Difficulty of getting into Purdue?
 

I have been looking around at aviation colleges for awhile now, and I know that I want to major in business management or accounting, but still minor (or double major) in aviation and get all of my hours.

I just wanted to know how hard it is to get into Purdue. I have around a 3.45 GPA now in high school. I am taking Honors Algebra 2 (I am a sophomore) and I will most likely be taking honors accounting, honors physics, and honors precalculus next year. If I do well (B+/A-) in those classes (along with my normal level classes), and do well on my SAT/ACT, would I have a good chance of getting into Purdue?

I am on my school's rocket team (I don't know if that would be of any help) and I am on the golf team.

I took the ACT this past Saturday, and if I had to guess at my score, I would say it was around a 25-28ish.

Thanks,
Jimmy

Jimmy,

I got into Purdue (started 2001 graduated 2005) with a 3.7 high school GPA and a 29 on the ACT as an out-of-state student. Given the fact you are a sophomore in high school, you've got PLENTY of time to build your resume. I think extracurricular activities & sports will help your admissions chances; I played football, was in National Honor Society and was the resident school A/V geek (an odd combination I know) and it certainly didn't hurt me any!

I think the best thing you can do, honestly, is keep getting A's in your classes and keep making yourself a "well-rounded" student. Those standardized tests SUCK, but obviously the higher you score on either the ACT or SAT the better off you will be on that (IMO) exceedingly useless means of comparison.

You can easily double-major in both aviation and the Krannert School of Management (many have done this), but I think Aviation will be the hardest of the two to get into. Another option is simply attend Krannert and do your primary flight training at Lafayette Aviation your first two years of school, then transfer into the Flight program after your Sophomore year as a double-major.

Good luck!

Thanks for the info! I have one question, though. Were you in normal level classes in high school or did you take any honors/AP classes?

Hi Jimmy,
I was actually pretty close to your current stats when I got in back in 2005.

3.6 GPA, 27 ACT, AP Spanish but no other honors classes or anything. From what I've seen, BoilerUP is right. Just keep getting A's and make sure you have a life outside of school. I played on the golf team too (went to HS in SoCal), but I honestly didn't do much else besides that. If you can get that GPA >3.5 I think you're golden. As it stands, you probably would still have no problem getting in.

On a side note: If you want to go to Purdue, get ALL of your ratings now (even the CFII and MEI), finish strong in HS, apply to Krannert, and get a degree that will make you competitive when you graduate in what, 2015? Believe me, this is the way to go. You can instruct for Purdue or Lafayette Aviation and have more hours and experience than any flight student when you graduate.

Feel free to PM me if you're interested in any more info.

Brendan

"Advanced" classes (math/science/english) but no AP. My senior year I was coasting toward the Air Force Academy and/or an AFROTC scholarship: I had basically 3 study halls out of 8 classes, and the 4th class was a PE-type class called Court Sports :D

I did take Physics my senior year which wasn't required per the school curriculum and it was far and away my favorite "real" class...VERY helpful going through the two semesters of collegiate physics that were required (dunno if its still that way or not).

Jimmy,

I went to Purdue 2002-2006. I was pretty close to your credentials. But I'll say that getting into the flight program has just as much to do with the other applicants as it does your own credentials. The reason the flight program at Purdue is so competitive is b/c they only have facilities to accommodate around 76 students per class (mostly b/c of the 727 sim).

I had a 3.8, NHS, AP Physics, AP Calculus, 28 ACT, 1120 SAT and many extra curricular activities. I was not accepted into the flight program. After my first semester of college, I had a 4.0 and tried to get into flight, but yet again, there was no room. I was, however, accepted into the aviation management program. AvMgmt focuses on the business side of aviation and ATC. I stuck with that major, and took the flight courses as electives when they had space. By the time I graduated, I was instructing like all the other flight students and majoring in the business side of things. The only thing I didn't get to do was fly the B200 and the 727 Sim.

All that to say that even if you don't get into the flight program, there are many, many ways to get a great education, get your ratings and graduate well rounded with a credible degree. I think the double major is a great idea. One of my students was a Health major and still took some flight courses. He went all the way through commercial/instrument without ever being in the major.

Keep working hard, it pays off.

I'm an 04' grad of the program, and everyone above has great points above. If you have the time and will to get the ratings ahead of time, you can bypass the flight program as a whole(although there are many great things you can't get anywhere else), and just do the biz school. Keep yourself informed, talk to your guidence counselors, etc..

