[MichaelinMaryland]

I heard there is a lot of crime in Michigan particularly in Ann Arbor (UM) and East Lansing, first of all. I got accepted with a small scholarship...I tried to go up to visit the last week of December when I was visiting my brother in Chicago but the entire Chicago Skyway and Indiana Toll Road were kind of...literally 100% covered with ice and we got into an accident.

[Bydand]

So your question is???

Crime? Just like any city really. Good areas, so-so areas, and bad areas.
Ice and snow? Yep, we have those as well . Some years more than others, but none REALLY bad. Worse winters than Maryland, better than Northern Maine.

[michiganbob]

I have lived in the Lansing area for more than 20 years and have always felt safe in most areas. Likely the "spike" in crime around EL and AA is from petty theft: don't leave your laptop sitting out at the library and walk away: don't leave your $1000 bike unlocked outside the dorm; don't pull out a wad of cash at a bar when you're drunk. Basic common sense will keep you safe.

Daughter attended MSU for four years and the only incident she came even close to was a guy in her dorm who got "robbed." Later they found out the "robbers" were actually former friends of his who he owed money and had neglected to pay it back. If you live on, or near campus (or anywhere, in East Lansing for that matter) you will be in a safe area . . . but you are still in a metro area with a population of more than 200,000 so occasionally bad things will happen from time-to-time. If you can't deal with that, attend a small, private school in some remote part of the country. But don't complain when there is nothing to do.

As far as the ice . . . you arrived about the same time as one of the worst storms to hit the area in years. It has been colder and snowier this winter than normal, so don't let that keep you from attending. Once you are on campus you will have no problem getting around regardless of the weather: lots of buses, good sidewalks, etc. Likely you have not seen a campus like MSU's in Maryland, so I would really recommend you try again to visit before you decide against attending.

[Coldjensens]

You heard that Ann Arbor is a high crime city? Where did you hear that? Look at Citydata statistics and compare to other cities if you want some basis of comparison. Since you were ok to be in Chicago, compare Chicago with Ann Arbor. You should feel pretty safe in Ann Arbor by comparison. However unless you know what the crimes are, statistics are pretty useless.

When I was a kid, twenty or so of us got caught "roofhopping" in Ann Arbor ("Jumping from rooftop to rooftop of commercial buildings). that probably got written up as twenty incidents of breaking and entering (since we were under 18 nothing really came of it). Although it was a stupid thing to do, it is really not a crime, but statistics would show it as criminal activity. That is a big jump in "criminal" activity for that year. Examples like this show where statistics are pretty worthless.

[renter8319]

not only is ann arbor NOT CRIME RIDDEN, but it's actually a very safe and rather wealthy area. the crime you are reading about is most likely petty stuff committed by the (most common) WEALTHY student body. these crimes would happen on any college campus. it certainly has nothing to do with ann arbor. my buddy went to u of m and msu. he was in a frat, they always got into fights and such. people get marijuana charges, and stupid crap that happens when your around college students. not only, is ann arbor a nice area. it is an area that many michiganders would love to live but can't afford. if you don't like the city traffic, you could live in rural chelsea or dexter, which is also well off and little crime. east lansing is more like a suburban area than ann arbor. things are more spread out. i personally don't recall ever being in an area that seemed even close to unsafe. never even drove by one. i'm sure if there is one you could avoid it quite easily. michigan state is well known for partying hard, so a lot of crime stats would come from that. once again, just dumb college students. of the 2 u of m is generally better in every way except basketball. go u of m

[magellan]

Originally Posted by MichaelinMaryland

I heard there is a lot of crime in Michigan particularly in Ann Arbor (UM) and East Lansing, first of all. I got accepted with a small scholarship...I tried to go up to visit the last week of December when I was visiting my brother in Chicago but the entire Chicago Skyway and Indiana Toll Road were kind of...literally 100% covered with ice and we got into an accident.

I hear bad stuff about Baltimore, but I don't know if it's true or not. Is it safe to visit there?

[MichaelinMaryland]

Baltimore is trash. Whenever I drive through it I am reminded of that by the awful smell of burning tires which persists for 15-20 minutes. The city definitely has a lot of crime and unless you like crabs and crabcakes and smelly harbors and waters there's not much to see other than the Ravens and Orioles, I wouldn't go.

[ckhthankgod]

I went to MSU a little while back and never felt at risk of any serious crime while I was there. I would walk around campus by myself like it was no big deal. I wouldn't think that Ann Arbor is dangerous either. To me, Lansing wasn't that bad either.

[chance2jump]

No, EL / AA campus areas are not bad. I grew up 15 mins down the road from MSU and had two siblings graduate there. Use common sense, protect yourself and/or assets, and you'll be fine. Roads can be bad, though.

[TrippingJay]

Originally Posted by MichaelinMaryland

I heard there is a lot of crime in Michigan particularly in Ann Arbor (UM) and East Lansing, first of all. I got accepted with a small scholarship...I tried to go up to visit the last week of December when I was visiting my brother in Chicago but the entire Chicago Skyway and Indiana Toll Road were kind of...literally 100% covered with ice and we got into an accident.

I'm an MSU alum currently residing in Montgomery County, MD, but East Lansing is a perfectly safe and friendly college town. It's much safer than College Park (UMd) and has a much nicer downtown. The campus is much more spread out than College Park, so be prepared for long walks to class or utlizing the bus system.

The weather is colder than Maryland with much more snow and less sunny days, but eventually you get used to it.

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience and would recommend MSU.