My son is a freshman at ASU and he does not have a car and doesn’t want one next year. As a kid from New Jersey he loves to “board” around campus, something that is impossible to do as home. He is particularly thrilled about how little traffic there is on and around campus (except during rush hour when it is still manageable by his traffic standards). He always takes the light rail line to and from the airport. He is very good at the NYC subway system and finds the light rail line ultra easy. I suspect that being from Chicago, you would find the same.
Celesteroberts: Both of my kids sat for the ADS competition at MSU. It is indeed an honor and I would have been thrilled if my kids went there (my alma mater). Alas, they both received some money from MSU but Ohio State offered so much more to my daughter and ASU offered so much more to my son, not to mention they both wanted to go to school at their own school not mine, that they enrolled elsewhere. (sound familiar Beaudreau) If you don’t want to rent a car at DTW, there is a wonderful bus service called the Michigan Flyer that goes from DTW to Ann Arbor to East Lansing and back again every hour, I believe. I frequently use it to visit East Lansing (yes, I still love that town and that school). The drop off location is right downtown East Lansing near the Marriott and a very short walk to the Union (not far from Kellogg Center where your son will be checking in and staying). Good luck!