Judging by your avatar you're already well on your way, so good luck, and hope we can help out. Just keep doing what your doing in school and extra curricular activities. Make sure you get some volunteer work in and some other clubs to compliment your application wherever you go.

Oh yeah, don't forget to apply to the flight program, the applications are due by the end of Oct or Nov your senior year, so you have to get that done early!!!

Alright well I just got my ACT score back and I got a 27. Sadly, I didn't take the writing part so I can't submit the score to Purdue (they require it, lol). It doesn't matter, though, I am only a sophomore and I am going to take the ACT again next year and then the dreaded SAT.

Thanks for all the help, too!

If it helps, I don't think you need both tests to get into Purdue. At least you didn't when I got accepted in 2000. I only took the ACT, but I decided to go to Parks instead.

You only need either the ACT or SAT.
I was accepted into Purdue with just a 3.4 high school GPA and no advanced or AP courses because my school did not provide them (kind of a small school).
I decided not to attend because the school is just way to big in my opinion and if you wan't to study aviation there are cheaper schools out there that teach you the same thing and don't have any sort of space issues like in Purdue or Embry-Riddle. Not naming any in particular but its not worth it in my opinion if you just want to be a pilot. However if you wan't to be an engineer, Purdue is a great school for that. Engineering is the only program I know about that Purdue does well, but I don't know about the other programs.

But just so you know, Purdue accepts 72% of its applicants and 9% has a GPA between 2.5 and 2.99 so you should not worry.

That statistic applies to the university as a whole, and is not representative of the Professional Flight program of Aviation Technology (which is by percentages, more selective than Krannert Business School or the Veterinary program).

Additionally, Purdue may have 38,000 total students but the Aviation Technology program only has approx. 600 students, and only 70-75 are admitted each year into the flight program.

I realize that the aviation program is more selective; why, is a mystery to me since its not that secure of a degree either way but to each his own. Anyways, statistics aside, someone smart should not apply to such a selective program in the first place. Call me naive because I applied to the program but now that I look back, it is allot smarter to apply to your REAL degree program and then minor in aviation. If you are not admitted into the program your first year then just transfer to a different college. Its not worth it loosing flight time for something anyone can get anywhere other than where you are (if that makes sense). :eek:
Just my two cents of course. Don't mean to insult anybody.

I'm not really sure if you CAN minor in flight...

Back to the quals, I had around an 11 GPA (Out of 12, my school was messed up) with all of the AP courses my school had (Calc and English...), 1190 on the SAT (its not that bad, just go in and do your best), and about 4 different sports teams, NHS, Honor Choir, and a whole bunch of community involvement (think volunteering). I had no problem getting into the program. One thing I would tell you is that if you are wanting to get into the program, I would do it from the beginning. It is MUCH harder to transfer into it, then it is to stay in it. I had 2 friends of mine that tried for 3 semesters before they got the transfer in, plus they had to study their asses off to keep their grades up in their "old" major, while I coasted along with my 3.0. Also, if you are close enough to come visit, I'd set up at appointment with Rose (in the Avtech guidance office) to come visit your Jr. and prolly Sr. years. So, when it comes time, just apply if you're still interested, then worry about choosing majors and such, once you know if you've been accepted...

Good luck, and keep those grades up!

The only reason why it's "selective" is because of capacity. 14 Warriors which handle your first 2-3 semesters of training, then 4 arrow's, and 2 seminoles for the advanced stuff. Any more than 80 students/class won't handle the load.

Can't minor in Aviation @ Purdue

Completely agree that a 2nd major is a great idea!

Since you can't minor in it, how hard would a double major of accounting and aviation be?

You'd be pretty f'in busy if you wanted to do both in 4 years...especially if you were going to attempt to flight instruct your junior and senior year.

BUT it can be done.

Alright, and my friend lives in Indiana and visited Purdue (I live in the boston area) and he said that the lady in the AT dept. said that they recommend you have a few AP classes. I probably will have 1 or 2 at most (AP Calc/AP Stats). I will probably end up taking only one of those.

I just didn't know that it was THAT hard to get into the AT program. I may apply when I am a senior, but I wouldn't go unless I got in the AT program because there are a lot of very good schools I could go to (not for aviation, only business) in the Boston area.

You don't NEED to have any AP classes in high school to be competitive for applying, provided you have a strong ACT/SAT score and high GPA.

One of my best friends at Purdue was from Taunton...I think me might be lurking on APC here but not sure...

