big surprise

Introduction
When choosing a college to attend, probably one of the most important aspects to think about are the areas in which the university is actually well known for. If you have a major in mind, then thats great but you should also keep this in mind for your intended minors as well since I have never known a single freshmen who didn't chang their major at least once. Personally, I was a TCOM (telecommunications) major when I first started out which is exactly why I picked Ball State over IU, Purdue, Butler, etc. Today, I am a Religious Studies major.

Other great advice would be to get all of your core classes out of the way early and I mean early. This is my 4th year at Ball State and I'm going to have to take a 5th year (victory lap) due in part to an extra minor. I plan on taking that time to finish up some core classes that I just never got around to taking. Take advantage of summer classes during your freshmen and sophmore years so that you won't have to take them later on.

Campus Life and Social Life
The social life around campus is what you make of it. People often complain about Muncie but those are also the same people who believe that Muncie only consists of the McGalliard (the main strech on the northside) but I'll get to Muncie in awhile. You really want to know about the parties right?

Ball State has a rep as being a party school and in some cases this is well deserved and in others this has been well over hyped. The fact is, if you want to stay away from the party scene and study then it is more than easy to do so. If you want to go out and drink on weekends and roam around from house to house trying to find the next address that your friend on AIM gave you then that is possible too. Partying on campus is very much alive but you can't allow it to control your life. It is important to remember why you are in college and to not allow yourself to fall into the trap of drinking yourself stupid on Thursday night and skipping your Friday morning classes. Truth be told, attendence actually is important in college regardless of what people tell you and if you skip classes then you will fail. Thats just a fact. Anyone who tells you differently is full of shit.

Sports...in terms of intramural or club sports then I can't think of a better university. Seriously, there is a league for just about anything and if there isn't a league for your sport of choice then not only is it possible to form one but you are more than likely to find a following very quickly. In terms of actual school sports, well, its tough to say.

Let's not kid ourselves...Ball State Football sucks my right testicle and yet they still want to put a new stadium in. This has the majority of the student body pissed off. But what people often do is associate Ball State Football (suck) with the rest of Ball State athletics. Ball State basketball (men's and women's) is pretty damn good for MAC play as well as our volleyball teams (men's and women's). But, if you're looking for the type of school where the student body holds pep-rallies and the student section of the stadium is about a quarter of the rest of the stadium but produces nearly 10x the noise then you need to go to IU or Purdue.

In terms of clubs, there are more clubs and organizations around campus than anyone could ever imagine. Unfortunately, I am not really a member of any of them since my time is taken up with my major and two jobs but if I had the time I'm sure I would join a few. Yeah...why not. That would look good on grad school applications. In terms of Greek life though...if it's not dead already then its dying. There are a number of academic frats on campus which are doing pretty well but there are only two social frats left to my knowledge and they are not held in the highest regard by the rest of the student population. Sororities seem to be doing well though and there are a number of them on campus. Like many universities across the states, Ball State does not allow sororities to have houses. Not sure why. But many of them do own houses together or apartments or get dorm suites together. The general feeling around campus about greek life is that with a student population of over 18,000 now, it doesn't make sense to pay for your friends. That appears to be the general feeling by the non-greek student body and it is my own personal feeling on the subject but you can take that with a grain of salt.

I said I would get back to Muncie and if you're still reading this then you are a braver soul than I. First you must remember that Muncie is not your hometown so stop expecting it to be! Things are going to be different. Different food. Different water. Different weather. Different everything. Deal with it! The other point I wish to make is that their are things to do in Muncie if you would just get out of your damn dorm room or apartment and go find these things. You have no idea how many people I've met who say there is nothing to do in Muncie yet they have never really been off campus except when driving home. Downtown has a number of excellent bars as well as some great spots for eating. The Heorot is a viking long house type bar which not only sells the most Guiness in the tri-state area but also has over 150 beers on tap and sells over 300 different beers bottled. Beat that with a broom handle!! Vera Maes is a little French cafe type resteraunt which a typical college student would have to save up for months just to eat at but if you take a date there...well...I won't spoil the surprise. Guys...just take your dates to Vera Maes and you won't be disappointed in the end. Another fun spot in Muncie is known as the Water Bowl. It's basically a small manmade lake/pool which is on the upper northeast side of town. Really, only locals know about it and still few people go. The best part about it...you can drink! Beat that with a lightening rod! I dare you! You can't! HA! Advertisement
Academics
Ok...in terms of academics...this is just going to be simple and to the point. You probably already know that Ball State is famous for Architecture, Telecommunications, Journalism, Teaching, Entrepreneurship and Nursing. Did you also know that the following depts and programs also kick ass (I was surprised too when I found out!).

College of Architecture and Planning (we own this bitch)
Physical Education and Exercise Science (major)
The Miller College of Buisness (the whole damn college is top-notch)
Music (major)
Teachers College (Ball State started as a teachers college so of course we should be nationally ranked as one.)
College of Communication, Information, and Media (I started here and ran away very quickly. Others don't give up so easily and grow up to be rich and famous)
Anthropology (major)
Criminal Justice (major)
History (major - Our history and Anthropology depts work hand in hand and I am very surprised neither has been nationally ranked yet. I could be wrong and we very well could be nationally ranked. If we're not then I'm sure it is just around the bend. The faculty is amazing in both depts as are the courses offered.)
Modern Languages and Classes (major - an excellent program)
Political Science (major)
Philosophy (major)
Religious Studies (major)
Sociology (major)

All of the above mentioned majors have top notch programs and the majority of them allow you to focus your attention in one area of study or another. In fact, most require it.

Student Body
The 'typical' student at Ball State is your 'typical' student at every university I think. Students here don't care that much for sports but thats probably because we are a MAC school and our football team sucks. If we were a Big 10 school and conference champions then I'm sure it would be a different story. Students don't really care for greek life either but to be honest, I don't think anything the greeks do could really help that. Without a doubt, the student body here is very social and friendly.

In Closing...
In closing... I said this earlier...but I will say it again with a twist. College life is what you make of it. At my freshmen orientation, they didn't give the typical speech "Look to your left, now look to your right. The people sitting next to you will not be here this time next year. They will either drop out of their own free will or be forced to because of grades or some other reason." (mean scary voice). Although the dean of some college didn't give that speech, he really should have. It is so easy to get caught up in everything going on around you when you first get to college. Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll...and that's only the first week. Here are some final tips about college...not about Ball State...just about college.

Drugs are bad...don't get caught.
You don't gain the freshmen 15 from food. It all comes from beer.
Your body is no longer your temple. Your GPA is your temple. Treat it as such.
Another GPA point... A low GPA (and I mean low) during one semester during your junior or senior year won't hurt you so bad if your GPA has been good so far but a low GPA (and I mean low) during one semester during your freshmen year, even if you get amazing grades throughout the rest of college, will kill you. A bad GPA semester during your freshmen year is like dead weight that keeps your overall GPA down during the rest of college. No one ever tells you that during your freshmen year as you stagger from house party to house party wondering where your pants are. Seriously...watch your GPA.