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Old 05-14-2016, 10:07 PM
 
Location: Detroit
3,671 posts, read 5,841,317 times
Reputation: 2691

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Geo-Aggie View Post
There was actually something on Michigan Public Radio about this exact topic like two weeks ago and the discussion was essentially debunking the myth you're perpetuating here - that college graduates leave or that brain drain exists. What it found was that Metro Detroit (Tri-County area) ranked quite highly at its rate of graduate retention. I believe they claimed #2 on the radio, but in my quick google search I found that this study actually ranked it as #1.

Which U.S. Metros Are Best at Keeping Their College Grads? - CityLab

This is one spot ahead of Houston, two spots ahead of NYC and three sports ahead of Seattle.

So say what you want about Detroit (which I know will be bad, because you make it quite evident that you don't like Detroit) but in that recent analysis it does a pretty damn good job of retaining and employing local college graduates.

To answer the OP's question - Midtown is the hip place to be for students and recent grads. Ferndale is also hip for recent grads. Royal Oak is hip, but more of a mid-professional hip, and the Gross Pointes tend to be home to a lot of younger professional families.
Welp lol... that link kind of put that to rest. And Detroit ranked #3 with the four year colleges which is impressive. But notice how the top 10 cities all have alot to offer in opportunities and amenities (Riverside is basically LA). I was surprised to see Austin and Pittsburgh so low.
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Old 05-15-2016, 07:08 PM
 
Location: Chicago
944 posts, read 1,196,981 times
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I'd like to see more in depth data on that study... it's not that I don't believe it, it's that I believe MSU and U-M grads aren't the ones making up those numbers. It wouldn't shock me if the vast majority of those leaving Oakland U, EMU, Wayne State, UM Dearborn and their ilk stayed local after they graduated. I know people who have moved to Detroit from out of state and one of the big pieces of feedback is that everyone seems to have gone to local commuter schools... that's maybe an exaggeration, but you're not getting a huge amount of diversity in college experiences in this area.

Which is great, of course. But I think when people from outside of Michigan ask about the scene for recent grads, they aren't asking about whether or not there are college graduates in Metro Detroit. They are asking about a particular kind of culture that exists in other cities and tends to involve yuppie populations who still identify primarily by their college affiliation. I think Midtown is heading that way, but it isn't there yet.
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Old 05-16-2016, 09:06 AM
 
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All I can say is that I know a ton of former MSU students (through one of my kids) who live in the area. Also some U of M grads who left briefly and then returned.
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Old 05-16-2016, 09:20 AM
 
2,210 posts, read 3,469,292 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brodie734 View Post
I'd like to see more in depth data on that study... it's not that I don't believe it, it's that I believe MSU and U-M grads aren't the ones making up those numbers. It wouldn't shock me if the vast majority of those leaving Oakland U, EMU, Wayne State, UM Dearborn and their ilk stayed local after they graduated. I know people who have moved to Detroit from out of state and one of the big pieces of feedback is that everyone seems to have gone to local commuter schools... that's maybe an exaggeration, but you're not getting a huge amount of diversity in college experiences in this area.

Which is great, of course. But I think when people from outside of Michigan ask about the scene for recent grads, they aren't asking about whether or not there are college graduates in Metro Detroit. They are asking about a particular kind of culture that exists in other cities and tends to involve yuppie populations who still identify primarily by their college affiliation. I think Midtown is heading that way, but it isn't there yet.
I agree with this. Regarding Michigan, it's an elite, national name brand school so it is natural that many, if not most, of their graduates would end up with jobs out of state. Michigan's grads are an outlier when it comes to schools in Michigan. And they will be the first to tell you that!

I would be interested to see the stats on MSU grads.

But yeah, if you're going to one of the third-tier in-state universities your best opportunities will likely be within the state.
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Old 05-16-2016, 12:09 PM
 
Location: Chicago
944 posts, read 1,196,981 times
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Virtually every MSU student is from Michigan whereas roughly half of UM students aren't so that also contributes. But all of the people I've known who have been UM alumni through my life went to the branch campuses, went to grad school there, lived in Ann Arbor itself instead of the wider area or had, as mgkeith said, left for several years and come back.
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Old 05-16-2016, 02:17 PM
 
Location: Detroit
3,671 posts, read 5,841,317 times
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UofM is the out of state Mecca. It's probably one of the only colleges in MI where people leave the state in droves when they graduate. But it's for the same reason that in that same study, most Harvard graduates leave Boston. Their not from the area, have no ties to the area, and most of the job offers come from out of state.
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Old 05-17-2016, 09:00 AM
 
Location: Metro Detroit
1,786 posts, read 2,641,443 times
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On the radio, some of the discussion was about how in-state kids (often going to Oakland, Wayne St, UM-D, etc.) are staying because they can find job and still be near family, but that the thing that really drives the numbers higher here is that so many UM-AA students are coming, realizing they can get paid well and afford to live here, so they stay as well - at least when compared to other flagship universities that attract students from all over.

