Did You Know?: Big Ten+ Graduate School Exposition
September 18, 2014
 |
|
Each fall, the Big Ten+ Graduate School Exposition serves as a recruitment event for potential Purdue graduate students and brings dozens of institutions to campus for a graduate school fair. This year, about 400 potential students are expected to attend, and 103 traditional university graduate programs as well as 15 professional school programs will be represented at the fair. The expo will take place Sept. 21-22. (Photo provided) |
Each fall, Purdue hosts the Big Ten+ Graduate School Exposition, which is one of the largest university-hosted recruitment and informational events in the country for potential graduate students. This year's event is scheduled for Sunday and Monday (Sept. 21-22).
Activities will be held primarily in Stewart Center and Purdue Memorial Union's North and South Ballrooms. This year marks the 11th time Purdue has held the event.
"It's a huge advantage for Purdue to host this large event, which is unconventional in that it attracts students from all over the country and gathers a variety of institutions in one place to offer information to potential students," says Janet Beagle, director of graduate admissions at Purdue.
"Perhaps the biggest advantage is that it allows top-quality potential graduate students to experience Purdue's atmosphere. Our graduate programs are very highly ranked, but our campus is also known to promote a very collaborative and family-oriented environment. By bringing potential graduate students to campus, they can see this firsthand. It may help them decide to pursue graduate studies at Purdue rather than elsewhere."
Each year, the expo consists of informational sessions on Sunday for potential Purdue graduate students. Sundays are considered recruitment days for Purdue, Beagle says. There, informational sessions allow attendees to learn from and network with current Purdue graduate students and faculty in the science, technology, engineering, mathematics and related fields.
On Monday, the event includes a graduate school fair in which outside institutions can present attendees with information. Students from Purdue and across the country typically attend the event.
When Purdue began hosting the expo in 2004, it was a small affair, Beagle says. Eighty-nine students attended, and there were 40 booths at the graduate school fair, which is held in the ballrooms.
Now, about 400 students typically attend, and the fair consists of more than 100 booths. This year, 103 traditional university graduate programs will have booths at the fair, and 15 professional schools will have booths, too. It's the first year that professional schools will be represented at the fair.
In all, students who came to the event and later attended Purdue have earned 154 master's degrees and 25 PhDs.
Purdue students may attend the graduate school fair on Monday for free with their Purdue ID, or they may participate in all expo events, including workshops, meals and networking activities, and pay the regular registration fee of $35 in advance or $40 at the door.
Purdue students may visit the special Purdue student registration site at www.gradschool.purdue.edu/gradexpo/purduestudents/index.cfm for details. More information about the expo is also available online at www.purdue.edu/gradexpo.
Writer: Amanda Hamon Kunz, 49-61325, ahamon@purdue.edu
