Hello all,
I’m a student who recently got an offer to study abroad for the bigger part of the current semester. I will go to the university of Detroit and write an essay on social policies.
I have no experience at all when it comes to either being in the US at all or living there at all. What are important details to think of?
Not sure exactly what “social policies” are. However, I can think of a few topics to write a paper about based in Detroit.
Race relations. Detroit is the best example of an American doughnut city. Blacks in the inner city and white people fleeing for the suburbs.
The decline of the American auto industry with the challenge from Japan.
I think I have been unclear. I was actually considering the practical details of living in US as the topic, not the direction of my essay. I am, by the way, comparing the welfare programs of Detroit to similar programs in Sweden.
We drive on the right side of the road. 
We do not believe in metric, unless we are in the science field.
Tax is NOT included in the price of items. Depending on where you are, figure on adding 6-8% to the cost of your items. Some places exclude food and clothing from tax, some tax soda but not milk. It varies.
We do not have universal health care. Check in with the university to see what sort of health insurance plans they offer.
Try as much of the local cuisine as you can. I can’t speak for Detroit, but I’m sure some Dopers will be along with the Must Eat restaurants.
Good luck on your paper, and welcome!
So do the Swedish 
Transplanted European here, from the UK.
You may well need a car, or some good friends who have one. This isn’t true across the US, but it’s a lot more common than in Europe. In New York City or Philadelphia I wouldn’t bother, but investigate nonetheless.
Metric = evil!!! Learn about miles and pounds.
Healthcare. Look for insurance before you travel. Beyond emergency medical care, you’ll get nothing here.
If you’re eligible for a Social Security Number, apply for one as soon as you can. You’ll have trouble opening a bank account (or, indeed, doing many other things) without one.
Domestic air travel - get used to being treated like the shit on their shoes.
Novelty accent will attract women/men (according to preference).
Summer heat. Maybe you’ll miss that.
Don’t judge the entire U.S. by Detroit.
The bad thing about Detroit, particularly in the winter, is that it makes one want to kill one’s self.
The good thing about Detroit is that many of it’s fine citizens will spare one from the effort.
Detroit has had some hard knocks, but it’s got a growing art/music/underground scene. Look around, you’ll find some interesting goings on.
If you need any fully nude strippers, they’re just across the river.
You can probably get tickets to a Lions game, but that’s partially because they’re generally an awful team. That said, they somehow got a very nice dome (for domes, which are evil, especially in football) for the team. But you know something is wrong when the football team plays in a dome and the baseball team plays outside. The Red Wings are pretty good, as are the Pistons.
I suggest trying to spend some time in Ontario if your visa will allow it.
Note: Over here, “football” means a really stupid game where bunches of people in gigantic plastic suits run directly into each other over and over again for three hours. It’s somewhat similar to rugby, except not fun.
I believe the University of Detroit is a Jesuit school. So keep that in mind if you are afraid of Catholics. 
Detroit isn’t a completely horrible city; it has some good stuff to offer. For example, there’s a monorail. And Canada.
You have a gun, right? I think we stopped issuing them to newcomers back in the mid 90’s, so you’ll have to provide your own.
After doing some research, there seems to be a lot of concern regarding the crime of Detroit. Is it unsafe to be in a big American city after dark? Do I have to avoid some neighborhoods completely? I find it a bit scaring, honestly.
Hi!
Canadian here.
I worked in Detroit for three months in 1988-89.
Let me rephrase that. I worked in the suburbs of Detroit for three months. I was in Farmington Hills. I never saw the central city at all, except during hurried rides across the border to and from the airport in Windsor. Everybody I worked with was suburban.
Unless you are going to be in the central city, you’ll need a car. I hate to say that, but it seems to be the truth. And I say that as someone who has lived and worked for many years in the suburbs of Toronto, and still rides the bus. AFAIK, Detroit has no subway, no streetcars, no rapid transit, just buses and the PeopleMover downtown. I do not even know whether there’s a regional rail system.
Do you know just where the university is? That may have a big impact on where and how you live.
Detroit has a reputation of being a relatively poor, rough, and crime-ridden city. The collapsing auto industry had a lot to do with this, leading to economic depression and flight to the suburbs. It may be better now, but in the '80s and '90s it was one of those cities that is synonymous with urban decay and crime.
Wikipedia on Detroit: Detroit - Wikipedia
Looks like things are improving.
I’m not exactly sure, however, I am granted a place to stay at a teacher’s home during the entire visit.
e I believe I will go to the Wayne State University, which is located in the Midtown Cultural Center.
Do you know where in Detroit you will actually be? As with many American cities, some parts are fairly dicey and some are pretty nice. My son and his wife live in a suburb and it’s very nice, not scary in the least.
So what part of Detroit will you be in?
Not true at all. People are always complaining about illegal drugs but they never give them the credit they deserve for finally teaching American kids the metric system.
It is unsafe to be in many places in Detroit, particularly after dark. You can assume that you will stand out as fresh meat in many places.
The murder rate for Stockholm is approximately 3 per 100,000, whereas the murder rate for Detroit is 42 per 100,000 http://www.benbest.com/lifeext/murder.html, Detroit is the most dangerous city of its size in the USA, and is the second most dangerous city in the USA http://www.morganquitno.com/cit05pop.htm .
In short, Detroit is a first world shit hole.