Trinity College Top Questions

What are the academics like at Trinity College?

Sarah

Most all professors I have class with know my name and most all of my classes are relatively small for a college. Class participation is frequent and encouraged in every class I have taken except for a few intro level courses such as Psych 101. Students spend a decent amount of time studying during the week. I personally spend at least a few hours a day doing work sunday through thursday. Trinity's academic requirements are good because they do not require you to take too many courses. There are 5 basic courses required covering different departments but other than that students are able to take a wide variety of courses in order to decide upon a major. The education at trinity is geared toward learning and not just getting a job.

Jesse

im a bio chem major and the professors are very helpful. all of my professors know my name and meet with me regularly.

Rachel

Since the student population is small, so are the class sizes. Most classes are lecture based, but there are some small seminar classes that are more discussion based. I love the class sizes and the material taught, but sometimes class discussions can be dull and non-engaging. There hasn't been much debate in my art history classes, because most are lectures. I do feel the academic atmosphere is less intense than my high school, and more concentrated on learning instead of gearing towards a job, which I prefer.

Ashley

the class sizes are small, but that being said i got very lucky with an advisor who i'm very close with. i know this is not always the case with students, and i would like to see that develop more.

Katie

I think that the academics at Trinity are fair, and the teachers are good, and helpful. The professors know your name except in some intro level classes where there are a lot of students. Teachers usually know when you aren't in class, and so if attendance isn't required teachers know and will take that into account when grading. Yes, students are really competitive academically and elsewhere. Trinity students have a drive to achieve and therefore have a natural desire to win.

Lorie

I particularly enjoy the class dynamic at Trinity. There is a wide change of classes offered in terms of subject and size. Most of the introduction classes tend to be much larger but there are tons of smaller seminars and higher level classes to choose from. I am always amazed at how the professors take special interest in getting to know their students. In addition, the professors really pour their identities into their work and always seems to take pleasure in giving you additional help or offering just a great conversation.

Margot

There is a pretty wide range of students academically at Trinity, there are many for whom this was a first choice for athletics or may have been a reach academically but there are also a lot of student here for whom this was a safety for school perhaps one tier higher and they definitely bring the academic atmosphere up. Through their presidential scholar program, which offers full academic scholarships to student on a non need basis, Trinity has been working to attract some really dedicated students. The school also offers four sort of focus programs. The Guided Studies program, of which I was a part of, is an interdisciplinary study of the development of Western Civilization and an absolutely incredible program for students who want to learn about philosophy, classics, european history, literature and religion. While the work load is significant the classes are well worth it! Professor are incredible, and owing to the size are able to give you very specified attention. They will go out of their way to help you accomplish what you want, sometimes you just have to remember to ask.

Emily

The professors are awesome and almost always know their students by name. Students study quite a bit and have the perfect work har play hard balance.

Katherine

Unless your class is small, which most are, the professor won't know your name unless you introduce yourself. Class participation is a stretch, most classes aren't seminars, but lectures, so if you're not a big talker in class, you don't have to talk in most classes at Trinity, and can still do very well in the class. However, this seems to be a problem since no one likes participating, and can really frustrate the teachers. One of the best academic curriculum advantages is the fact that we do not have a core curriculum, and can therefore take whatever interests us, besides classes required for your major/minor. I recently took elements of movement, which was a dance class focused on the way our bodies move in combination with others- and I had never really payed attention to that before. There are many specifically focused classes geared towards opening students up to new realms.

Trinity

There are so many things I love about Trinity, but I would have to say its greatest strength and what makes it stand out from other small liberal arts colleges is the academic aspect. The academic programs and faculty support on this campus have continually blown me away. Starting with the First Year Seminar, I found myself immersed in a community of support. My first year advisor was always available to discuss any problems I may have had upon arrival, whether they be academic or social adjustment issues that any first year student faces, and he went out of his way to make his students feel comfortable and surrounded by support. Even though Trinity professors are required to have a certain number of office hours, I have never encountered a professor who is unwilling to meet me any hour of the day, and I have always been impressed with how quickly a professor will respond to an email and help me resolve a problem. Many of my professors and I have stayed in contact after their courses have finished, truly going above and beyond their typical role as professor and making this an intellectually stimulating environment. The academic programs we have available are also truly unique to Trinity. We have many options available to the student body to satisfy everyone’s academic needs, including Gateway Programs and Study Abroad options. Small class sizes also add to the academic atmosphere at Trinity, making courses more personalized and easier to participate. Finally, the student body is intellectual and excited about all the opportunities available for learning, and this is the greatest strength that Trinity could have.

