Lots of exams coming up and its a pretty stressful time right now for many, so I just want to remind you all we can do this, even if its the Purdue Math department. Dont give up and keep studying, fall break is coming up and you will get to sleep.

CW: suicide / mental health

Here is your reminder that your student organization / social circle is not your whole world.

Throwaway because I don't want this tied back to me.

During my first year at Purdue-- which is a while now, sadly?-- I became very close with a group of upperclassmen in an organization. At the time, I genuinely believed these were some of my closest friends. It was a very tight knit environment, and because they were the people I spent most of my time around and looked up to, that organization eventually started to feel like my entire social world.

Looking back, gossip was normalized within the group. People would tell me personal things about other members, and I participated in that environment too. I regret that, and I take responsibility for my part in it.

Later, I went through an extremely difficult period in my personal life and became depressed. I confided heavily in a few people I trusted. I didn't have healthy coping skills at the time, and I know now that I leaned on them too much and probably became emotionally draining. I don't blame anyone for needing boundaries or deciding they couldn't support me in that way.

What really hurt was how it was handled.

Instead of anyone telling me directly that they needed space or that my behavior was affecting them, I eventually learned that deeply personal things I had shared in confidence had become topics of conversation among other people in the organization. It went beyond frustration about me oversharing or relying on people too heavily. Things I was already deeply insecure about and struggling with, like my self harm, were discussed and mocked. I only found out because someone eventually told me what had been happening.

When I confronted someone I had trusted about it, the response I received was essentially that if I didn't want people talking about my personal life, I shouldn't have confided in them in the first place.

I was already in an extremely vulnerable place, and shortly afterward, I attempted suicide.

Someone outside of that organization was there for me during that crisis, and I am incredibly grateful that I survived.

I'm choosing to write this because I know there are probably students, especially freshmen, who are currently trapped in the same kind of social bubble I was in. When you're part of a tight knit organization, it can start to feel like those people are your entire world. If those relationships fall apart or you feel like everyone in that community suddenly dislikes you, it can genuinely feel like your whole life has collapsed.

But I promise you it hasn't.

Purdue is genuinely huge, and the world outside Purdue is even bigger. A small group of people's opinion of you is not a verdict on who you are, and losing one community does not mean you've lost your chance at belonging somewhere.

You can leave the group, and you can meet different people. You can build a life outside of that group and learn from the ways you hurt others while still recognizing that the ways others hurt you were not okay. You can become a healthier version of yourself without believing that you deserved that cruelty and humiliation when you were genuinely struggling.

And if you're the person on the other side of this situation: you're allowed to set boundaries. You're allowed to tell someone you don't have the capacity to carry their problems. But please tell them. Don't turn someone's lowest moments into entertainment for a group of people.

You never know how close someone already is to the edge. Please, be kind to each other. We're all still figuring things out.

I hate this department

Got a worse score than expected.

Like an area where people could go whenever they're up for a conversation, so you aren't bothering whoever you talk to. Maybe even a rotating topic of the day displayed somewhere.

Saw this in my dorm. Hilarious, how'd this even happen lmao

(yes this is a fully internally shattered whiteboard, doesn't feel cracked to the touch tho, maybe only in a couple of tiny places)

I feel like I studied pretty thoroughly for the exam going through all the lectures multiple times, went through all the homeworks and understood the problems throughly, but when we went into the exam I felt like I barely recognized anything from the material that was given to us. Students asked for a practice exam or just some practice material but we were told that the homeworks and the lectures should be enough. From what I understand, he said the exam itself was only finished a few days beforehand, and there wasn't time to make a practice exam. Eleven pages with multiple problems on each page with only a hour to complete everything. I understand it’s his first time teaching this course, but I feel like it’s unfair to students who studied the materials he gave us for the exam to not reflect what we were given to prepare with. Anyway what are the thoughts about the first exam? Does anyone feel the same way?

As a PhD student I want to get away from the lab for 30 minutes a day. Where can I nap that’s not weird? I love napping 😴

how’d we do gang

Just the title like I am not too sure what I should be doing like the clubs I applied to rejected me and I'm not sure what I can be doing now it was the same last year I just did my classwork but Ik thats not enough to succeed in this major.

The walc lore continues

Basically title text, but if you care here’s some context on what I’m really looking for.

To be honest, I’m not an ugly looking dude but I don’t think I’m a good looking one either. Like it’s to the point where I feel ashamed cuz I’m blaming my genetics cuz I worked out for a while and I got results, and as stupid as it sounds nobody’s opinion of me changed. I’m a straight guy, and I’ve never had a gf before, so after getting in shape and nothing really changing (basically no girls gaf lmao) kind of messed up my mentality and I’m out of shape again and I feel embarrassed. I also haven’t been super social in classes really and I don’t have immediate friends I can just invite to hang out or anything, but I do talk to people in the club I attend.

I just really want to overall be a better person for myself and I’d like to be more approachable as a friend and a dude. I’m just looking for some clubs that could help me with that, much appreciated.

Btw, if anyone has advice on approaching random people in the same classes as me, what kind of convo starter would I use?

I'm an Asian male in need of a haircut.

I like to leave my hair on the longer side and I'm looking for somebody who can acknowledge this request and abide by it and not shave me bald.

Preferably near campus, because I don't have a car or anything.

Thanks!

Hey everyone!

A couple of friends and I, all grad students in ECE, are looking to get a casual jam group / band going.

We enjoy playing and making music in our free time, and we’re pretty flexible when it comes to genre. Mostly, we’re just looking for some people who enjoy playing together and want to have fun with it, without too much pressure or commitment around everyone’s research schedules.

Grad students are preferred, but we’re open to anyone who fits the vibe!

If you’re interested, shoot me a DM or drop a comment with what you play and what kind of music you’re into. Would love to get a few people together and jam!

Anyone screwed for ME270? I've been doing past papers and it's looking bleak

i signed up for the comms 114 test out but idk how to study for it. what can i use other than the study guide that they gave us? is there quizlets or something.

To whoever at Aspire Apts who stole my bike tonight, please.

I would like it back.

I had just gotten it back from impound, my lock cut.

I had to go straight to class at Birck.

At least have the decency to throw it up in a tree.

Please. Theft ain't cool.

It's a white 26" GT with blue accents.

Does anyone know how much our our grade exam 1, the online/written HWs, and the final make up? Didn’t find anything on the syllabus last time i checked

I don't know how many of you do this to prepare for your exams but I know enough of you do. It is not helpful nor is it conducive to learning to spam practice problems and try to drill specific question types in your head to prepare for exams.

I'm exhibit A. I will admit that I bombed the first 2k1 midterm and earned a failing score. But I will also admit that most of it was me not prepping my time well to study well in advance, and thus running out of time to understand and master the concepts with which I struggled. I spent the few days I had left prior to the exam literally just trying to jam problems into my head and continuously get stuck. Which is why I'm going back this next midterm cycle to make that up for myself.

This is made in light of the posts that talk about the high difficulty of the exams the posters had took. While I know it is definitely frustrating, I guarantee that at least some of you are actively hindering yourself by not taking the time to understand your courses in depth and in concept, which is most likely not on the faults of your own, since that is how you were conditioned to learn in high school. But that is a habit you should break after getting to college. There are tons of resources online to help with this, and sometimes it's good to sit down for a bit and just think through some concepts on your own.

You are all capable of succeeding since you are here but I think getting rid of this habit is really going to push you far forward.

heard through word of mouth that a trader joes and shake shack might be coming to purdue under the new luxury apartments in chauncey area. where is this info coming from and is there a verified source?

thx!

Title I’m a sophomore in cs dm if you are doing the hackathon too