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Ball State University - Local Atmosphere - College ProwlerCollege Prowler2.69

Local Atmosphere

C+
Where does this grade come from?View all Local Atmosphere rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Local Atmosphere Grades:

Quick Stats

Points of Interest
  • Minnetrista Cultural Center
  • Muncie Children’s Museum

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Ball State students have some mixed emotions when it comes to Muncie. Although much of the city is rundown, the victim of outsourcing and substantial urban decay, there are some things worth seeing. The city’s downtown district is home to several art galleries featuring work by local and regional artists, a plethora of dining options and a fairly decent bar scene. Students often overlook many of the city’s festivals, which include Munciegras, Yart, and some surprisingly fun seasonal concerts. Instead, students tend to stick to the Village, a commercial district on the campus’ southeast side, which features, among other things, restaurants, a convenience store, a coffeeshop, several bars, and other stores geared toward college students.

In many respects, Muncie has never recovered from the loss of much of its industrial base, but the growth of Ball State has helped to soften some of the economic blow by providing work to many in the Muncie area, and the recent addition of a Sallie Mae office added over 700 jobs to the area. The University’s intimate relationship with the local economy has caused a kind of awkwardly ambivalent town-and-gown relationship to develop. It’s less of a marriage and more of an affair, as many in the community despise the students while recognizing they are the lifeblood of Muncie. As of this writing, the number-one complaint students had about living in Muncie was the fact that its liquor stores have stopped selling kegs.

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Ball State Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Local Atmosphere at Ball State University

shannonswingle

'16

Speech Language Pathology

5.0
A+

Ball State University

Ball State is the main attraction in Muncie, Indiana. The beautiful landscaping along with the brick embroidery make it a sight to see. We have many attractions such at the Art Museum, the Student Recreational Building, including a huge rock wall, and the David Letterman Building, built by the famous comedian, David Letterman. I always feel safe on campus, with campus control within reach everywhere. The diversity provides an experience one could not find anywhere else.

Feb 01, 2012

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Local Atmosphere at Ball State University

hiandrews52

'15

Education

2.7
C+

About

Muncie is not a huge city, nor is it a small, tightly knit community. The people here are very friendly, but you could go to school here for four years or more and not meet everyone here. Local attractions include the local Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and various other shopping markets. Nearly every type of food and/or resteraunt is in Muncie. However, there aren't really any "fun" places like laser tag or attractions outside of the university

Jan 22, 2012

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Local Atmosphere at Ball State University

NUMEROUS11

'15

Physical Therapy

4.2
A-

DAILY MUNCIE LIFE

ITS A NICE QUIET TOWN EVERYONE IS FRIENDLY, IT IS A SMALL KNIT COMMUNITY AND PERMANENT LIVING AFTER GRADUATION IS AN OPITION

Jan 05, 2012

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Page 1 of 13

Photos of Ball State University's Local Atmosphere

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Ball State University - Rubber Tree ClimbingRubber Tree Climbing
Photo by CaviesFan165
Rubber Tree Climbing Ball State offers a variety of good climbing trees on campus, especially outside of North Quad. During the warmer weather, students can be seen climbing trees and acting like a bunch of monkeys in between classes.
Link to this photo
Photo by CaviesFan165
Ball State University - Rob Paravonian and on-campus eventsRob Paravonian and on-campus...
Photo by CaviesFan165
Rob Paravonian and on-campus events Ball State's University Program Board offers various activities to participate in and/or see on campus from time to time. UPB hosted musician/comedian Rob Paravonian (see "Pachelbel's Rant" on Youtube) on campus one evening. It was a FREE event. Sometimes it pays to live on campus and take advantage of the on-campus programs.
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Photo by CaviesFan165
Ball State University - BSU's Bell TowerBSU's Bell Tower
Photo by dnditty
BSU's Bell Tower Ball State's first snowfall of the school year!
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Photo by dnditty

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the local atmosphere on the following topics

What is the local atmosphere like at your school?

What is the proximity to other universities? Is there much interaction?

Can you see yourself living here after graduation?

Facts

Shopping Centers Muncie Mall
Major Sports Teams None:
City Web Sites
Distances to Nearest Major Cities
  • Cincinnati: OH: 3 hours
  • Indianapolis: IN: 1 hour
Did You Know?

Five Fun Facts about Muncie:
• It’s the home of Jim Davis, creator of Garfield.
• It was featured in the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
• It was once the home of the Ball Corporation, maker of Ball Jars.
• It was featured in the “Middletown USA“ sociological study.
• The main character in the movie The Hudsucker Proxy
is from Muncie, and the town is mentioned throughout
the movie.

Famous People from Muncie:
Jim Davis, creator of Garfield

Local Slang:
Funcie – A nickname students have given to the city of Muncie. The term is typically used in a sarcastic or ironic way, as many students view the city as an undesirable place.
Munciegras – A 21-and-over event held the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday every year in downtown Muncie.
Muncie-trash – A derogatory term used by Ball State students to describe the citizens of Muncie. It is sometimes used endearingly, especially by students who are from the Muncie area.
Muncieite – A less offensive name for someone from Muncie.

Local Events:
The Budding, Green, Falling, and Dead Leaf music festivals
End of Summer Jam – A classic rock event
Munciegras – The city’s equivalent of Mardi Gras
Yart – A yard/art sale held every summer

Movie TheatersWhat's This?

Dollar Movies
3501 N. Granville Ave.
Muncie
(765) 288-3546

Northwest Plaza Cinema
1907 W. McGalliard Rd.
Muncie
(765) 289-7200

Showplace 7
3401 W. Community Dr.
Muncie
(765) 288-5650

Most Recent Student Author

College Prowler guides are in the hands of students throughout the entire process. Because you can't make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who write, edit, and survey their peers for every guide that we publish. Thanks to our most recent student author at BSU

Name: Adrian Sharp

Major: Journalism Graphics

see all student author bios >

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