That's good....what would you consider a strong ACT/SAT score (and a high GPA)? As I said before, I took it (the ACT) at the beginning of the month and I got a 27 (with absolutely no prep, I went in not even knowing what the test would look like) and my GPA is currently lurking around a 3.5, but it has been going up because I am getting more ambitious. I am going to retake the ACT next year along with the SAT (which I am going to take a class for).

I live like an hour north of Taunton, lol. I once had to go there with my dad to pick up some furniture from the Jordan's warehouse.

It's not as much as the SAT/ACT scores either, it's also about how "well-rounded" you are. What makes you stick out? Are you active in clubs, are you a "good" student? (doesn't mean you have to be a perfect student)

Just keep doing what you're doing, and apply everywhere, don't limit yourself to just one school. Each offer something different, and in the end they will all get you to pretty much the same point when you graduate. Comm/Inst/Multi ratings, CFI, and whatever that specific school has a specialty in.

Good luck and keep us in the loop

Pulse: Check
Money: Check
Undeserved sense of being better than everybody because of the school you attended: Check

I kid, I kid :) I fly with a lot of Purdue grads and they're fine people.

I was accepted there with a 3.5 gpa and a 27 on the ACT in 2000. I had a job but didn't do anything else in high school. The price tag and lack of scholarship money for out of state students made me look elsewhere. I would also consider a second degree in something as far away from aviation as possible.

If I were going to double major in something, I would probably try to keep it in the School of Technology, otherwise you might have to double up on some of your classes, (for example Calc: there is a Calc for technology students, and then normal Calc) which might make your GPA a little better since you'd be taking a class that you essentially already passed, but could also wear you down...

Pretty sure that SoT will accept a regular calculus class in lieu of Calc for Technology...as well as any other potential conflicts.

Depending on your financial situation if you can just go to an FBO and get your ratings as you're legally able to. Having any of them prior to college will help out a TON.

You'd be surprised, they wouldn't give me credit for a lower Math class when I had gotten an A in the more advanced class... (I took Technical Calc. and got my A, but I hadn't taken one of the Algebra math classes whose sole purpose per the syllabus was to prepare you for the Tech. Calc class... neither the professor nor I were able to quite figure that one out...)

Hey Jimmy,

I was just browsing around the forums and noticed your post. I'm currently a double major at Purdue studying Professional Flight and Computer & Information Technology (with a concentration in Network Engineering Technology). I was admitted Fall 2008 and am currently a sophomore. I took similar courses to yours in high school. All honors courses except for English. I also took one AP class, AP Statistics (although it didn't help me much because I scored a 3 on the exam and Purdue requires a 4 or 5 for credit). I never took the ACT and instead took the SAT and scored an 1830. My GPA in high school was 4.0 weighted (which translated to about a 3.2 or so). Like many other posters have said, it is a selective program, but I think you've got a lot of the requirements.

I mentioned earlier that I am a double major and for me that decision was a given. Not only am I an avid flight enthusiast (like the majority of us here), but I also have strong interests in computers and IT. Since both degrees are in the College of Technology here at Purdue a lot of the courses overlap. As a result, I am planning to graduate in 4 years. I would recommend that if you have another interest that you are passionate about (besides aviation of course) go for it as well. Believe me, it's a lot of work but it is very rewarding. I'm always looking for ways to integrate my studies. I'm currently working on a CIT/AT proposal to upgrade our Flight Operations Building from a predominantly paper-based environment to a high-tech computer and software-based environment to coincide with the new fleet we are receiving next Fall.

While it's a lot of work to be able to juggle the varied course load, it's very manageable at the same time if you're up for the challenge. It's great to be able to go out and live out my flying passion, and at the same time keep my feet on the ground and enjoy other things that I love doing, especially at a school such as Purdue!

Oh! and I'm also from the Boston area. Foxboro to be exact! A couple of my really good friends in the flight program here are from MA.

Andrew

Hi, I've also been looking to go into Purdue, specifically for it having business and aviation. I want to take the flight training program and/or aviation management/atc, as well as business.

I don't think I will have a problem getting in, But can someone explain why they suggested to get all the ratings before going to Purdue? Is that so I wouldn't have to take the Flight training program?

You can come into the program with your PPL, but don't go any higher than that. It's just how Purdue is.

What someone might be saying, is get your ratings outside the program, and just go to Purdue for the biz school, but you're going to be missing out on what I think is truly the great part of Purdue's program which is your Jr/Sr years in the 727 sims, and all the other stuff that goes on. They are changing this to accomodate the Phenom program, and got rid of the King-Airs(mistake in my mind), but it's all in the name of someone thinking it's what is in the best interest of the students.