Ball State University Top Questions

Although the majority of students at Ball State are white, those of all races, ethnicities, religions, orientations, etc. can be found. Ball State greatly emphasizes diversity and multiculturalism, which are exemplified both in the student body and the faculty. Since BSU maintains a strong international student program, it is not uncommon to see around campus or in your classes students from the Middle East, China, Japan, and Indochina, Africa, South America, and Mexico. Likewise, Ball State is very open to members of the LGBTQ community, though unfortunately they are not as often recognized as the international community. Most students are very casual in their classroom/ public apparel, donning at one end of the spectrum flip-flops or slip-on shoes and pajama pants, and at the other end the occasional wardrobe of business formal wear. In terms of what is generally acceptable, basically anything but outright nudity. With such diversity, students of all sorts, intentionally or otherwise, interact at some point, sometimes forming lasting friendships between vastly different backgrounds of interests, etc. But for the most part, "birds of a feather stick together." Frat guys hang out with frat guys, sorority girls gravitate towards fellow Greek-letter purse bearers, and hipsters populate the hipster locales. The majority of Ball State students come from middle-class to working-class households, some being the first in their whole family to have even applied to a college, some coming from a long line of BSU alums. Many students at Ball State are from somewhere in the state of Indiana, widely ranging from remote small towns reminiscent of villages, others from metropolises such as Indianapolis, while still some students come from across the Midwest, and a few from as far as California or Florida. As a school, Ball State is not far left, but is progressive on social issues and encourages social activism on the local and national levels. As a student body, many are politically aware, many active, but the leanings vary. Some students are radically left, adhering to Marxism or Socialism, some are avid Libertarians, while just as many are more conservative, especially since those coming from small towns in Indiana grew up under the prevailing conservatism of the state. Though as a whole, BSU's students tend to be more or less liberal by default.

There are a wide variety of racial and religious groups represented on campus. I'm not sure that any student would feel out of place, as there seems to be a group for everyone. The majority of students are from Indiana, but there's a strong showing of students from Ohio, as well.

The type of students at Ball State varies. There are a wide variety of racial and religious groups represented on campus. I'm not sure that any student would feel out of place, as there seems to be a group for everyone. The majority of students are from Indiana, but there's a strong showing of students from Ohio, as well.

The type of student at Ball State varies. There are a wide variety of racial and religious groups represented on campus. I'm not sure that any student would feel out of place, as there seems to be a group for everyone. The majority of students are from Indiana, but there's a strong showing of students from Ohio, as well.

A good descriptor for the average Ball State student would be white and middle class, which should be shocking to no one; this is east central Indiana we're talking about here. But the what the designation of "middle class" actually means varies widely. Many of the girls I knew from my former sorority came from upper-middle class families that live in wealthy suburbs around Indianapolis, attended private high schools, etc., while other people I know would probably be considered the lowest of lower-middle class. In fact, even trying to give a good summary of “what students are like at Ball State” seems mistaken because there aren’t much in the way of accurate generalizations. Let’s take religion for example: it’s probably safe to say that Christians make up the largest religious demographic at Ball State, specifically mainline Protestants and evangelicals. But if you compared the campus church I attended to the largest Christian group on campus – groups which, by the way, claim nearly-identical doctrines – the personality difference between the two is striking. My former church is hipster-y, accepts and encourages off-the-wall humor, fairly liberal and laid-back, and engages better than I’ve seen a lot of churches do with minorities and subcultures. The larger group has a much more “mainstream” feel, membership is a bit more conservative, and shows more earnest sincerity but less deep intellectual engagement with theological thought, from what I have seen and heard. So even to talk about “Christians on Ball State’s campus,” for example, is problematic. But problematic in a good way, I think; it shows that not everybody that can be put in this or that group thinks and behaves the same. Social stratification doesn’t seem like it holds much sway on Ball State’s campus; my various social circles overlap at many points, and this seems like the case for pretty much everyone I’ve ever met in college. Sorority girls hang out with hippies (who are sometimes are also hippies) who hang out with telecommunications majors who hang out with English majors who hang out with philosophy majors (all of which are also sometimes hippies/sorority girls/other things) – people hang out with who they like. Some groups are more likely to mingle than others, but strict dividing lines are few. I’d say the strongest of those probably exist amongst the fraternities. Some of them really don’t like each other. Politically, I’d say Ball State is overall pretty moderate. It seems like there are enough people on either end of the right-left spectrum that things balance out. Actual political activity seems fairly low, and I think most kids have some basic understanding of current events but few that are very deeply engaged. But overall, I think we’re a pretty chill campus. Most people wear jeans or sweats and T-shirts to class. (I dress up pretty much every day of my life, but I’m definitely an exception.) People are generally friendly, and I’ve always felt very safe at BSU. Really, I think the only kind of person who wouldn’t pretty easily find friends would be someone of exceptional wealth/status/privilege, simply because there aren’t many students that fit that description. Most BSU students come from typical Midwestern working families, and we’re totally okay with that.

