Centre College

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Minor: Creative Writing
Student Self Identifies as: South Asian/Indian Heterosexual Female

Summary

I’m a part of CentreFaith, I work in the Residence Life office, I’m involved with Centre Ambassadors, and I’m a senior interviewer.

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: South Asian/Indian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

High School Experience: Private high school in Hopkinsville, KY with about 32 students in the graduating class. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Minor: Creative Writing

Extracurricular Activities: I’m a part of CentreFaith, I work in the Residence Life office, I’m involved with Centre Ambassadors, and I’m a senior interviewer.
Have any of your extracurricular activities had a particularly big impact on your experience?
Working with residence life and getting that perspective has been interesting to have in terms of interpersonal relationships and leadership.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
For the upper-level classes, it’s a lot of exams and self-study. We take notes and, for the most part, it’s up to us to make sure we know them before the exam. We’re given a lot of study material, but we’re not necessarily given grades for them. We usually have paper or a presentation that goes along with the class, but the main grades come from the exams we take. For the lower-level classes and general science classes, there are a lot more homework grades in addition to your exam grades.
Is there anything you feel that your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
For me, the department has done a really good job with student support. If I am having a rough time, I can walk into the office and have a question explained to me. The one on one time I have with the professors are really valuable. Not just in the major itself, but also what I want to do in the future. I know that’s a huge strength of my department. It’s very supportive of each other, especially in my cohort. Something that’s done poorly is possible the course load and the amount of work you have to do to stay on top of things.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s extremely collaborative. As a class, we have a lab final for one of our classes. As a collective, the class put together a group study guide to make sure everyone had all the information they needed.
How accessible are your professors?
I’ve never had a problem reaching a professor. A lot of times if you can’t make their office hours you’ll be able to email them and make an appointment. If they’re in their office they’re open to seeing any students.
What has been your favorite part of Centre so far academically?
It’s definitely been the information that I’m learning. The coursework is difficult but learning it is so much fun. I’ve never been bored in class. I’ve been frustrated, upset, and stressed, but I’ve never been bored or not wanted to learn something.
Do you feel that people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
Beyond that. Not just even open but integrated with multiple schools of thought. I’m a Creative Writing minor but a Biochemistry major, so that leads a lot into my poetry and my writing. The professors admire that and always commented that integrating the two is one of my strengths. It makes for a more elastic learner and it helps you integrate different styles of learning into different classes.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I’ve always liked science, but I knew I didn’t want to do just chemistry or biology because chemistry is a lot of theoretical and not necessary nature-based but biology is so broad. Combining the two of them really attracted me. Since starting this path my freshman year, I’ve never regretted my choice.

Reasons to Attend

1) The support network you’ll gain. Not just in terms of alumni support, but interpersonal support. You’ll find a group of friends and faculty that will always support where you are. The faculty will benefit you mentally, emotionally, and academically.
2) The class sizes and professor relationships are super important. [The average class size is 18.]
3) The ability to get involved is so easy. Students are overinvolved at Centre. You can start a new club whenever you want.
4) The education you get from Centre is invaluable and will serve you so well.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) If you’re planning on stopping at a bachelor’s degree, it might not be the place for you. Because it’s a liberal arts degree, you sometimes need a secondary degree to refine your skillsets in a certain field.
2) If you’re not willing to grow and change your work ethic to be challenged, it’s not the place for you.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Cheek Hall with one roommate
Sophomore: RA in Nevin Hall in a single
Junior: RA in Caldwell Hall in a single
Senior: RA in Evans Hall in a single
How was transitioning from living in Hopkinsville to Danville, Kentucky?
It’s pretty similar to Danville in terms of population and general size, so the transition wasn’t too bad. For me, it was like going to the same town just in a different part of the state.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I feel pretty safe most of the time. I can’t recall an instance where I felt unsafe.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
A lot of times we’ll do board games together or we’ll do group video games. If we want to get out and go off-campus to do something there’s a bar downtown. Lexington and Louisville are so close we’ve made day or evening trips. Over finals, a tradition my friends and I have is to go to Lexington and get cookies at midnight from Insomnia Cookies as a study break.
What have been some of your favorite times at Centre?
In the towns nearby around Halloween, there are always haunted houses and corn mazes. Also, the Student Activities Council (SAC) does a great job of putting on events for us. One that happens every month is called Campus Center After Dark and all these themes go on. One theme was a Florida retirement community, and there were a picture booth and Hawaiian freebies. They also put on a lot of movies so you get to go to the local cinema and see a movie for free.
How happy are you with the weekend activities or nightlife at your school? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m fairly content with the weekend options. If I had to change one thing, it would be the hours the fraternity parties on campus run. I’d request a shift to a little earlier in the evening.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
Before your first year at Centre, there’s a program called the Centre Compass Program. It’s a week-long camp that I made friends in. Once you get Centre you have orientation groups and leaders that I made friends in. I also made friends through classes and clubs.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Centre?
It’s very close-knit. Everyone knows of a lot of people, even if they don’t know them directly. There aren’t a lot of separated groups.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
Racially, I know that a lot of people of color intermingle with the White population. You naturally will have the groups that stick together because of the commonality within a certain race, but most of my friends are [international]. I know some on campus keep to themselves, but that’s more a personality preference or a social background rather than a racial topic. [The undergraduate population is 72% White, 5% Black, 7% Hispanic, and 5% Asian.]
How would you describe the South Asian community on campus? How strong is it?
It’s getting stronger every year. My first year I knew every South Asian on campus, but now I look around and have no idea who half of them are. It’s awesome that it’s getting bigger. A lot of South Asians have recently established a South Asian student organization so the camaraderie is getting stronger.
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
All the time. I can barely tell the difference between who’s in Greek life and who’s not because everyone intermingles so well.
How do you like the size of Centre? How has that impacted your experience? [Centre has about 1,500 undergraduates.]
I think it’s perfect for me because it allows for more personal connections with other students, peers, and faculty. I’m an extroverted person, but I’m not necessarily the most outgoing when it comes to making friends so it’s helped me a lot by giving me a good group of friends I can rely on.
Do people generally seem happy with Centre by senior year? Do people leave loving Centre?
I think so. I think a lot of people are tired by their senior year because of how rigorous Centre is, but I think most people leave understanding the value of the education they were given. Coming out there is a really strong support network because people are happy with it.

Careers

What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I’ve used the career office to help with resume building and for interview skills. They’ve gotten stronger every single year. They make sure to advertise their services and offer different opportunities for internships, how to get involved, and understanding career options.
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
Because of my major I’ve become well acquainted with Excel.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, accommodating was the office to your needs?
For me, they’ve been pretty responsive and pretty easy to work with. [90% of students receive some kind of aid.]