If anyone is considering Centre, feel free to contact me. My daughter just finshed her first semester and is extremely happy. I’m more than willing to provide any information or answer any questions. While she went there to play a sport, she said she absoltutely remain at the school with or without a sport.
@Finalthree We are considering Centre. What would your daughter say surprised her the most when she got to school? Has there been anything that she has been disappointed in with the college? How supportive are the students at school athletic events?
She was most suprised by the diversity – both in socio-economic and racial. They have made a big push to increase diversity and it’s working. She also can’t believe how genuinely nice everyone is – she got that vibe on the visits and it’s continued. I asked her if there was enough to do on campus socially and she said absolutely – but she was also not a partier in high school. It is definately as academically challenging as its reputation, but if you work hard and talk to the professors who are always accessible you can maintain a high GPA. She is also a student athlete, and she felt very supported. While smaller venues, students show up for games (along with just a ton of parents) and she, in turn, watched a lot of sports. The school president and his wife showed up at every home game we went to as well. She doesn’t miss the big school sports she said it’s more fun to cheer for someone you actually know. I am suprised she loves it as much as she does (it really was a dark horse when she was considering schools) but she hasn’t had a bad thing to say. She hasn’t even said anything negative about the dorms, and she is in the smallest / oldest one. Actually the one negative thing she said is that its cold without the snow – but thats about it! Its a very supportive environment.
Great feedback. Centre is on our a Ds list of schools. Patiently waiting for EA decision in January.
Good luck @memmom2018! I was suprised as anyone my DD chose Centre, but it was the right choice for her. She loved it from the minute she stepped on campus, and then spent several nights between her junior and senior year. And this was after she said early on in the college process she would never consider anything down south.
We are waiting on my DDs admission decision - she applied EA. I am excited about visiting/considering Centre, but I am not sure how high up on the list it is for her! Her first choices are Bowdoin (where her brother went) and Smith (which she loved.) I love the price tag at Centre - especially since it seems to offer a lot of the same things as the more well-known LACs for $20K less! If she gets in and she gets aid, we will make the trip out there. Fingers crossed! Diversity is a significant concern of hers too - and the fact that there is Greek life. She is NOT interested in anything to do with sororities.
i had hoped EA decisions would have been announced by now since we are past ‘mid-January’.
@Jlong1220 - my daughter was down to Bowdoin, Oberlin and Centre. They all have such different “feels” and culture. She did not feel “at home” at Bowdoin despite having a positive pre-read (recruited athlete). Centre is very, very community based. IMO either you love it or hate it, she loves it, and is thriving beyond all expectations. As I said above, it was a total dark horse. We are from the north, and when she began her college search she said “anywhere but the south.”
Our oldest daughter chose Centre [and one of its remarkable full-ride scholarships] over Bowdoin and Williams. She graduated in 2016—landed a job the day before she graduated—and is off to a superb law school this fall. She received a beautiful education at Centre. Basically laughed her way through Centre. Not because it was easy. Because it wasn’t. She simply loved being on campus—when she wasn’t traveling the world [a full semester in Europe, trips to Turkey and to Israel and Jordan, a summer working in Chicago, two summers in Africa]. All liberal arts colleges tend to struggle with diversity. It’s the nature of the beast. Centre is making a real effort. The Posse Scholars program sends ten students a year [usually minority and/or low-income] to Centre from Boston. The Grissom Scholars program offers ten full-rides a year to first-generation college students. Our youngest daughter, currently a senior, chose Centre over Lafayette because she saw that her older sister was happy and thriving in Danville. This younger child is a social animal and a brilliant student. She’s loved Centre. Centre’s a superb college, fights way above its weight. It’s exceeded our high expectations.