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Purdue? | 3 comments (3 topical, 0 hidden)
[new] Post-doc perspective (none / 0) (#1)
by brianbirgen on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 12:06:05 PM PDT

I was not a grad student at Purdue, but I was a post-doc. I will say that Purdue was a wonderful place to be a post-doc. The teaching load is easy. I was teaching Linear Algebra and Differential Equations to Engineers. The idea of sophomore math classes as service courses took some getting used to, but they were easy to teach. I also found it easy to do research in the department. I think I had some difficulties forming research collaborations, but since I am now at a small liberal arts teaching college, some of that may have been that I was not cut out for a life of math research.

I will say that I found the town of West Lafayette to be unliveable. My college towns are filled with nice restaurants or cozy shops set up by alums who decided to settle in and stay in the college lifestyle. Purdue is an engineering school, so there is no one who liked West Lafayette enough to stick around and open up a nice restaurant. I found there to be very little culture in West Lafayette. (Disclaimer: My collegiate experience was at Berkeley and Ann Arbor, so my standards might be high.)

I also might be concerned about developing good teaching habits at Purdue. I don't think they put much emphasis on improving the quality of their instruction. If your goal is a job at a research institution this won't make much difference, but if you want a job at a small teaching college, you may be at a disadvantage.

I'm sure someone else may have different opinions, but these are mine. Keep in mind that they are just opinions. It was close to ten years ago when I was there, and I don't claim to be an expert on the graduate department.



[new] thanks! (none / 0) (#2)
by anton on Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 12:58:24 PM PDT

very interesting and very pertinent insight as you did a postdoc there. I am heartened that it is a serious research place as I want to delve deeply into that. I suppose also I could aim for some sort of TA award to show I know how to teach LOL. Me coming from Boulder am a bit bummed by the setting in W. Lafayette, but that's OK- I can always plan mini-vacations here and there. Thanks again! Excellent resource this website.



[new] If you're still deciding... (none / 0) (#3)
by ndean on Sat May 05, 2007 at 06:13:49 PM PDT

I'm a current graduate student at Purdue and would be happy to share my experiences or advice with you, if you're still trying to make your decisions. Feel free to send me an e-mail at [my user name]@math.purdue.edu -Noah



Purdue? | 3 comments (3 topical, 0 hidden)

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