Hello,
I am an international student and I would like to tell you about some important rules of Purdue. I came to Purdue as an exchange undergraduate student and in the beginning I had some difficulties regarding fitting into the rules. In fact, when I left my home country I had not thought of that. But the thing is, with a different culture comes different policies.
To begin with, the professors must be respected at all cost. Not that they are extremely strict. They are in fact friendly and helpful. As a matter of fact, during my experience as a foreign student at Purdue I realized that the professors have a strong commitment with the learning of their students. Some ways of showing this respect are, for instance, trying to be as punctual as possible, and avoid missing classes. The professors here assume that it is your duty to attend to the classes, and by doing that you show him/er that you really want to learn what is being taught. Besides, if for some reason you need to miss a class, let your professor know, so that you will not miss any activities assigned for that particular day.
Another important thing is that you must prepare yourself before the lectures so that you can understand the whole content that is being conveyed. Not only at universities, but also at schools it happens. It is part of the whole American educational system.
There are also some important advices regarding the application of exams at this University. Like everywhere else in the world, cheating is extremely prohibited and the consequences are really severe (chances are that the student caught cheating will get a zero grade and there may be academic implications as well). Also, PAY EXTREME ATTENTION TO THE ORIENTATIONS GIVEN BEFORE THE EXAM (sometimes you can find them in the first page of the test). Professors at Purdue appreciate following all the policies and even the smallest mistake may bring you problems.
The orientation for the exams may vary from one professor to another, but they generally are as follows: Every electronic devices, i.e. cellphones, tablets, laptops and calculators (this last one depends on the subject), must be powered off; after the professor announces the end of the exam, you must put your pencil down (if you get caught writing after the termination of the exam you may be penalized); avoid looking around during the exam. If for some reason you keep turning your head to your sides, the professor may understand that you are trying to cheat.
To wrap it up, I would also like alert you to plagiarism, which basically consists of using someone else`s work as it was yours. Be careful with that because the consequences are really severe as well, and it may also have legal implications. So, if you ever need to use someone else`s material, you had better mention the author in your work to avoid further complications. Within some time, you all get used to all this policies and you will be able to enjoy your stay at this magnificent University at the maximum.
My warmest regards,
An international student.
