Looking Into Winter Break...

Hey All,


As the stress of finals has approached, I'm trying to keep my chin up and focus on all the fun activities and relaxation I will get to experience while on winter break.

For starters, my best friend since freshman year is graduating, so I'm really looking forward to spending some time with her before she moves to New York.  While it will be sad being so far away from her next semester, I hope that I'll have some free weekends to visit her and explore the city.

I am excited to get to spend time with my mom and family in Kentucky.  It's unfortunate that they live (somewhat) far away, but it definitely makes the time I do spend with them memorable.  I'm hoping that my mom and I will get a chance to visit some wineries and eat her homemade chicken and noodles.

It will also be nice to spend some time with my friends back at home who I don't get to see as much during the school year.  My friend Lauren goes to Butler, and she and I have both been rather bogged down with graduate school applications and preparing for/ taking the GRE, so it will be nice that the two of us will have some time to kick back and relax.


Speaking of graduate school, while it is still early, there's a chance that I might start hearing back from some schools while on break.  I'm very much looking forward to finding out which schools will interview me and have my visit.  I've applied to schools all over the country, so I honestly have no idea where I will wind up next year, but I find it exciting.



I wish everyone the best of luck on their finals and a wonderful holiday break!!


-Hallie

The Final Weeks

What Up Boiler Fans?!

We are strolling into the final weeks of classes for the semester and students could not be more excited. The excitement is not just for the ending of classes but for the basketball games, holidays, family, and friends.

Even over Christmas break I am so excited to stay involved on campus by attending a bunch of basketball games. It is always a great time to hang out with friends and scream "Boiler Up" at the top of your lungs. The atmosphere is so energetic and makes you really proud to be a boiler. The holidays are about so much more than just celebrating the end of school and a great basketball team though.

I am most excited about spending some quality time with family and friends. It seems like break flies by so quickly because you are so busy having fun with Christmas parties, friends, watching Christmas movies, and eating way too much food! Before you know it January has arrived, it's a new year, and a new semester on the horizon.

Being a senior I am sure this spring will feel like it is taking forever, when really it is flying by without me knowing it; just like Christmas break. Being at Purdue is sometimes a challenge with the classes you have to take, but it is also a blessing to be around the great people in your department who makes the time fly by. There is so much to do and look forward to after college, but as I am in the middle of my senior year I am also realizing there is a lot to look forward to and do while you are in college.

Remember to always count your blessings, never wish time away, and always find the best in every situation. Just after you blink you will realize time has passed and you'll realize that time wished away could have been one of the best times of your life.

Boiler Up and Merry Christmas!

Dakota Westphal
dwestpha@purdue.edu

Dead Week onto Finals

Hey folks,

Its that time of year again... time for studying and exams! While Christmas will come soon enough, all I can focus on right now is getting great scores on my final exams. One thing you will learn about college is the exams are much harder than high school. Each class requires time to adequately prepare yourself for the final exam. However, since most of these classes are classes you choose to take, they reflect well on real life skills that you will use in your career. That is why is it so important to do well on them!

One thing about dead week (the week before finals) and finals is that it is also one of the most relaxing times on campus, because Purdue as well as the college of Ag put on a lot of great programs to help students take a break from studying. My favorite is going to the union and seeing all of the wonderful Christmas decorations they put up. In the center of the union they put up a massive Christmas tree! Along with this, the College of Ag provides hot chocolate and candies in Agriculture Administration during finals week, giving agriculture students a nice space to go and relax for a bit.

Overall finals in college can seem daunting, but there are a lot of great resources and study sessions to make it manageable. 

Happy Holidays!

Nick

Graduation

I cant help but think as I am writing this of where has time gone.  You will hear day in and out that college will FLY by.  Honestly, I was told several times that college will go fast and that when you graduate you will regret not making the most of it.  When I was a freshman I heard the same story, make the most of college it is the best time of your life.  Now, as a senior I am writing this thinking of all of the things I could have done differently.  I could have studied harder, got more involved in clubs, stayed on campus more, and so much more.  I feel like I should have focused more on becoming involved on campus.   Becoming involved on campus will help you build your resume, and friend base.  Friends are what make college a blast.  The people you meet in college will become the best man/woman in your wedding, your roommates, wife/husband and so much more!  I met my wife in college and will be holding our reception on this very campus, as it has meant so much to us. 

