Ask A Centre Student!

<p>I’m Collegemom08’s daughter, and I’ve been requested to come answer some questions anyone might have. I’m a part of Colonel Corps (the admissions office group) so I have no problem taking the time to do this; I love it! So ask away…</p>

<p>Hello Centregirl08 and welcome to the CC board! We're so happy (and I think I speak for all of us who visit the Centre page) that you and your mom have found your way to us! My DD and her best friend absolutely loved Centre when we visited. I would be perfectly happy if she decided to go there. She's currently away at Girls State and then heads to Governor's School from there, but she'll be home mid July and I know she would love to speak with you about Centre. Did you apply early or regular? Did you interview? Would you mind to share some of your stats with us i.e. high school g.p.a., test scores, extra curriculars, etc.? That information seems to help us folks here on the CC board when it comes to finding a good "fit". Also, if it's not too personal, would you mind sharing any scholarship information? Thank you!</p>

<p>I just realized your mom answered the scholarship question on the other thread, but would still like to have your input on the other questions. Thanks!</p>

<p>Glad, to meet you. You are a brave soul to offer yourself up to this bunch. Take a stab at Iderochi's concern about frats/sororities that appears on the other thread, if you would. </p>

<p>On one of our two visits to Centre, my D had the great pleasure of watching some of the frat boys playing some invented game with a large orange ball with what must have been some rules that shifted depending on who could yell the loudest. LOL. It was hilarious. Two of the boys were wearing those knitted hats with earflap and strings with balls on the end of them, do you know the grotesque things I'm talking about? The sorority girls watched the whole "game" from their upstairs windows in those cute little sorority houses directly across from those cute little frat houses . How convenient (and cute!). Needless to say D wasn't that intimidated by the frat/sorority scene after that but it remains a minor concern.</p>

<p>A far larger concern is the large number of Kentucky kids and what that means on the weekends. Adcom Jeff said in D's interview that the campus did clear out on Mother's day, and maybe another weekend. We also noticed that the cafeteria didn't do much business on a Saturday night. The cashier told D a lot of kids were in Lexington. That bothered D a little as she may not have a car first year :( or any friends :( or any money :(, and would really prefer to think folks hung around campus and made their really cheap car-less fun there. The Warehouse (?), looked like a pretty cool place to us.</p>

<p>Curmudgeon, if my D is there, your D will have a friend :) with a car :) , but no money :( . Oh well, who says money buys happiness, huh? Believe me, I had a blast in college and I was a penny pincher ... of course I had only a few pennies to pinch, but I had fun playing tennis, basketball, running, going to football games and just hanging out with friends, etc. I agree that the Warehouse looks like a fun place to hang.</p>

<p>Welcome Centregirl (and your mother too)! Have you decided on a major?</p>

<p>Welcome Centregirl! You are very brave and we admire you for it. :) Do you have family in Louisville since it's like a second home? </p>

<p>Curmudgeon and Splashmom, I don't know if your daughters want a guy around, but if they all attend Centre, DS will be looking for friends too :o I know he's only a guy but maybe they'll take him on as a project :eek: I think he's trainable.</p>

<p>I, personally, don't know which game you're referencing only beacuse there are SO many that the frats make up! They're always doing crazy things like that and there are always girls around to watch them act dumb.:-) </p>

<p>With your concern about not liking a school with a 40% Greek population: Don't worry about it. I did not go Greek for many reasons and I've had a blast. Honestly, the only things that are restricted from you if you're not Greek are formals and meetings. Everything else that the Greek system does you're allowed to participate in or at least attend. I have friends in all of the different fraternities and sororities. I am able to attend whatever party I'd like to (minus Crushes and Formals) and attend them with whomever I'd like to. Concerning the Crushes and Formals, I can even go to those if I'm someone's date; you're not excluded. </p>

<p>During 'rush' time it's a little more painstakingly obvious that you're not part of the Greek system, but it's over in a month or so. Your freshman year will be the 'hardest' I guess, only because a lot of your friends may become Greek. After you get through that initial frenzy of Rush and the following weeks, everything pretty much returns to normal. Don't worry about not going Greek. If you'd like to be Greek, that's great, but if not, it doesn't matter either. All parties are open, so never worry about not being allowed into something or having a lacking social life because you don't join a fraternity or sorority.</p>

