<p>Our son is considering going to grad school in Nuclear Engineering . What is Purdue like ? How about the surrounding area ? Is there a Whole Foods or Trader Joes ? Are there healthy choice restaurants in the area ? Any interesting music or dance venues ? Good ethnic restaurants -what type ? Thanks for any info out in CC land .</p>
<p>I went for a grad interview at Purdue last month and I really liked the campus. The town (greater Lafayette) is pretty nice and still has a small town feel despite a campus smack dab in the middle with 40K students. The bus system there is great, and it is free for Purdue students and faculty. There is no whole foods in that town, and there are just a couple of supermarkets plus three super wal-marts to get groceries at. The dining options are pretty vast and I saw just about every type of food place you could think of. On campus dining options seem healthy and they have a salad “bar” on campus and several fresh options. I was too busy on my visit to check out the nightlife or dance venues. From what I hear the engineering programs at Purdue are fantastic. I will say that living in Lafayette is very affordable and off campus housing is pretty nice. The campus is in West Lafayette but Lafayette is right across the river and is a quick bus ride. Most undergrads live on the West Lafayette side of the river, while older students/ grad students tend to live on the Lafayette side of the river. There is just the super wal-mart on the West Lafayette side though, no real grocery options close to campus. Everyone seemed really friendly in town and I don’t really have anything negative to say about the place, except it was a little chilly in February!!!</p>