Honestly, the goal of this post is not to encourage choosing Purdue as a college, or even to chose agronomy as your major, but to influence you to do the most you can during your time in college.  I graduate in two weeks, actually less than two weeks.  I never believed people when they said college will go very fast, when I was a freshman I thought college would last forever, it will not.  I miss freshman year, I miss sophomore year, and I miss my last semester of senior year since I am graduating early.  I wish I could go back and join that club I was interested in, run for an executive position for my fraternity, and go hang out with my friends instead of studying for an exam I already felt comfortable with.  Now, my next transition into the real world will not be too much different as I will be attending graduate school at Purdue.  But, it will leave many memories behind with my undergrad.

Decisions, Decisions

Hello Everyone!

As the semester winds down and winter break quickly approaches, it is hard to figure out where these past 14 weeks have gone. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was moving back to Purdue from my internship, and classes were starting back up. With every passing week I think that we are all reminded that our time here at Purdue is limited, and graduation is not too far away for many of us. With my graduation date quickly approaching I need to decide what direction I want to go in my career field. Do I want to directly enter the work force, or do I want to continue my education with graduate school?

This decision is probably much like the one some of you maybe facing when it comes to deciding on what college you would like to attend. It can be extremely difficult to make decisions in two or four-year blocks of time just because, so much can change. However, if there is one thing that I have learned throughout my collegiate career it is to risk it. I think that many of us have heard to old saying, “no risk, no reward.” I’ll be honest, not all the risks I have taken have paid off, however if there is one thing that has remind constant it is that I have learned a great deal from each risk, either positive or negative. Take the risk. Risk leaving that small town that you may feel comfortable in, risk choosing a college that might be far away, risk leaving your significant other, risk pursing the major you have always dreamed of. This world is a big place, and if there is one thing you can do for yourself, it is to risk the opportunity to grow and explore at Purdue.

I hope that may of you decide that Purdue is right for you, and if you have any hesitations about Purdue itself, or the Agronomy department, please reach out and ask!  

   

Happy Holidays,

Nicholas Fanning
njfannin@purdue.edu  

Dead Week

Welcome to Dead Week Everyone!

I cannot believe how fast this semester has gone by! There are only two weeks left in the semester; the last one being finals week. Most classes and commitments on campus are winding down at this point. Last week we had officer elections in Agronomy Club,  and I am looking forward to working with the new officer team as I take on the treasurer position. I have finished my senior capstone marketing project, so now I have to focus on my economics classes. There are going to be some challenging finals this semester, but it will all be better once they are over!

As some of you are waiting for your offer letters from colleges in the mail, I would encourage you to think both about the academics and the extra curricular opportunities that each school offers. Typically you can find all of this information on the school's website, but if you know anyone at the school that is extremely helpful as well. It is also never too late to go visit a school you are thinking about! College is an extremely important decision that will shape the rest of your life. However, wherever you decide to go, you will have to opportunity to change your path if you so wish. Something amazing about schools like Purdue is that I was able to get involved in other interests besides just agronomy. I added my second major in agricultural marketing late in my sophomore year here, and the amazing counselors and mentors here have continued to make it a great decision.

To all the students on campus right now, good luck with your finals and dead week! Here's to hoping for limited Friday and Saturday finals!

Sarah Voglewede
svoglewe@purdue.edu

Semester Wrap Up

Hey Everyone!

With the semester coming to an end and the excitement of Christmas break coming I hope everyone is having a great start to December. As I say every December and every May here at Purdue, I can’t believe the semester is already over. 18 more credits down and I still can't be any happier as a Boilermaker!

To all prospective students, this is a very exciting time for you, as December 15^th approaches and waiting to hear back from schools is tiring it makes it a crazy time. It feels like it was yesterday I was waiting for the mail every day to hopefully see an envelope with my name on it.  Purdue was one of the schools that I heard back from first and I remember the day opening up my envelope. At the time I was unsure if I wanted to travel 16 hours from home to come to a school I didn’t know that much about but I can assure you that coming to school at Purdue was one of the best decisions I have ever made. 

The decision of choosing a school is stressful and hard. The advice that I would give you is to write out all the pros and cons of every school you are considering. That is something I did when I was picking between my top two schools. It is important to try to picture yourself in all the different aspects of the college from your classes to your friendships to even the school’s moral. Choosing Purdue and more specifically the agronomy department was the best thing I have ever done, it has opened up so many doors for me and I can truly say I found my home away from home. 

I wish you all the best of luck with your decisions! As always feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.

Happy Holidays

Julia Fibbe 

jfibbe@purdue.edu