FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

This page is still being developed, but hopefully the answers that we have will be helpful to people.  If you have any suggestions for questions and/or answers, contact Aero Assist via email at aeroassist@ecn.purdue.edu.

For Incoming Students

Do I need to register for courses before orientation?

No, most incoming students register during the week before school starts in the fall.  There’ll be opportunities to talk to other students and professors then to help you build your schedule.

Where can I find housing?

Grad students live all throughout the West Lafayette/Lafayette area, often renting apartments or small houses.  The links below are good places to begin your search.

http://www.boilerapartments.com/

http://pu-www2.purdueexponent.org/classifieds/

And the questionably active http://www.purduegradforums.com/

Do I need to contact faculty before orientation to find an advisor?

No.  Some students come in with an advisor (or at least an idea), but many others don’t decide on one until well into their first, or even second semester.  In fact, waiting a while can give both students and faculty a chance to better evaluate whether they’d enjoy working together.

Are there any TA positions I can apply for?

This is unfortunately not always an easy process, but there are some options.  Professor Wayne Chen (wchen@purdue.edu)  hands out the teaching assistantships for the aerospace department, and is a good person to contact.  The Math department usually is looking for TAs and hires many from outside departments (like ours), and Engineering Education might also be worth talking to.