What happens in Ann Arbor and East Lansing is in direct contrast to other hot college towns, where students from out of state will find that after graduation there is either no strong local job market (Buffalo, New Orleans), the pay isn't always high enough to sustain a decent quality of life (Boston, Northern Virginia) or the job market is so narrow that a majority of the students find it more beneficial to move (Austin - tech/oil, Hartford-finance/insurance).

Granted Michigan Public Radio is going to have a pro-Michigan bias, but I think they're right. The fact that Non-Michiganders would come here and want to stay surprises a lot of people, but I think living in a metro, with a diverse and well performing economy, where a 1,000 square foot ranch in the "wrong" part of town costs 200k (or 1500 to rent) and one in the "right" part of town costs 400k (or 2500 to rent) would really change some perspectives.
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Old 05-17-2016, 11:08 AM
 
2,210 posts, read 3,469,292 times
Reputation: 2240
Quote:
Originally Posted by Geo-Aggie View Post
On the radio, some of the discussion was about how in-state kids (often going to Oakland, Wayne St, UM-D, etc.) are staying because they can find job and still be near family, but that the thing that really drives the numbers higher here is that so many UM-AA students are coming, realizing they can get paid well and afford to live here, so they stay as well - at least when compared to other flagship universities that attract students from all over.

What happens in Ann Arbor and East Lansing is in direct contrast to other hot college towns, where students from out of state will find that after graduation there is either no strong local job market (Buffalo, New Orleans), the pay isn't always high enough to sustain a decent quality of life (Boston, Northern Virginia) or the job market is so narrow that a majority of the students find it more beneficial to move (Austin - tech/oil, Hartford-finance/insurance).

Granted Michigan Public Radio is going to have a pro-Michigan bias, but I think they're right. The fact that Non-Michiganders would come here and want to stay surprises a lot of people, but I think living in a metro, with a diverse and well performing economy, where a 1,000 square foot ranch in the "wrong" part of town costs 200k (or 1500 to rent) and one in the "right" part of town costs 400k (or 2500 to rent) would really change some perspectives.
I think there's some truth to that. The insane cost of living in DC/SF/NYC/Boston will cause more grads of elite schools to rethink settling down in those cities, if it hasn't already.
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Old 05-17-2016, 08:40 PM
 
Location: Chicago
944 posts, read 1,196,981 times
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the supreme irony is that if more UM-Dearborn students left the state, they'd probably benefit from people not knowing what the hell that is and get something of a resume boost
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Old 05-21-2016, 05:12 PM
 
181 posts, read 203,959 times
Reputation: 242
There is definitely a young social scene here. It's mostly in Detroit, Royal Oak, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Ferndale, and to some degree in Troy too. You're going to find that the midwest, in general, has more closed knit groups. You'll have to work harder and longer, to gain someone's trust. In Detroit in particular, most people were born there, lived there their whole lives and they already have a group of friends they met in childhood. So, don't get discouraged by being the new kid on the block.

That said, my advice is to think about what you enjoy doing and your hobbies. Continue doing Meetup.com, pick a few groups and keep going to them consistently where you may run into the same people. Volunteer or try to do one of your hobbies in public where other people might be doing it too. If you like going to bars or events at bars, pick one and become a regular.

One of the biggest hurdles people have socially, is learning the culture of a new place. I can give some tips as someone who moved out of Michigan, moved back years later, then struggled to adjust to the culture again.

When you are introducing yourself to new people, do not say you are looking for new friends immediately. If you say that, that is the fastest way to kill your chances at making new friends here. Detroit is not Denver, where there is a huge number of transient people and it's normal to show up at places alone, in hopes of meeting people. Say that you are new to the area and checking things out. Even better, would be to say that you were meeting a friend but they couldn't make it. It may be a lie, but it's a white lie to get people to let their guard down. I find that if you come off as someone with no friends, people are way more likely to judge you here for that than places with a more transient population. Downplay that.

You should find some friends eventually, good luck!
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