Students at Ball State are generally very accepting. We're a medium-sized, midwest school, so there is of course a large white majority, and many more on campus Christian groups than representatives of other religions. A lot of students come from somewhere in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, or Michigan, and generally have access to a moderate income. Still, there's a lot of diversity on campus, too. Ball State has especially active Latino Student Union, LGBTQ (Spectrum), and Campus Crusade for Christ groups, but offer plenty of other multicultural organizations, religious organizations, and special interest groups. Political activism on campus are a fairly low-key subject, though we're always given ample opportunities to register to vote at the appropriate times. Thanks to our many service organizations, social activism is a lot more common. It's not surprising to see someone passing out flyers and collecting donations at the scramble light for Invisible Children, or for a flash mob organized by our OxFam organization to appear on the university green in the shape of a peace sign to advocate awareness of the two and a half billion people living in poverty. On the whole, I think Ball State is a very inclusive place--it's not like high school, where students are all packaged off into different groups that never interact. Thanks to Ball State, I'm lucky enough to have friends who grew up in different cultures and circumstances, who see the world differently than I do and help me to expand my perception, too.

The students at Ball State are almost all variates of things except judging. Who you are, what you like, your appearance, beliefs, passions will all be accepted on the whole here. I feel students as well as student organizations are great at portraying this too. Every community has it's share of jerks or pricks, but luckily here you have the option to spend time with people who are not these things. Most students are pretty socially laid back and have more important things on their minds, like staying warm in the winter or having enough money for rent this month. The Muncie and BSU community seems to be the ideal midwest middle class area, and by this, I mean it seems to be real. Here students are concerned with issues that everyday people face, as well as passing finals and making it into a frat party. What I'm trying to say is, Ball State is full of real people coming from real places. The college and the students are here knowing how current life is and how to develop and succeed in that society.

Ball State students are about as diverse as you can get. People from every walk of life come here to receive a quality education that they can be proud of.

Stereotypical would not be a word I would use to describe Ball State University. We have a well diverse group of students who are all striving to achieve their goals and move onto the next steps into their lives. Ball State University has a population of about 20,000 students and of course their are friend groups. However, one of the qualities of our campus is it doesn't really matter how you look or dress everyone is friendly and willing to hang out with each other. I personally will say in my friend group there are jocks, frat boys, stoners, sorority girls, hipsters, and club bangers but we all love to hang out with each other. Each person brings a unique aspect to my friend circle.

There are so many different types of people at Ball State and you are bound to find a "home away from home." If you're looking to get involved, which is highly recommended, there are numerous organizations to look into and be a part of. In my opinion, I don't think anyone would feel out of place at Ball State. The only type of person that might feel uneasy about being at Ball State, if they are far from home, is a home-body. Most students wear comfortable clothes to class and a lot of the time, sweats. A lot of students at this university intermix and there is a sense of connection throughout the whole campus.