Kelly

Because Trinity is a small school with small class sizes, all of my professors know my name and continue to greet me cheerfully semester after semester. My adviser in particular is amazing - she really champions me and believes in me, and I know she'd write (yet another) recommendation for me for an internship or job at the drop of a hat. Since each class gives students the opportunity to bond with the professor, this seems like a pretty typical student-adviser relationship. When I studied abroad in my junior year, I kept in touch with multiple professors throughout the semester, sharing stories about my experiences and making plans for my senior year. The best class I've taken is "The Art of the Essay," which introduced me to Creative Nonfiction. I didn't even know it was a genre before taking the class, and now I'm writing a Creative Nonfiction thesis. It's been a really nice compliment to my English major.

Jake

All of my professors know me and I have been able to build friendships with many of them. I have hung out with professors at sporting events, run across faculty at the gym, and went canoeing with my freshman seminar course and advisor. Outside of class I find myself in intellectual discussions all the time. We often open our door during the Presidential Primary results and debates and people that live in our building come down to watch it and discuss things with us. Often I find some of our most interesting intellectual discussion occurs after our regular viewing of the Colbert Report and the Daily Show.

Cindy

very competitive i feel like a lot of the kids on sports teams make it a mission to find the easiest classes with guranteeed good grades and limited work so that they dont have to try hard and will still get a good grade.

Mark

Yes professors know your name. LOVE my Squash I class. Least favorite might be my American Catholics class. Student study often for the most part. Our motto is 'work hard, play hard'. Most kids attend most or all of their classes. Yes, student often have intellectual conversations outside of class. Students are very competitive with GPAs and class participation. The most unique class I've taken is Arhaeological Chemistry. Professors hold office hours where you can come and talk about anything. The academic requirements are minimal and easy to accomplish. Geared towards getting a job overall.

elizabeth

Amazing academics-professors are so available, and extremelly high in their fields. They expect the best, but really help you to achieve it. TAs never teach, but act as a useful resource and tool.

Gene

Academics at Trinity is almost always amazing. The Professors not only know your name but tend to know what you do on campus and where you're from. I've even become friends with professors before I had a class with them. However, it isn't always perfect. I've had some terrible professors here, who tend to be new, or some that just are so in love with themselves they forgot how to teach. For the most part I don't find this to be common. I love Trinity the most because it surrounds me with a lot of really smart people. Just the other night I debated Shakespeare at a bar with a good friend of mine. Conversations can happen all the time and always happen in classrooms. The good prof.'s force you to challenge the way you think and make you a much more intellectual person. Most of the education is teaching you how to learn, but there is always a conscious effort to discuss why this is important for a job in the future.

Jordan

My professors know my name, have heard about me from other professors, and usually become my friend. My favorite class ever was Literary Transitions in the Eighteenth Century and it was awesome. People really love learning. The academic requirements can be a drag for humanities majors (not so much Science requirements, but certainly Math).

Carver

All my professors know my name, first and last. Our new library is a fantastic place to study and students take advantage of it. However, there are certainly students who cruise through here without doing much work or challenging themselves; in the end it's their loss. The education hear is more geared to learning for learning's sake. Although there are plenty of classes that fit directly into career opportunities. Also, tons of students do internships in a wide variety of fields that allow them to get solid work experience and academic credit.

Lee

EVERY professor knows all of his or her students by name. it is unbelievable how much individual attention they give you. they want you to succeed, which makes learning more enjoyable. students work very hard here... the library is always packed. class participation is the basis of most classes here.

anne

Most all my professor know my name. My favorite class was environmental philosohpy, which looked at humans views and relations toward animals and the enivroment through the teaching of certain philsophers. My least favourite class was economics, where I felt the professor did not care about what he was teaching, did not know the students names, and the TA kept cancelling my review sessions. Students study very frequently; the workload at Trinity is a lot. Class participation is extremely common and debates and conversations are usually very interesting and passionate. I know that my group of friends have many 'intellectual' conersations outside of class, however I'm not sure if I feel the majority of Trinity college does. Students do not seemt that competitive. The most unique class I've taken is a class called 'Interpretating the American Dream' which focused on different views on the American Dream. the philosophy department is very small, but there are lots of different classes to choose from, and the added bonus of the ability to develop a closer relationship with your professors than might otherwise be availible. I frequent professor's office hours quite often to discuss work and general non class related subjects. The only academic requirement that I have had trouble with is the science one, but I feel that students will not be overwhelmed nor limited by requirements. I feel education is geared toward learning for its own sake.