abingdonlad

Hi there,
I am currently in the process of going through interviews for a job at Michigan State university..
A few questions are what is it like to live in Lansing and what areas are there to look at and ones to avoid..

Also I know it would be a big change from here in the UK but how have other expats gotten on and what are your recommendations?

Pulaski

Bring a coat and buy a snow shovel.

Philk

I'm not in Lansing but not that far away in Grand Rapids.

I'm glad I made the move - even with this damned overlong cold winter.

There's lots of religion, lots of corn field, lots of potholes - but also some stunning scenery, all sizes and shapes of lakes, loads of microbreweries and generally a lot cheaper than where i was in SE England

Cant advise on good/bad parts of Lansing, might be worth you asking in the Michigan City Data forum - http://www.city-data.com/forum/michigan/

Any other questions about life in MI, ask away, there's a few of us here

dunroving

Also worth considering that regardless of where you live in the US, working at a university (especially a decent one like Michigan State) can make adjusting to life in the US easier. You have a ready-made set of new pals in your department (who will likely lean more towards a British-style liberalness), and an employer who does a lot to help with the transition, and gives decent health care plan and other benefits not easily found in the US (like decent vacation time!)

If you have come from a UK higher education background, prepare to be confused by the many different aspects of the system in the US. Once you get used to them, my guess is that you will like the US higher education environment a lot more than the UK.

NatashaB

This. And buy wheel and tire cover for your car, you need it in Michigan with all the potholes.

I'm in MI but a couple of hours away from Lansing. The summers are beautiful, but the winter sucks. Just sucks. Will you be bringing a family with you?

abingdonlad

It is just me and my misses (not married) no kids etc.

NatashaB

What visa would she be coming on? B2?

Pulaski

B visa "domestic partner"?

Ash UK/US

Emphasis on lots of potholes, this is by far the worst it has been in the 12 years I have been here.

Michael

That's because your governor is spending hundreds of millions of dollars advertising to businesses to come to Michigan so that they can drive on potholes that he can't fix since he spent all the money on advertising.