RELEASED: October 1, 2009

By Leigh Ivey

DANVILLE, KY—The best way to discover Centre College is to visit its campus, and prospective students will have several opportunities to do so this October.

The first open house event will be held on Friday, Oct. 9, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

This event, as well as open houses held later in October, enables prospective students to not only tour the campus and learn about the many exciting additions and improvements underway but also to speak with faculty and current students about the Centre experience.

"There’s no substitute for actually visiting a college," admission counselor Dawn Brown-Piatt says. "Open houses are a great and easy way to get a taste of what life as a student is like."

Open house events are different than standard campus visits, which are tailored to a prospective student's interests.

During standard visits, prospective students can tour the campus, eat lunch with a student host, sit in on classes, meet with faculty and talk with a member of the admission staff. They may also choose to spend the night in a residence hall.

Although a more regulated schedule is used for open houses, these events give prospective students the opportunity to hear from a wide variety of current students and to meet with faculty from a variety of disciplines.

"Participating in the open house events can be a worthwhile experience in a student’s college search," says admission counselor Ali Hamilton. "They provide a great introduction to the College in a short amount of time. It's also reassuring for students to see other prospective students who are in the same stage of the college search."

Though a few of the admission counselors will be traveling during the open house events, most will be on campus to answer any questions that prospective students may have.  

Below is the schedule for the Oct. 9 open house:

12-1 p.m.: Optional Lunch in Chowan

1-1:40 p.m.: Centre Information Fair
Join members of the faculty and staff for casual conversation about academic and social opportunities available at Centre.

1:50-3 p.m.: Welcoming Comments & Panel Discussion
Centre faculty and students will share insight about the Centre Experience during a panel discussion. Join us for refreshments on the front patio of Crounse Academic Center after the panel.

3-4 p.m.: Guided Campus Tour
Current Centre students will lead tours around campus. Tours will depart from the Crounse Academic Center on a periodic basis.

For those who are unable to attend the first open house of the term, several other open house events will be held this fall:

Monday, Oct. 12, from 1 to 4 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 25, from 1 to 4 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

To learn more about Centre College and to register for an open house event, contact the admission office at (800) 423-6236 or admission@centre.edu. You can also check out the Centre Admission page on Facebook.

For directions to Centre's campus in Danville, Ky., click here.

Have comments, suggestions, or story ideas? E-mail leigh.ivey@centre.edu with your feedback.

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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/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.