WEST LAFAYETTE — For 171 incoming Purdue University students, the transition to college started a little earlier this summer.
Through Math Momentum, a new five-week early start program, students spent the summer strengthening their math skills while getting a firsthand look at what it takes to succeed in college.
The program, held July 13 through August 14 in West Lafayette and Indianapolis, combines college-level coursework with academic support, campus activities and opportunities to build connections before the fall semester officially begins.
Students lived in Purdue residence halls, ate in campus dining courts and participated in social and community-building activities while earning seven college credit hours across three courses.
The program is fully funded through the Math Momentum scholarship, allowing students to get a head start on their college careers while potentially creating more flexibility later for internships, study abroad and other academic opportunities.
“Our goal is to be able to support their preparation for their next required math class, and we’re marrying their math preparation with their college readiness experience so they are ultimately successful at Purdue,” said Marquetta Strait, University Innovation Alliance fellow and lead student affairs administrator with the Boilermaker Opportunity Program Plus team.
Strait said the program is also designed to help students recognize that they are capable of succeeding at Purdue.
“This experience is really about getting students plugged in, supporting them and also making sure they see themselves as fully capable because they did a lot to reach this point,” she said.
Building a strong math foundation
Math Momentum students take a general studies course focused on college habits and skills, another course of their choosing, and MA 190, Foundations of College Math.
MA 190 was specifically designed to help students transition into Purdue’s math course sequence. The class reviews familiar concepts while introducing new material and incorporates input from instructors who teach some of Purdue’s most commonly enrolled math courses.
The course goes beyond math problems, also giving students practical strategies for succeeding in future classes. Students learn techniques for taking effective notes, studying, and approaching multiple-choice exams.
Amanda Manning, a limited-term lecturer in Purdue’s Department of Mathematics and the course coordinator for Math Momentum, said students in her class have quickly embraced the material.
“I have had at least two or three light bulb moments every class where someone goes, ‘Wait, that’s why that works,’” Manning said.
Nine MA 190 sections are being offered across Purdue’s West Lafayette and Indianapolis campuses.
For students like Nely Luna of Noblesville, who is studying elementary education, the course provided an opportunity to reinforce skills she expects to need throughout her college career.
“I feel like it helped strengthen my math foundation, and it’s always good to go back to the basics,” Luna said. “These are the types of things Purdue’s professors are expecting students to come in knowing, and it helped me a lot in that way.”
Luna said the experience has helped her feel more prepared for the fall semester.
Preparing students beyond the classroom
Math Momentum isn’t focused solely on academics. Students are also learning how to navigate college life and take advantage of the resources available to them.
Throughout the five-week program, students participate in college-preparation workshops, information sessions, study groups, peer mentoring and social activities.
Strait said those experiences are an important part of helping students succeed.
“We know that success is not one-dimensional, so Math Momentum is more than just coming to Purdue and taking our classes,” Strait said. “You have to make use of the resources that make Purdue home for yourself.”
Students have also had the opportunity to practice habits that can be difficult to develop once the demands of the fall semester begin.
For America Juarez of Elkhart, a global studies major, the summer program provided time to experiment with different study strategies and figure out what works best for her.
“Having these study methods and being able to test them out now during the summer while my schedule is a little less packed has been super nice,” Juarez said. “It’s good to know what works for me now, so in the fall I can immediately apply it instead of having to take extra time to figure it out.”
Students also became more comfortable with resources such as professors’ office hours and learned to ask questions when they need help.
Creating a stronger start
Purdue officials say programs like Math Momentum are part of a broader effort to improve student retention and graduation rates. Strong preparation in mathematics can be especially important for students whose degree programs require multiple math courses.
By earning college credits early and becoming familiar with campus life before the fall semester, students leave Math Momentum with both academic experience and a better understanding of what to expect when the full college workload begins.
Math Momentum is a collaboration between Purdue’s Office of the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning. It is one of several specialty summer programs coordinated through the Office of Summer and Winter Sessions.
For more information about Purdue’s early-start programs, visit the Purdue Office of Summer and Winter Sessions.
