I realize this is not related to the University of Michigan, but close friends of mine are thinking of sending their son to Kettering, but they are concerned about the area. It is fairly well documented that Flint is one of the “murder capitals” of the US, and this is really putting the parents off. Do any of you familiar with that region know if Kettering is located in a bad part of Flint, or is it relatively safe?
They should look at the student reviews of Kettering online. It is not in the worst part of Flint, but students have to be careful. Some of the fraternities are in the suburbs.
I have a friend who sent 3 daughters there and they had no issues or reservations. It’s a great deal because the students get so much work experience and can pay half their tuition with their earnings from their co-op terms.
I have family from Flint/the surrounding suburbs. My cousin went to Kettering and his wife and my mom graduated from U of M’s Flint campus. My aunt has also lived in Flint proper for the past 40 years and she’s never had any problems with crime.
However, Flint as a whole is definitely not as safe as Ann Arbor, for example, so he would definitely have to be very alert, especially at night, and never walk alone. In the daytime I’ve walked around downtown Flint and I’ve never felt unsafe, but it’s kind of a sad area because there are barely any people and there are more vacant storefronts than occupied ones. There are four schools in the general area–University of Michigan, Flint; Kettering; Michigan State College of Human Medicine; Michigan School for the Deaf–but it still feels like a dead town, for lack of a better word. Honestly, it’s not a place I would want to go to school, but I guess the fact that as a Kettering student you’re working somewhere else for about half your time there would make it a bit more appealing.
Thank you all for your feedback.
My son considered it and I wouldn’t hesitate to send him there. Excellent school and the campus is fine.
Actually talked to a guy yesterday who has a son there. He really liked the benefits of good co-op opportunities. He also said the campus are was rather insulated from the surrounding area.
I would not say it’s insulated, although they have torn down many abandoned structures in the area, and have beefed up security and cameras. It does have an excellent undergraduate engineering program, and you do not have to be brilliant to gain acceptance.
You could have good co-op opportunities at other schools; for example, RIT. See https://www.rit.edu/co-op.html