<p>Thanks CG08. I really want S to at least keep Centre on his list for now, and your comments will at least (hopefully) keep an open mind about the Centre Greek thing.</p>

<p>I applied through Early Action. My app was due by December 1st, I think, and I was notified by Christmas. I really liked the idea of early action because I knew early who had accepted me and who hadn't. I was able to spend more time deciding which school was truly right for me. I did go up to Centre my junior year over Martin Luther King Day and I interviewed with Ned Frazier. It was snowing and I also didn't get that initial "omg I love this campus" feel. After talking to Ned and going to a class and meeting some of the students, I really fell in love. I visited again in March for an athletic recruitment trip and REALLY fell in love. I loved the campus, the people, the professors, the classes, and everything else about the school. </p>

<p>In high school, my unweighted GPA was a 3.89, I believe, and I had a 27 ACT score. I had lots of different extracurricular activites including student council, president of prom committee, Beta Club, other various volunteer clubs, Girl Scouts, Hs Volleyball team, and a Junior Olympic Volleyball team. I was named a Centre Fellow, which guaruntees at least $6000 a year in scholarship. Regarding scholarships, even if you don't meet ALL of the requirements, go ahead and apply for it because you never know what'll you get. I didn't have the 28 ACT score that was required of Centre Fellows, but I got a pleasant surprise with my acceptance letter.</p>

<p>Granted there are a lot of students from Kentucky, but practically no one goes home on the weekends! I lived 3.5 hours from home and I only went home when the school kicked us out for holidays and breaks. I never had a problem finding people to hang out with on weekends. As far as Cowan (the cafeteria) is concerned, no, not as many people eat there on the weekends, but there are some good reasons. First off, I ate at Cowan a lot on weekends and so did my friends. Secondly, many people DO go out to other places or restraunts, but that's because they have the time to relax and leave campus and their meal plans probably don't cover every meal on a weekend. I have the average 13 meals a week meal plan. This only leaves 3 meals on the weekend. A lot of time we would go to dinner elsewhere on a Saturday to cover a meal lost on the weekend. The Warehouse is a popular place too to go eat on the weekends. Your student will receive 'flex' dollars with any meal plan which is simply money on a card that your student can go anywhere on campus and use to buy food. </p>

<p>Lexington is a place where we can go to get away from campus!! It's the closest place that is TRUE civilization apart from Danville. Even if you don't have a car, don't worry. I actually had quite a few friends that didn't have cars, including my roommate. If your student doesn't have a car, there's always someone going somewhere. We always took people places. If I was going to Walmart, I'd call people I knew didn't have a car and asked if they needed anything or would like to join me. We're all friendly on campus and your student will get a ride. They'll even get out to Lexington because I'm sure they'll go with friends at some point. </p>

<p>No money? No problem. You pay for a meal plan, use it! I was responsible for paying for everything I did during the school year, so you can be sure I pinched pennies. It takes a little self-control, but your student will soon learn the meaning of being that typical 'poor college student'.. we all do at some point I'm sure!</p>

<p>I haven't officially declared yet, but I'm going to major in Psychology and minor in Religion.</p>

<p>Why is Louisville like a second home?</p>

<p>A majority of my Centre friends come from Louisville and surrounding areas. I also have a boyfriend that lives there, but he goes to school in Indiana. Being that I'm from TN, I travel to Louisville a fair amount. Needless to say, I've gotten to know Lousiville very well! It's a great city with some really great people in it!! :D</p>

<p>Thanks for all the great info, Centregirl08. I look forward to D reading this page. </p>

<p>Doddsdad, not to worry ... if our kids did end up at the same school, I'm sure they would all get along famously. With fabulous parents such as ourselves, who wouldn't want to hang with them? ;)</p>

<p>I wanted to add a message to our Centre board so we wouldn't get the "No messages in 30 days." </p>

<p>I have a question for Centregirl too. I think your mom (maybe you) mentioned that Centre has tests in June for incoming students. I assume these tests are to help with scheduling and class placements. Are the tests mandatory and how does it work? Can you avoid some requirements if you do well enough on a test? Or do you end up in an upper level course?</p>

