While Ball State's residence halls hold a capacity of 6,337 students, approximately 12,000 students live at home or off campus in Muncie. For many of these students, their experience living off campus in Muncie is their first taste of the real world.
Some students are for the first time trying to figure out how to pay the bills, shop for groceries and balance a household budget. Students' first experiences in Muncie will help shape how they make these decisions in the future. Students living on their own experience many differences from living at home or in the residence halls.
Senior Ray Bryans, business major, lived in the Scheidler Apartments last year, but this year, he found an apartment by himself off campus.
"I thought I would like living by myself, but I absolutely hate it," he said.
One of the biggest differences Bryans said he saw living off campus was that there are less people around him.
"One of the things I noticed, when you live on campus people are coming in and out," he said.
Bryans said he has found living in Muncie to be affordable, but he has seen set back in the Muncie life.
"It's not very expensive, but there's not a lot to do," he said. "You're disposable income you can spend on rent and utilities."
Bryans is currently working at Old Navy in the Muncie Mall. After graduation he said he is gong to search for a professional job, but he would consider living in Muncie if that's where he finds a job. His one objection to living in Muncie is its lack of a night life.
"It seems to me everything closes down (at) 9:30 or 10 o'clock," he said.
Bryans has also discovered other downfalls to the living off campus experience. He no longer has fast speed Internet, and he now deals with junk mail and telemarketers.
Anthony Edmonds, Ball State history professor, and his wife Joanne Edmonds, dean of the honors college, has lived in a neighborhood among students for 33 years. In his experiences, Edmonds said students have made good neighbors.
"We have had here, at least in my area, virtually no problem," he said.
He said other colleagues who live down the street have had problems with noise, he said he has been lucky.
"It's been pretty good except a few isolated incidents," Edmonds said. "A few years ago there was a problem when a student shot a gun in the air, but that has been the only issue."
Anthony Edmonds said he and his wife did not even think living among students would be a problem when they chose the house.
"We liked the fact that it was close to campus, and we actually like being around students," he said.
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