First-year student profile: Carley Smith

RELEASED: September 13, 2007

DANVILLE, KY—What kind of person chooses Centre? For the past few years, the College has profiled everyone from professors to seniors, and now it's time to focus on those who have been on campus for only about a month. Check the website often as new first-year students share their exciting thoughts about being at Centre.

Name: Carley Amanda Smith

Intended Major(s): double major in English and education

Intended Study Abroad: Centre-in-London

Extracurricular activities: I participate in the annual Phonathon, and I also have a work-study job on campus. Outside of Centre, I'm a winter/color guard choreographer and instructor for Nelson County High School in Kentucky and Southwestern High School in Indiana.

Classes: British Literature I, Differential Calculus, Spanish Fundamentals Review, Health and Human Performance and Introduction to Humanities

Retrospective thoughts on high school: High school was easy, but I wouldn't go back for anything. In college, it's your responsibility to get your work finished, and that's one of the things I love about it, oddly enough. Now I have to develop study skills, spend several hours on my homework and concentrate during class.

Advice to high school seniors: Challenge yourselves and learn as much as you can, especially as far as analytical writing goes. Take courses you're interested in, and take them seriously. Don't procrastinate, start developing study skills and resist the temptation to cram instead of actually learning the material. Last, but not least, take as many AP courses as you can.

Why did you choose Centre: The teachers are personable, the class sizes are small, the courses are demanding and the campus is beautiful. I've lived in this area for most of my life, so I’ve always known about Centre. The summer before my senior year I came to the Governor's Scholars Program on the campus, and that was when I decided that I wanted to come to Centre. It was the perfect distance from my house—close, but not too close, and the scholarship/financial aid package was very generous.

What are you most looking forward to over the next four years: Meeting more people, getting more involved on campus and trying to keep up my GPA.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

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