to really get involved on the front line. 

We can’t thank you enough for being here. This was incredible. Thank you. Thank you all for coming out tonight. I hope you had a wonderful time. I know I did sitting up here. 

Can I add something? 

Sure. 

I just want to say this, because I didn’t get a chance to say it earlier. I should have. I still remember the moment I got my acceptance letter to Purdue. And when I saw that film, I literally started crying when I saw that scene, because that moment for me was so impactful in my life and I knew that it was going to lead to many amazing things. And it has. The fact that I’m sitting here now sharing this story with you means that it did make a difference. And I hope that all of you believe in the reason you’re here and that you remember the moment you were accepted to Purdue, and that you’re here to make giant leaps, because you will. This is the place to do it, and we all commend you for being here and taking those steps. Just keep up the great work and make us proud, because it’s an amazing journey. This is the best time of your life. 

Thank you, Drew for just doing my outro for me. I can’t compete with that, but be sure to check out This is Purdue. You can listen to this panel conversation. We’re going to turn it into an episode. Be sure to check out our gold carpet out there. You got to get a photo out there. #BoilerstoMars. There’s some photo props outside as well, so be sure to share the love on social. And again, thank you to our wonderful panelists. It was an incredible evening, and Boiler up. 

What an incredible experience and event for our entire Purdue brand studio team to be a part of. This short film was more than a year and a half in the making, and it was so meaningful to watch our fellow team members experience the joy and excitement of this project, making its official debut to the public. Remember, you can check out this short film, learn more about its inspiration, and even buy merch anytime on BoilersToMars.com. Trust me, you’ll want to check out the T-shirts we have on there. And if you enjoy this episode, you’ll definitely want to check out our behind the scenes videos from this movie premiere event on our podcast YouTube page, YouTube.com/@thisisPurdue. 

And of course, be sure to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Purdue is hosted and written by me, Kate Young. Our podcast videography for this episode was led by Ted Schellenberger, in collaboration with Thad Boone, Jon Garcia, Alli Chaney, and Zach Mogensen. Our social media marketing is led by Maria Welch. Our podcast distribution strategy is led by Teresa Walker and Carly Eastman. Our podcast design is led by Caitlin Freeville and Cheryl Glotzbach. Our podcast photography for this episode was led by John Underwood. Our podcast team project manager is Rain Gu. Our podcast YouTube promotions is managed by Kirsten Bauman. Additional Writing and research assistance is led by Sophie Ritz. And our This is Purdue intern is Caroline Keim. Thanks for listening to This is Purdue. For more information on this episode, visit our website at purdue.edu/podcast. There, you can head over to your favorite podcast app to subscribe and leave us a review. And as always, Boiler up.

When she was a student in Purdue’s Brian Lamb School of Communication, Kate envisioned a career in broadcasting. She spent a few years as a news reporter before she fell in love with podcasting. Her optimism, enthusiasm and natural curiosity pervades every part of “This Is Purdue,” the official university podcast she writes, hosts and produces.

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