Centre College
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Economics & Finance
Minor: International Studies
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Heterosexual Female
Summary
I’m part of Best Buddies, the Law Society, Centre Ambassadors, the Economics Society, and I’m a student-athlete.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Public high school in Massachusetts with about 106 students in the graduating class. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Economics & Finance
Minor: International Studies
Extracurricular Activities: I’m part of Best Buddies, the Law Society, Centre Ambassadors, the Economics Society, and I’m a student-athlete.
Have any of your extracurricular activities had a particularly big impact on your experience?
Probably Centre Ambassadors and Best Buddies have had the biggest impact. They’ve been really cool experiences and have helped engage and shape the community into a place I want to be in.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
In my most recent class, I had to commit about three hours a day for just that one class. There’s a lot of work, and since we have such small class sizes you can’t really scrape by and hope the professor won’t notice. You have to come prepared and ready to work because you’ll probably get called on. Exams make up the bulk of the grade in my major. For my International Studies classes, it’s more papers.
Is there anything you feel that your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
The professors in Economics & Finance mentors students extremely well. I had a professor in my first year who took me under his wing and mentored me throughout my four years. He helped me schedule my classes and got me internships. We’re really big on personal connections, so they really get to know you as a person. Something they could work on would be providing more finance classes. Economics & Finance are one major at Centre, so you graduate with a finance degree after only taking two finance classes.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s definitely collaborative. We’re all competitive, but it’s really within ourselves. With other people, it’s incredibly supportive. Especially in the Economics & Finance department, it’s very group-based. During my first semester, my professor was adamant about finding a partner and putting a team together. He said that in graduate school he wasn’t the smartest in class and his partner wasn’t the smartest in the class, but since they bonded together during graduate school they just bounced ideas off each other and became much better at their subject.
How accessible are your professors?
I’d say extremely accessible. You’d have to be really hard-pressed not to reach your professors. They have scheduled office hours. However, every professor I’ve ever had says that if you can’t make it to their office hours but email them they’ll meet you another time. Most professors make it your homework in the first week of school to find their office and talk to them about something that isn’t their subject.
Do you feel that people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
Yes, this issue has been talked about a lot on campus. Making humanities less western-centric based and more open to other cultures and literature has recently been improved and implemented in the curriculum.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I’m very happy with my choice. I came into college knowing I wanted to be an Economics & Finance major. I took AP microeconomics in high school and it just clicked with me. I had a great teacher who mentored me, and my professor in Economics 110 my freshman year solidified it. I have never regretted it. I think it’s a very flexible and versatile major that I can apply to a lot of things.
Reasons to Attend
1) The administration and faculty are really invested in your education. The supportive network is incredible.
2) You’re able to do what you love while still prioritizing academics, such as being an athlete.
3) There’s always so much to do. You can move up in an organization to a leadership position fairly easily.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) If you want to go to a school in a big city, this isn’t the school for you.
2) If you don’t like a lot of work. There is a lot of tedious work that you have to do at Centre.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Yerkes Hall with one roommate
Sophomore: Cooper Hall with one roommate
Junior: Breckinridge Hall with one roommate
Senior: Brockman Commons in a single with three other suitemates
How was transitioning from Massachusetts to Danville, Kentucky?
Massachusetts is my fifteenth home, so I’ve moved around a lot. Most of those places have been coastal. It’s a very different experience because I’ve never lived in what I consider the south. I think it was a little different but I’ve fallen in love with my Kentucky farm. What I love about Centre is that it’s a small, private liberal arts school so I get the same train of thought that I grew up with. It’s also in a red state, and [a lot] of the students are from Kentucky so you also get a lot of challenging ideas that I wouldn’t have had if I went to school in California or Massachusetts. It’s a very tolerant atmosphere and it’s one where you can challenge your own beliefs. In my first couple of months at Centre, I really had to take a reflective look at myself and question why I believed the things I did. I have changed some of those things, but it was mostly the fact that I never had to ask myself why I believed in those things.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
We have three bars, so mostly everything happens on campus. What’s nice is we do have Greek life on campus, so it’s there for you if you want it. The fraternities are open to everyone on campus as long as you have your Centre ID. It’s a very inclusive atmosphere, and only registered parties are allowed. The department of public safety is located next to the fraternity houses and they go through the parties to make sure it’s safe. It’s a really cool atmosphere and, no matter who you are, the fraternities have to let you in. This is the first year the bars started having College Appreciation night, which is another aspect that I like participating in as a senior. On Wednesdays, we’ll go down there and have a drink then we’ll go back to our townhouse and have a get-together. In the first couple of years, you go to the fraternity houses, then as you get older you go to your own places and have little get-togethers.
