The Ups and the Downs

Introduction
If you want to study abroad, then you want to be at Centre. You will study abroad if it kills your academic advisor to get you there.

The thing you have to worry about the most at Centre isn't really the school, but Danville itself. The ONLY place people shop at Center C is Wal-mart. Wal-mart is on 127, which is kind of far away. If you don't have a car, you're at the mercy of your friends' willingness to give up their parking spots. The only thing (barely) in walking distance is CVS Pharmacy (and Speedway, but really... a gas station?). Be prepared to buy in bulk.

The other issue is getting out of Danville when you think the small town life is going to drive you mad. They'll tell you on the tours that "it's not hard to find a ride to Lexington, people go every weekend!" People go to Lexington every weekend. This is true. About 3 cars worth of people. Good luck finding a ride.

If these things aren't a big deal to you, then please, ignore them. However, coming from a big city, these things are what affect my experience here the most.

Campus Life and Social Life
If you like to party on the weekends, then this is the place to be. There are open parties every Friday and Saturday at Sigma Alpha Epsilon from 12-2, most Saturdays at Phi Kappa Tau and Sigma Chi from 11-2, and select Saturdays at Phi Delta Theta from 11-2. Because of Danville's original container laws, everything you drink comes out of a solo cup. Since nobody knows what's in your cup (and cannot reasonably ask), it's basically a free pass for drinking whatever you want. As long as you're not stupid about it, you can have fun the way you want to without getting in trouble. Academics
Despite its alive and well party scene, Centre also has rigorous academics. Be prepared to devote entire Sundays to your homework and studying (not every Sunday, but many). I would say that every academic department is equally strong. The professors in the Math Department are some of the funniest, most interesting, and most interested in YOU people ever. If you have to take a math, you won't have to dread it here. With very few exceptions, the professors as a whole are all great people. They really do invite you over for dinner, you really do have class at their houses on occasion, and you *will* have class outside at least once in EVERY class, possibly with sidewalk chalk.

Things to beware of:
The 3-2 engineering doesn't really work that well if you're looking to have a semi-normal college experience at Centre.
Centre Term sounds like a picnic. Choose your class wisely, or else it could be a picnic of doom (aka death to your GPA)
Convos sound easy to finish. They really do. And at the beginning of the year, you'll think "oh, look, I have five convos! I'm almost halfway done!" No. You're not done until you're done. And convos are on weeknights. Often very inconvenient weeknights. Be prepared to pay close attention.

Student Body
Centre is small. Gossip travels like wildfire. The drama feels very similar to middle school. People here will hold grudges until the day they die. Beware of this.

On the other hand, Centre is small. It's easy to meet people and run into them multiple times. You won't know everyone, but by the end of your freshman year, you'll always see someone you know. It's nice to never be completely alone.

In Closing...
Centre in the spring is absolutely beautiful. Bring a blanket back with you from Centre Term break, because you might find yourself doing your homework outside nearly every day starting as early as March =)