Where is the young social scene in Metro Detroit?

[TheProf]

Originally Posted by brodie734

Virtually every MSU student is from Michigan whereas roughly half of UM students aren't so that also contributes.

That's not true... It had been 10% out-of-state for years, but in recent years, MSU has increased OOS students to between 15 and 20% in recent freshman classes. With about 39K undergrads, that's between 6 to 7,000. U-M has more OSS's than MSU, but it's a myth to say every student, or even virtually every student at MSU is from Michigan. There are particularly heavy numbers from Chicago, New York and China...

[usroute10]

Originally Posted by citylover89

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!

What about Birmingham too?

The opening poster long since moved back to Denver. He was a Detroit area native who moved back to the suburbs of Detroit (I think Madison Heights) from Denver, gave the Detroit area about 6 months, and went back to Denver. He complained about the lack of people being open to transplants here and I think he had an employment issue so he bolted.

I think his social experience would have been more fulfilling if he had lived in the midtown or Corktown or "the Villages". The young professionals that live in those areas are probably more open to meeting new people because a lot of their friends are too afraid to live in the city and still reside in the suburbs, and so would be open to meeting new people who have love for the city and who live near them. Probably 90-95% of the non-black young adults who live in the Detroit area still live in the suburbs.

[reppin_the_847]

Originally Posted by TheProf

That's not true... It had been 10% out-of-state for years, but in recent years, MSU has increased OOS students to between 15 and 20% in recent freshman classes. With about 39K undergrads, that's between 6 to 7,000. U-M has more OSS's than MSU, but it's a myth to say every student, or even virtually every student at MSU is from Michigan. There are particularly heavy numbers from Chicago, New York and China...

MSU is definitely gaining some marketshare from Chicago area kids that want yet another Big 10 alternative. University of Illinois-Champaign (the flagship state school for Chicago area kids) is tough to get into with a limited # of seats available. University of Iowa and Wisconsin probably take the next greatest chunk of Chicagoland kids as far as Big 10 schools. Indiana University certainly takes in a good amount, but is pretty tough to get into (as is Wisconsin). There is no doubt that China is sending a TON of kids to MSU these days. Drive around East Lansing and you will see Lamborghini's, Benz AMG's, Bimmer M-series cars, Nissan GT-R's, etc. Money from Beijing & Shanghai and not Bloomfield Hills these days lol.

[brodie734]

I definitely think there is a bit of the Flutie effect for MSU, too, combined with the proliferation of kids from the coasts and China into UW and UM, which raises all boats to a degree in the Midwest.

[MS313]

Originally Posted by usroute10

What about Birmingham too?

The opening poster long since moved back to Denver. He was a Detroit area native who moved back to the suburbs of Detroit (I think Madison Heights) from Denver, gave the Detroit area about 6 months, and went back to Denver. He complained about the lack of people being open to transplants here and I think he had an employment issue so he bolted.

I think his social experience would have been more fulfilling if he had lived in the midtown or Corktown or "the Villages". The young professionals that live in those areas are probably more open to meeting new people because a lot of their friends are too afraid to live in the city and still reside in the suburbs, and so would be open to meeting new people who have love for the city and who live near them. Probably 90-95% of the non-black young adults who live in the Detroit area still live in the suburbs.

I remember him. I remember him saying he really loved the area itself but some of the negativity got to him. Basically, Michigan people doing what they do best... be negative about where they live. Nobody wants to hear that crap all the time.