<p>Thanks for keeping our thread alive :)</p>

<p>I will let my daughter speak on the process from a student's point of view. I just know that from MY viewpoint it was a huge improvement over my college experience of standing in long lines and getting shut out of important classes.</p>

<p>The tests are mandatory but if you live so far away you cannot travel for an overnight visit they will schedule the tests for move-in day (or the day after). They do, however, determine which level courses you can (or cannot) take in math, humanities and language.</p>

<p>I'd like to add a question, too. I looked up the information regarding AP credit on the Centre site, but it wasn't specific. Did Centregirl08 have AP credits applied, and if so, would you please share which ones were accepted? The one thing I did notice while reading on the Centre site is that no college courses taken while in h.s. will apply toward college credits at Centre. D is taking three classes this summer, only two of which will result in actual college credit. It seems a bit odd that they can get credit for AP classes, but not college classes, doesn't it? Thanks! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer.</p>

<p>I'd love to know what anyone familiar with Centre would consider the political balance at Centre, both among students and professors: left, right, apolitical?</p>

<p>These tests in June are a way for Centre to assess the skills of the incoming freshmen in Math, Foreign Languages, and Writing. There are some things you can opt out of by dong well on these tests. Because of my Reading/English score on my ACT, CEntre determined I didn't need a special writing class so I was put in the basic Humanities course all freshmen are put in. I took a math test which was handwritten and not too long; I passed and was told that any math I take would be higher than the MAT140 ( i think?): Math and Our Society. I don't really recall how the math worked. I will be taking Stats this fall which is required for my major and it counts as a 'beyond proficiency' for math. </p>

<p>Within these 3 areas (math, language, and writing), you must complete a basic level course and then go 'beyond proficiency.' I opted out of the basic math class, but must take one more to complete my Gen Eds. For Spanish, I did NOT pass the test (oops :-/ ) so I took SPA110 and SPA120 to complete that requirement. As far as writing goes, at the end of your fall Humanities class, your freshman will choose something he/she has written over the course of the semester and their professor will submit it to the writing committee. They will decide if you meet standards and then will either say you can continue on with the regular second Humanities course or take the writing intensive course. There aren't too many students who don't pass, but it's just a way for Centre to know that you're prepared for all future writing assignments and have a fair chance at that elusive A.</p>

<p>This test day is a necessary evil: it had to be done, but no student wants to think about academics in the middle of summer! You'll meet lots of different students who are going through the same thing and you never know if you'll have met your future roommate!</p>

<p>I almost forgot to address going into an 'upper level course.' If you meet proficiency through tests or ACT/SAT scores, you will be placed in an upper level course. Lots of freshmen are. I have many friends who were in the Spanish course designed as an accelerated course. Also, my roommate was so advanced in French that she was immediately put into the FRE 260 class. Talk about upper level.. who wants to learn about the history of France and Joan d'Arc in French!? haha</p>

<p>I took 4 AP courses in HS, but I didn't get any credit for them. I made a 3 on all tests but one and let's just say math is NOT my thing. Centre doesn't usually accept anything below a 4 or 5. I was told that with a 3 there could be a possibility that they would not give you a credit but simply advance you to the next level of course. I did not pursue this possibilty because I figured that if I did not get a 4 or 5 on the AP test, then I should take Centre's basic course so I would be well-prepared for future courses in the same area. I believe that by taking the college's basic course will assure that you'll know everything you need to know as you move along, because you'd hate to get into a class and realize your HS teacher missed something really important things. </p>

<p>As far as taking college credits before you actually have a year of college under your belt, I completely agree with Centre's policy. I've never really thought about it before, but it seems to me that Centre would not want their brand new freshman to come in thinking they know what to expect in a college class. If they take basic level courses and and advance thinking that the classes they took in the summer are going to represent how things are going to be at Centre, then they could be due for a rude awakening. I'm not sure how this really differs from AP credit, but it does. All credits taken outside of Centre have to be pre-approved before Centre will accept the credit and that might have a lot to do with it. When deciding whether to accept outside credit, I know that Centre not only looks at the class, but the stature of the school, the student, their work ethic, and so on. Centre can't possibly know your student yet, so they would be very wary of accepting outside credit so soon.</p>