Ball State University Top Questions

Ball State University is known for being the perfect college for average students. There's a wide variety of people ranging from Jocks to Stoners to Theater geeks and everyone in between. Generally, it's not as difficult to get accepted by Ball State as it is by other state schools in Indiana. Although recently, the Cardinals have taken great strides in the academic arena. Three Ball State students have qualified as Rhodes Scholar finalists in the last two years. (For those who don't know, the Rhodes Scholarship is a highly revered, full-ride opportunity to study at Oxford for two years.)

The one joke I've heard made about Ball State students of pretty much every conceivable social stripe -- by BSU students themselves and others -- is that we're slackers. (A realistic response to that statement by a BSU student would be, "Uh, of course we're slackers; why do you think we go to Ball State?") Even our most famous alumnus, David Letterman, is well-known for his 2.0 GPA and plaque in the telecommunications building dedicated to C students everywhere. It's a jab made at ourselves usually with aware, self-deprecating humor and, given the right context, a toast made with fifty-cent cans of Natty Ice or Boxer, depending on whether you're a fraternity brah/sorority girl or hipster kid. Some of that attitude comes from living in Muncie, Indiana. I mean, it's Muncie -- sure, there are way worse places to live, but Muncie is no vibrant college town. It's a fairly small, economically struggling Midwestern city in a dull landscape where winters seem like they'll last for a soul-numbing eternity. (This, by the way, does not mean Muncie hasn't been a good place to live the past four-ish years; honestly, it's been one of the best things to ever happen to me, but for reasons not relevant to answering this question.) That is the setting for BSU students' collegiate glory days. So regarding accuracy, I don't really think slacker-ishness is any more prevalent here than anywhere else, regardless of what jokes we (or Letterman) crack; I've met tons of self-starting and ferociously intelligent people at Ball State. I think more likely is that the self-deprecating humor of labeling ourselves slackers lets us acknowledge the context in which our college lives are taking place in a way that makes our situation funny and endearing. We can identify with and grow fond of a place that's associated, regardless of accuracy, for having low standards by saying we have low standards for ourselves -- and doing so in a way that makes our friends laugh.

Several years ago, Ball State used to be a major party school, and I think the outside conception of Ball State students from some prospective students might be that we view college as a social more than an educational experience. The reality is that Ball State is very focused on academics, increasingly selective with its acceptance process, and quickly becoming state and nationally recognized for its great academic programs, like our award-winning architecture and nursing programs, among others. I feel like Ball State has a great balance of social and educational opportunities that allows students to both enjoy and benefit from their college experience.

I feel that there might be a few stereotypes here, but if they are applied, it's most likely because a student desires that stereotype. The cultural diversity here is decently rich. We have many people who come from different countries, but of the students who are not from overseas, the majority of students' home towns are in Indiana or from Chicago, IL. When first coming to Ball State, I thought that there was a definite stereotype for people in Greek life, but my opinion since then has completely changed. There will always be alcoholics and constant partiers, but as far as my knowledge goes, there is no solid group made up of just those people. Overall, I feel that Ball State is great about letting students be who they want to be.

If you're looking to be judged or accepted by the 'Midwest Hipster' Ball State University is your college of choice. The university's creative/artistic scene may be recognized, but not fully understood or appreciated. This artistic scene has caused numerous hipsters, young people who are thinking progressively and have a love of all things art and wit, to flock to Muncie, or rather transform once they arrive. If you're thinking of attending BSU be sure to cut your hair in an androgynous way, buy tickets to the latest underground show, and ignore the culturally-sheltered mainstream. If you follow this pathway vaguely, there's no doubt your college experience will be a fun and life changing one!

Ball State began as a normal school and has expanded to a higher education facility. Though we compete with students from other local colleges including Indiana University, Butler University and Purdue University, our students' Ball State spirit shines through. We recently defeated Butler in basketball that sparked our unity. Students at Ball State University are considered a mixture of normal. There are kids who receive scholarships, who fight for our school in sports and who join Greek life to benefit our community. Ball State is education redefined.

Students at Ball State have a reputation for being immersed in alcohol, rather than learning. When many think of Ball State University students, their minds instantly jump to images of wild parties, crowded bars, and drunk students stumbling all over the place. In reality, this is not what ALL Ball State students are doing. A small portion of the student body engages in regular alcoholic activity, while a larger portion can be found participating in one of the university's student groups or clubs. The media coverage tends to center around the negative aspects of Ball State University students and therefore tends to allow outsiders to view the students only in that sense because that is the only view they are given.

Ball State University is really a rather diverse community. Stereotypes seem to be applied to the individual colleges and programs rather than the university itself. For instance, the CCIM (which includes the nationally recognized TCOM media program where David Letterman hails from) is full of outgoing individuals who try their best to be unique in a world of snowflakes. You can usually spot a TCOM student by their hipster-esque appearance. This, of course, is just one of many colleges at BSU that has their own look and style. (Almost) no one will judge you, though, if you dress or act a little differently than other people in your major or field. I think pretty much anyone can find their niche here

I don't know, I don't judge people by there looks. Besides I'm a freshmen and I haven't made many friends yet.

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.