By Matt Holsapple
Summer Reporter

I have to give the University credit. It does an exceptional job of giving incoming students a lot of the official information that they will need before they get here. But, the University doesn't tell you a lot of the information that you really need to know.

I have been at Purdue for four years — a long time. I have what you could call, expertise on this place where you will be spending the next four, five, seven years of your lives. And yes, lucky readers, I am going to share some of that expertise with you.

So, here it is. Everything you need to know about becoming a Boilermaker, but were afraid to ask. Or, what you will want to ask later, but will still be afraid to.

First of all, you will get lost. No matter how well you think you know the map of campus, no matter how many times you have been on campus with your parents-friends-cousins-brothers or whoever, at least once, probably at night, you will be by yourself trying to get to the Electrical Engineering Building. You will look up and see the Food Science building and no idea where you are. Don't freak out. Don't panic. And most of all, don't stand on the sidewalk and cry (you would be surprised that some new students actually are brought to tears). Inside your Mortarboard is a map. On the chance that you don't have your Mortarboard, just ask for help. We won't bite. Everyone that you see walking was a freshman once, and they all got lost at least once.

The second thing you need to be prepared for is the fact that Purdue is boring. It is a conformist atmosphere where almost everyone wears the same conservative uniforms and adopts the same non-confrontational ideas. No matter how much you abhor it or how much you fight it, chances are that by the time you leave here you will embrace this culture. Khakis and Abercrombie, black pants and pastels are the norm, as are the close-mindedness and conformity that go with them. If you don't plan on falling victim to the Purdue cookie-cutter, good for you. Just be prepared to have people look at your pink hair or leather pants.

As soon as you can find a group where you can get involved. It is the best way to make friends on campus. You will make friends in the residence halls, but these are mostly friends of convenience. You may keep a couple of people close from the halls, but most of them, you will only be friends with because they are the ones that are there all of the time.

The best way to meet people that you actually have things in common with is to join a club or other group. I am a musician, so I joined the Purdue Musical Organizations. That is where I met most of my closest friends, and even though I have cut my ties to the group, those friendships are still in my life.

Going back to the conformity of Purdue, joining a group may help you find others who don't want to become molded. Example: If you are gay, you will be hard pressed to find other gay students walking around seeking you out. That is not the Purdue environment. But, by becoming active in the LesBiGay Network you can find a social network of other gay students. This is an extreme example, but there are also students groups for photographers, role-playing game players, ham radio operators, skydivers and almost anything else you can imagine.

Next, it is never too early to prepare for your career. Talk to your adviser about internships or professional organizations on campus. These things, especially job experience, are becoming more and more important each year. In some fields, it is virtually impossible to get a job out of schools without some prior experience. Don't procrastinate. The earlier you start looking for these jobs, the better chance you have of finding one that suits you well. Your adviser might not tell you this, but another thing an internship can do for you is tell you what you don't want to do for the rest of your life. I was planning on a career in advertising, but after completing an advertising internship, I immediately shifted my focus to a career in public relations.

Those are my four main bits of advice. If you remember these, your transition into Purdue life should be just a little smoother.

There are a few other smaller things that you should keep in mind too.

People talk about the University Residence's food, but it really isn't that bad. It's better than spending money on pizza every night.

Ask other people in your major about professors. In most schools you can request certain ones, but the only way to know which one to request is to ask around.

Go to class. It may be tempting to stay up and drink every night and sleep every day, but you will fail out of school. I know many people who thought they could be the exception — there isn't an exception.

The water is Lafayette is nasty; bring a pitcher to keep in your room that filters it for you.

Don't think that every day you need to get up two hours before you class to make yourself beautiful. If you look perfect at 7:30 in the morning, much more disdain will be thrown your way than if you looked like ass and smelled.

If you're homesick, don't go home. The best way to get over homesickness is to throw your self into Purdue. If you keep going home, you will just remind yourself of how much you would rather be there. And trust me, once you get over the transition, you will rather be here at Purdue.