Wow, KarenC and Marcie, we were all there at about the same time!!!!
I was there from 1977 to 1981. Where did you guys live?
I was at McCutcheon (aka "Outer Mongolia") my freshman year -- how I remember trudging through 10 foot snow drifts during the Great Blizzard of 1978 -- uphill both ways, of course
)
I was at Earhart my soph and junior years, and my senior year, I moved to Grad House East (I think they are named Young and Hawkins now).
I would echo what many others have said about Purdue. When I was there (granted, it was 23 years ago!!), I always felt very safe. Excellent reputation for academics, particularly in engineering and the sciences. It is a large campus -- I think nearly 30,000 students now, which is fairly typical for Big Ten schools.
Purdue was orginally a land grant college, and as such, also has a strong reputation in agriculture.
No School of Music, BUT there are plenty of oppotunities for students to be involved in the performing arts -- the Purdue All-American Band with its famed "Golden Girl", "Silver Twins", and "Girl in Black" baton squad, Symphony Orchestra, Mens' Glee Club, etc. In fact, one of the most memorable events every year is the PMO Christmas Show, a muscial extravaganza put on jointly by all the musical organizations. And the talent of these young people is amazing!!!
Purdue has a renowned aeronautical engineering program. In fact, at one point, more NASA astronauts graduated from Purdue than any other university (I think Air Force Academy may have that honor now).
Oh, and of course, the athletics. Purdue has a reputation of excellent quarterbacks in football, dating back to Lenny Dawson, Mike Phipps, Bob Griese, Mark Hermann (in my day!), and more recently, Drew Breese. And in basketball, well, for so long, Gene Keady was the embodiment of Purdue Basketball -- much as Bob Knight was his counterpart at Indiana University.
Purdue is in West Lafayette. The West Lafayette/Lafayette (they are separated by the Wabash River) is a mid-size Midwestern town. There is some industry, but at least on the West Lafayette side, it is mostly a college town, with the campus, and some residential areas. Chicago and Indianapolis are both within easy driving distance. If you go a little way off campus, you will be in farmland.
