Since I am tracking SA, I really don't know much details about our LA department. Though one thing I can tell you about our LA department is that, many of our LA professors are just awesome to talk to and very easy going. I've considered doing companion, but decided against it, since I really am not that good with horses... We also have very active LA student organizations that does wet labs and farm visits. If you talk to any of our LA professors they are more than willing to take you on farm visits and participate in vaccinations, blood collections, and palpations. If you are interested in production research, there is even a paid summer program for that.
Our first and second year are pretty much similar to other schools, with first consisting of normal physiology plus anatomy and second abnormal. From my personal experience, those courses are heavy enough to keep you busy. Clinical and hands on experiences are definitely important, but I really think you should focus on course work first and then use your summer for hands on experience. It's a nice way to consolidate your knowledge. We do have husbandry class, in which you can work with live animals for basic animal handling. I definitely benefited from that course in terms of knowing how to perform basic physical exams on both small and large animals.
Third year is going to be fun (you'll get to do surgeries!!!). Anyway, if you are interested in mixed/La we have tracks for both. We also have companion (SA + equine) and equine only track. You don't really need to commit to tracking options by third year, but you have to make your final decision by your senior year. A good thing about our tracking system is that while you are tracking for LA, for example, on your third year, you are not limited to just LA courses. You can take SA courses as well. As long as you can fit everything into your schedule.
If by the end of your third year you still don't feel that you had a good grasp on your track, you can always do an off campus block (3 weeks) and/or an externship (6 weeks) to sharpen your skills.
As I mentioned earlier, most of our professors are very nice and are very easy to approach for questions and advice. Our student body is pretty close knit. Depends on your class dynamics, students can be either really helpful and friendly to each other or very competitive. Although, you can't really control that part.
As far as West Lafayette goes, I really like the town. People here are extremely friendly compared to where I came from. It is a small community but very homey. We got restaurants for almost all the ethnic foods that you can think of. We got plenty of bars, if you are interested in that...though I don't really party that much, so I can't give you much help on that.
ummm...guess that all I have to say about Purdue. If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me. I'll do what I can to answer your questions. =)
