| Full Time Counseling Psychology |
Purdue is a school dominated by undergraduate programs in engineering,
sciences, and agriculture. Liberal arts are stonger at Indiana
University. This undergraduate difference isn't too important at the
graduate level.
Those programs mean there is a large international student population,
however. They may sponsor special events, festival things through the
student union. Ethnic restaurants of good quality also are available.
Student bars near and off campus. Culture comes to the cornfield on
tour from Broadway, symphonies, opera, rock concerts, etc. and student
priced tickets are available. Large Greek system. We had an
intramural softball team in the department called the Rhor-jocks that
competed on campus. Fine intramural sports and fitness activites.
Saturday afternoons are Big Ten football and basketball if that's your
thing. There are tons of clubs on every subject at the university and
open to grad students (if you can find the time). The student body
campuswide tends to be more conservative than liberal in social and
political attitude, again, Indiana U. is the reverse (So too are Iowa
and Iowa State, perhaps Michigan and Michigan State).
However, you are in graduate school to learn a profession and so that
factor isn't as important- but you will notice it in the general
atmosphere. If you are a strong liberal you can survive and enjoy the
chance for anthropological fieldwork observing the undergraduates and
local "natives!!"
The faculty and the students in your program are what's critical
because those will be your primary relationships. You will bond into a
tight student group with your peers working through the program in your
entering class year, and I mean a tight group. You are all in it
together and so you will work and play- live with a group of very smart
folks from all over the country, largely to the exclusion of anyone
else, and they are as deep into your subject as are you.
As I said above- you will "live the life" and it is a great
intellectual and convivial social life. It will be the peak academic
time of your life, unless you choose to become a professor. Students
party with faculty. Faculty accord you respect and the topic of your
study is in constant discourse. I never knew more psychology than I
did when I passed my pre-lims. Even spending 20 years working and
teaching in universities before moving to the corporate world- nothing
compares to the intellectual abundance and intensity of my graduate
school years.
I am glad to have had it and will always miss it a bit. Purdue
provided me the resources and people to train-up and become a highly
competent psychologist and the foundation on which to build a
successful professional career. I had opportunities to study at
several other leading grad schools, even some more notable in
psychology, and I have never had any regrets in selecting Purdue.
Hope this helps you somewhat. Good luck. Best wishes.
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