Centre College
Reviews

A Great Program

I really enjoy the English program at Centre. The classes are wonderful and the English professors really love what they teach and love the students that choose to take their classes.

Average

Expelled for plagiarism. Keep alcohol in a solo cup.

Lots of Drinking

There is a little bit of weed smoking on campus, but most people choose to drink. The policies are pretty relaxed when it comes to alcohol, but it does not interfere with studies, generally.

It's Getting Better

You're going to find some attractions in Danville, but they aren't going to blow you away by sheer quantity. We have a nice Community Arts Center that plays host to all kinds of exhibits, which are generally pretty good. The Great American Dollhouse recently opened, and despite being a museum that seems geared toward girls under 10 and women over 50, it receives rave reviews from everyone who visits. (I found it particularly neat and had my expectations defied.) We have a movie theatre, a Wal-Mart, a nice smattering of restaurants (mostly chain), and a beautiful downtown...which has been recognized by a handful of publications--including TIME--as being one of the nicest and most successful historic downtowns on the map. Perhaps Danville's best attractions are the up and coming ones. Right now, work is underway to establish Kentucky Stage, a professional regional theatre modeled after the Williamstown Theatre Festival at Williams College. It will be run mainly by Centre folks in Weisiger Theatre, which is on campus. Additionally, Eddie Montgomery has opened his long awaited steakhouse about 6 miles from campus. It's billed as a concert venue, sports bar, and steakhouse. Already, developers are said to be moving into the area to build on what Eddie Montgomery has started, which means that in the next couple of years, shopping and dining should really start to take off. But if none of this suits you, Lexington is only a 30-40 minute drive north and will provide you will all the cultural amenities of a big college city.

Awesome Parking!

Compared to big schools, Centre's parking is awesome. Even while Pearl Hall was being built, it was still fairly easy to find a space within a block of where you wanted to be. That just does not happen at bigger schools, or in bigger cities. The parking is very safe, and permits are a heck of a lot cheaper than other campus, where parking can run up to $1000 a year.

Getting Better, Slowly

Centre is fairly diverse for comparable schools, especially since the Posse group began. Those students that are diverse on campus are very well embraced. We also have a proportionately high number of international students.

Pretty Darn Good Looking for a Bunch of Nerds

Considering that everyone at Centre is extremely smart and dedicated, there are a plethora of hot people to look at.

As a Non-Greek, I Really Liked the Greek System.

I wanted to rush when I came to Centre, but when I got here...I saw no need to. We delay rush until second term, so you get to know the people you want to hang out with rather than buy friends first and ask questions later.

I had a lot of Greek friends, but just as many independents, and I never felt compelled to join a fraternity. From the outside observer though, the Greek system was generally very service oriented and seemed like a lot of fun. Very few of my Greek friends had a negative word to say.

Greek parties definitely dominate the night life, but they do so in so much as providing a setting for your group of friends to hang out, dance, or hook up. Every frat house is open to every student regardless of Greek affiliation or non-affiliation and is very welcoming.

Based on my observations, 70% of the on campus drinking was done at these parties. So that may factor into a student's choice on whether or not to join...it was a contributing factor to why I didn't.

My Faculty Are My Mentors, My Friends, My Educators.

I know every student says their school's faculty is top-notch, and Centre's no exception for me. The thing is though, they aren't just excellent educators...these men and women are the real deal. I count them as some of my mentors and my friends and they impart not only knowledge, but wisdom.

I cross referece faculty all the time, taking information from one class to the office of another professor, just to discuss their perspective. They're always welcoming. You can't dodge them either. They have a lot invested in each student and are looking out for their well-being (in a non-intrusive manner). They want you to succeed and will go the extra mile to meet you in the middle when you're struggling.

The only reason Centre doesn't get an A+ here is because not all the new faculty have the same level of excellence in their approach to education, but most are above par all the same.

There's Very Little You Won't Be Able to Do in Our Labs.

Centre is not lacking in computer labs, and the computers are reasonably up-to-date as well. You'll find Mac labs with Final Cut Pro, Windows labs with the latest in analytical software, and very rarely are they ever full...there's always something open.

Most computing is done on personal computers in students' rooms though, and is supported by the phenomenal Information and Technology Services department which responds promptly to almost every cry for help the technologically downtrodden may experience.

Honestly, Danville is so small you...

Honestly, Danville is so small you can walk just about anywhere.

Drinking not so strict. People get...

Drinking not so strict. People get cited on a regular basis, but it's a bit of a joke.

We have an amazing gym that is...

We have an amazing gym that is super nice.

The food at the cafeteria is...

The food at the cafeteria is pretty terrible, except the amazing soft-serve ice cream.

I haven't noticed any drugs, but...

I haven't noticed any drugs, but then again the policies against drugs here are pretty strict.

Freshmen can bring a car, and...

Freshmen can bring a car, and there is plenty of parking on campus. Although sometimes you have to park about two or three blocks away, which can be a little sketchy at night when you have to walk by yourself back to the dorm. Most parking is pretty close.

The restaurants in Danville are...

The restaurants in Danville are not all that exciting. The Applebee's is actually the best Applebee's I've ever been to, but that's not too much of a compliment. Lexington isn't too far if you want something else, too.

The campus is diverse in interests...

The campus is diverse in interests but not really ethnically. A majority of the campus are middle class, but that does not mean that everyone is rich. The college is relatively conservative since it is in the south, but there are a lot of liberals. We have a significant population of homosexuals and bisexuals.

It is not always easy to get...

It is not always easy to get off-campus housing. The college really doesn't encourage it, and almost all students live on campus anyway. It is usually not worth it, but sometimes it can save people money.

It is usually not too difficult to...

It is usually not too difficult to find a ride into town because a majority of Centre students have vehicles.

Many students on campus...

Many students on campus participate in either varsity sports or intramurals. Varsity teams fair pretty well considering we are a D-III school and no one receives any financial support for participating. Although games are not central to social activities on campus, the men's basketball and soccer are usually well attended. In recent years, there has been a lot of success in swimming and diving, cross country, basketball, and soccer. IM sports are important to some people but not everyone. They do provide good motivation for team building or organizations. Even though the school is small, the overall sports scene is a huge part of Centre life. We don't offer extremely diverse sports, but we provide the opportunities for most main stream sports or people can form club sports teams.

All of the facilities are nice,...

All of the facilities are nice, well equipped, clean, and well staffed. The double-decker gym is huge. At my old school, the gym was a fifth of the size of the one at Centre, even though the school was three times the size of Centre. Everything on campus is very central, so if you want a snack while you're at the library, all you have to do is walk to the next building.

Kentucky is the most unpredictable...

Kentucky is the most unpredictable place for weather. Bring Eskimo clothing, bikinis and everything in between. And be prepared for a flood, a blizzard, an ice storm, a dust storm, extreme cold, extreme heat, and really nice breezy spring days in the middle of winter. However, the one thing that remains constant in Kentucky is high humidity. So have hair gel and AC.

The facilities are great. The only...

The facilities are great. The only thing lacking are places to eat. A lot of students would like to see something that is open late where the food is a little more healthy.

It's not really that big here. I...

It's not really that big here. I mean there is a small percentage of people who smokes weed, but that's all based on who you hang out with really. It's not like there are druggies at every corner pressuring you into anything. We don't really have any hardcore drugs at school either. Most people just stick to drinking.