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Hope You Like Applebee's and O'charley's.

Danville is not exactly a foodie's paradise. That being said, if it's fried, fast, or grilled, it's probably here. You'll have your greasy food desires fulfilled, but dining experiences are a little lackluster. You'll get 10% discounts at many places, and there's rarely anything overpriced...but I wouldn't mind paying for some nicer fare every now and then.

There are some more regional and locally owned restaurants though. Reno's is a steakhouse frequented by those looking to sing some karaoke. There's Sutton's, which masquerades as fine dining, but it's just O'Charley's with more butter and higher prices. Freddie's is a local hole in the wall Italian joint that offers an average setting for average Italian dining.

But Danville does have a trump card, and this prevents it from getting a C, in my opinion. Guadi's. You ask any Centre student what their favorite restaurant is, and they're gonna say Guadi's. It's a Mexican restaurant, well...technically they have three locations with about 5 square miles. Its delicious, affordable, and goes down well with a pitcher of margaritas. (If you're not careful with the margaritas though, it might not come up as well.)

One last note, there's a genuine Mexican restaurant that's located inside a Mexican convenience store called La Hacienda. It's a real gem, and mostly undiscovered.

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.

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.

Danville Public Safety Is Tops.

Centre is a safe campus, and that's largely due to Danville Public Safety, called DPS for short. DPS is our on campus security that works around the clock to ensure students are having fun, but doing so safely. What's more, they tend to have very good relationships with the students and because of this, earn their respect pretty easily. They're always willing to escort students on golf carts who feel unsafe traversing campus or parking lots at night, they keep an eye on parties but aren't intrusive, and they are really good about unlocking doors on campus to buildings which you have expressed written permission to be in after hours. That's not to say everything on Centre's campus is perfect. We do have students who vandalize our dormitories. Vandals usually strike early on in the academic year and are presumed to be inebriated at the time of incident. The vast majority of campus does not tolerate this behavior though and students are generally willing to divulge information to DPS when it occurs. Additionally, you'll find that some students' things go missing, but this only happens to students who leave their doors unlocked on a regular basis. I've had two bikes stolen at Centre...that's the only frustrating aspect of security. But it's no one's fault but my own, I left them unlocked on the nights they went missing.

Centre Is the Sleeper Hit of Liberal Arts Colleges.

My grandmother was the first person to ever mention Centre to me. I was 15 and had never heard of it...turns out, this reaction is both a blessing and a curse for Centre. A lot of people you talk to, especially outside the state of Kentucky, aren't terribly familiar with Centre. It doesn't carry the name brand recognition of say Davidson or Amherst, but competitively speaking...the school is probably just as life changing and academically enriching. Most people who come to Centre for visits have the same reaction: "How have I never heard of this place?" It's a backhanded compliment really. Yes, this school is amazing. No, this school is not a commonly known name.

In the end, I chose Centre because it promised study abroad, an internship, and graduation in 4 years or the fifth year tuition-free. I wanted to go into theatre but was still concerned that theatre may not be a lucrative career for me (turns out, it wasn't). But the thought of Centre standing by their education and preparing me with a vast array of experiences guaranteed, made me feel secure in my decision to have my cake (major and theatre) and eat it (be successful in whatever field I chose) too.

I'd definitely do it over again given the choice. Centre has prepared me well, made me grow, made me question, made me think more than I thought any College could. What's more, the professors are first-class educators and genuine people. I couldn't have asked for a better college experience.