How happy are you with the weekend activities or nightlife at your school? Is there anything you would change if you could?
You’re a quick drive to Lexington and Louisville and if you know people who live there you can sleep at their place. If anything, I’m appreciative there aren’t more options in Danville because I’ve saved a ton of money not going to the bars as much. It’s a great atmosphere having most things on campus and having various options. We also have CC After Dark which is when the Student Activities Council (SAC) brings in laser tag or puts on a movie on the lawn. It’s inclusive to all age groups and really bonds the community I feel like. Campus Safety doesn’t try to get students in trouble, it’s more so making sure we’re safe.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
I’m in a scholarship program and I ended up meeting some of my closest friends through that program. One of them is my roommate. The rest of my friends I met through my hall, which is how we bonded. My wider friend group came from joining a sorority and getting to know other women I wouldn’t have known otherwise. Then, being part of a sports team got me a lot of friends in a very supportive network.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Centre?
Some can look at it as being a little cliquey, which is a very interesting thing. There are the sports teams [that stick together], but when I go to the cafeteria I’m never looking for someone to sit with. I always just go and end up sitting with one of my friends on a sports team and they’re more than happy to welcome me there. If you go in with the right attitude, it’s not a problem. The social scene is very tolerant and open. I’d say the seniors have gotten even more that way, everybody hangs out with everybody.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I’d say they mix pretty well. We recently had a narrative talk about this, as well as a sit-in my sophomore year which touched on more administrative things because people of minorities felt like they were getting lost. Socially, I feel like they really integrate well from my perspective. There are outlets for them and socially are excepted into the community. [The undergraduate population is 72% White, 5% Black, 7% Hispanic, and 5% Asian.]
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
My best friend isn’t affiliated and she’s always welcome to the formals and such. We don’t have rules where if you’re unaffiliated you can’t come to the formals. For me, I haven’t made Greek life a big part of my life so I could easily be unaffiliated and be fine with my friends. Being in Greek life is what you make of it. For me, my only commitment is an hour of my Sunday.
How do you like the size of Centre? How has that impacted your experience? [Centre has about 1,500 undergraduates.]
We’re only an undergraduate school which I personally like. I was originally intending on going to a bigger university, but, in hindsight, I’m glad I went to a small school. I like Centre’s size. Recently, they’re expanding the school a little bit, but I always know somebody’s face walking around. It was a perfect size where I could meet new people but I wasn’t lost in the crowd. I like that we are all on one campus because it helps build the community. We cap classes at 30 students and I really liked that. [The average class size is 18 students.]
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
Yes, they have. Recently I met with a student that graduated two years ago and he hooked me up with internship and job interviews. He gave me advice on what to do. It’s a very supportive community that goes after graduation as well.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I’ve used them immensely. I went to them for my first year wanting an internship. I liked that the answer was never no. If I wanted it, they just told me what I had to do. They fixed my resume and edited my cover letter. I always schedule interviews with them and go to them for advice about internships to see if they have recent graduates in the field I could talk to. They also bring in people from different fields. They’ll give you a suit if you don’t have one, and they’ll take your LinkedIn profile picture if you don’t have one.
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
I’ve learned Python here. Within my major, I’ve learned Excel in my managerial finance class. Through econometrics, I know Stata. We’re very hands-on in technology.