Sarah Chaney, an 18-year-old sophomore from Sunnyvale, Calif., is proud to be an out-of-state student.
"My hometown is about 45 minutes from the ocean," Chaney said. "And you can see lots of mountains in the distance."
Out-of-state students at Ball State University comprise 12 percent of the on-campus population, according to the university's Web site.
Because she graduated high school early, Chaney took her SATs late; many other universities had stopped accepting students and she received a scholarship. While both of these factors played a role in her decision, Ball State was also one of 16 schools in the nation that had Chaney's original major of magazine journalism. Since then, she has switched to a double major in creative writing and Japanese.
"So I'm here because I love Indiana. I love Ball State," Chaney said. "To be honest, I was going to transfer back to California, but I like the people here so much that I decided to stick it out and I'm glad that I did."
Like Chaney, freshman Ashley Jacoby came to Ball State as an out-of-state student from Long Island, N.Y. Jacoby described her neighborhood as family-oriented.
"There are lots of kids, both older and younger," she said. "We're about 20 minutes from the city [New York City] if you take the train, 45 minutes by car depending on traffic."
Jacoby found Ball State through her twin sister, Brooke, who is also a freshman at BSU.
Brooke's major is special and deaf education, which is hard to find at other schools, Jacoby said.
After Brooke discovered Ball State, she told Ashley about the school's telecommunications program.
Chaney said being so far from home can be hard at times. When she does miss home, she calls her father, talks to her friends and counts how many days she has until she gets to go home.
"I almost ended up stayed [in Muncie] for Thanksgiving, but I got so homesick that I knew I couldn't make it until Winter Break."
Getting home isn't easy either because of the expense, she said.
"I only go home for major holidays. It takes about seven hours to get home, so going home for a weekend doesn't make sense," she said.
To keep herself busy, Chaney has been involved with many clubs and activities on campus. She has been a member of the Christian Campus House, the Asian-American Student Association and Japan Club, as well as the roller hockey and equestrian teams, since her freshman year.
"When I first came to Ball State, I definitely got involved right away because that was what our advisers told us to do," she said.
Chaney said traveling away from home has helped her become bolder and more independent. It has also helped in her decision to study abroad next year.
"I'm definitely looking forward to studying in Japan for a year," she said. "Being away will be tough, but I'm excited for it."
Overall, Chaney is happy she chose to come to Ball State.
"I think it's good to get out of your area and do some exploring; to see what's outside. The people here are great. I'm learning a lot," she said. "Being away from my family and learning about different parts of the country is a lot of fun. It's a good experience."
For more online:
Check out the interactive comparison of the enrollment and tuition of out-of-state students at different Indiana universities at www.ballbearingsonline.com.
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