First-Year Success

Starting college comes with many firsts — experiences, challenges and opportunities to grow. But you don’t have to navigate it all on your own. Purdue’s campus community created this list of dates, tools and resources to help you stay organized and kick off your first semester confidently.

Important Dates:

Oct. 12-13

Fall break (no classes)

Nov. 25-28

Thanksgiving break (no classes)

See full academic calendar

Student Resources

Click on any of the boxes below to explore resources available to all first-year and continuing Purdue students.

Featured:

Shovel App

Shovel is a college planner app that Purdue offers free to all students. Shovel allows you to enter your class schedule, assignments, extracurriculars, work schedules and more to help create structure and avoid feeling overwhelmed.

Alcohol and Other Drug Policy Guide

Steps to Leaps

Academic Success Center

Purdue Writing Lab

Student Support Services

RecWell Self-Help Guides

Advocacy and Support

Wellness Coaching

Office of the Dean of Students

Purdue Careers

BoilerConnect

Boiler Financial Track

Civics Literacy

Hear From Purdue Students

Watch other students share their first-year stories — from experiencing growth to navigating challenges.

Stay Engaged

This guide helps students discover research-based strategies for engaging inside and outside the classroom.

Download PDF

Need Support? Contact Us

If you have questions or need help with anything, feel free to reach out to Purdue Orientation Programs!