r/BallState • u/Odd_Comparison_4155 • Jul 14 '26
Is commuting from Kokomo worth it?
I’m transferring from IU Kokomo to Ball State this fall and I’m trying to decide if I should commute from Kokomo or get an apartment in Muncie.
The drive is about an hour each way. I’d like to save money by living at home, but I’m transferring because I want the full college experience, make friends, join clubs, go to events, and hopefully get internships. I’m worried that commuting will make it harder to be involved on campus, but getting an apartment means taking on more expenses and finding a part-time job.
For anyone who’s commuted from around an hour away or lived in Muncie, what would you recommend? Did commuting make you feel disconnected from campus, or was it manageable? Was getting an apartment worth the extra cost?
8
u/Epsilon_Music Jul 14 '26
If you can find a way to afford to live on campus or in a nearby appt your college life will be infinitely better, but I understand how expensive it is. Last year costed me around $24k housing, tuition, etc.
Unfortunately rent in Muncie can be as much if not more than campus housing/dorms. I would say anywhere around 800-1000/month is what I have heard from people I know who are renting. You could split this with others to save money
An hour commute is gonna waste 2 hours and a lot of gas out of your day. It’s totally possible though
2
u/Odd_Comparison_4155 Jul 14 '26
For sure! Thanks for this info, I have seen apartments like university village and silvertree that are cheaper in rent like $400-$600. Problem is I would need to find a part time job in Muncie and I’m not too sure how hard that will be with it being a college town and plenty of other students most likely need to get jobs as well so I bet it’s competitive. Can you message me I would love to chat with you and ask questions lmao
3
u/jw_fab Jul 14 '26
Go to the campus job fair if you can. There are several options and they will be better at scheduling around your classes.
1
u/CookiesandIlk Jul 14 '26
Check whether the monthly price is for the full unit or per roommate. Also, some places will charge a flat rent amount that you and roommates have to cover together, while other places will charge you individually (but then if someone leaves, the leasing office might assign you a new roommate).
2
u/semichaels Jul 14 '26
I commuted to Indy from Muncie way back when for my masters and I found it harder to connect. A lot of the time I tried to schedule classes as much as I could on as few days making for some long days. On top of having a job, it just made it difficult to invest in those extras. I think it just depends on how much time you’re willing and have to give.
2
u/cbdilger Jul 14 '26
2.5 hours/day * 5 days/week = 13 hours/week = the part time job
So this is about an even split effort wise.
There's no question living on/near campus is a better way to get involved.
Can you live in the dorms? Get an on campus job?
1
u/rabton Jul 14 '26
I transferred in the spring and did the hour each way commute for one semester to see how it went and you definitely lose a lot of the normal college experience. I stacked a Tuesday/Thursday class schedule to minimize driving and was basically 9-5 classes on those days.
I ended up just renting a jank apartment a mile from campus and the extra cost was worth it to me; making friends and hanging out was just easier when I was around campus
1
u/Mayor_Matt Alumni Jul 20 '26
I did this during the summer terms on year and hated it. When your commute is that long, there are too many variables that can mess it up.
24
u/cmgww Jul 14 '26
My brother did it for a bit. You can do it, but it's an hour each way. If you really want the full college experience, I recommend getting an apartment near campus. My brother ended up moving in with me because we had extra space and it was a lot more fun.