Purdue University's wording, checked October 26, 2026“Briefly discuss your reasons for pursuing the alternate major and campus location (Indianapolis or West Lafayette) you have selected.”
How to approach it
- 1Show a real interest in the alternate, or how it connects to the first choice.
- 2The prompt covers the major and the campus location. Answer both.
- 3Treat the reader as someone from that program deciding whether you belong in it.
A structure that works
One way to shape this answer. It describes moves, not sentences: the words have to be yours.
- 1Why the alternate major is a real interest, with an example.
- 2How it connects to your first choice or to the same goal.
- 3Why the campus you selected, Indianapolis or West Lafayette, suits that plan.
Where the 250 words go
| Part | Words |
|---|---|
| Where the interest comes from | about 90 |
| How you think about the subject | about 80 |
| Your path at this college | about 90 |
Mistakes to avoid
- Treating it as a backup with no interest.
- Ignoring the campus half of the question.
The checklist our grader uses for this question
When you check your Purdue answers, this answer is read against these 5 areas. Each comes back Met, Partly or Missing with a quote from your draft as evidence, and together with the 250 words limit they set its readiness verdict.
| Area | What a reader looks for |
|---|---|
| Answers the question | The opening sentences answer what was asked, plainly, before background or a hook; every part of a multi-part question is answered. |
| Where the interest comes from | A specific, preferably recent experience (a class, project, job, reading, problem) shows the interest is real, not a stated passion. |
| How you think about it | The reader sees the applicant's own thinking: a question they pursue, a connection they made, a view of the field. |
| Your path at this college | It names how this school's curriculum, structure or opportunities fit the plan, specifically enough that it would not fit another school unchanged. |
| Purdue's ask | It ties the academic interest to what Purdue offers, not to the field in general. |
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Questions
More on Purdue and this kind of question
- Princeton: Academic interests (A.B.) · 250 words
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- Columbia: Your preferred areas of study · 150 words
- Penn: College of Arts and Sciences · 50-200 words
- Penn: The Wharton School · 50-200 words
- Penn: Penn Engineering · 50-200 words