Trinity College Top Questions

The more I think about my time there the more I realized how much I compartmentalized. I guess I assimilated as best as I could so it was just okay. Now that I realize there was isolation and agony which lead to me forming my views and wanting this career path I am on--it frustrates me and it frustrates me there has been no change. Academic wise it is largely wonderful but quality of life is such a huge part of going to college. Why on earth have the faculty or administration not tried harder to push and push for inclusivity? It should be normalized not seen as something new. There is little to no exposure of what is acceptable when you are confronted with people who aren't really wealthy, didn't go to your boarding school, aren't white (and no your 1 or .5 black/person of color friends don't count.) It's disappointing. That's my opinion.

As I enter my final year at Trinity, a reflection on my past three years is well described by the feeling of fullness. Beginning with my first year seminar, Trinity has maintained a fruitful degree of academic rigor that, while accompanied by individual attention (student faculty ratio 9:1), challenges every student become their exceptional self. This pursuit does not end in the classroom; by the end of my first month, I was working in the on-campus coffeehouse, acting in the fall production, tutoring elementary students, and attending scholarship meetings. At a large university, this tight-schedule might be daunting--impossible, even. At Trinity, personal relationships with faculty and students is indispensable. Whether you need help scheduling, finding extracurriculars, or applying for research/ internship opportunities, Trinity's faculty is there for every student--available before, during, and after office hours. Currently, fresh off the flight from studying abroad, I am living on campus working for Trinity's Admissions Office. I will be completing my final year, writing two thesis & taking in as much as I can in my final lap around. If you think a small, liberal arts school is a fit, absolutely come visit Hartford & take a tour of the college. It was one of the most rewarding choices of my young life.

My time as a Trinity student has been monumental by its academic rigor, individual attention, and specialized programs. Entering the college, I was thrown into a whirlwind of experiences & challenges in and out of the classroom. By the end of my first month, I was working in the on-campus coffeehouse, acting in the fall production, taking advantage of the lively social scene, while balancing the freshman curriculum. At a large university, the bite I took would have been daunting, but the personal relationships I made with those first year professors was indispensable: two of which are my thesis advisors as a senior. Whether you need help catching up or looking to taking advantage of research or internship opportunities, Trinity's faculty is there for every student--available before, during, and after office hours. My Junior year was spent abroad: fall in NYC for a theatre-intensive program & French Immersion in the spring at the Trinity-in-Paris site. The first semester I spent attending over 40 on/off-Broadway performances, studying theatre & dance by professional performers, interning at competitive locations, and gaining my first professional acting credit. Truly an unforgettable experience that had me begging to stay in New York & start auditioning. However, I had a trans-atlantic ticket scheduled for January. In the spring I moved into my (single) apartment in the historic St. Germain neighborhood of Paris, France. Both Parisian & visiting Trinity professors lectured classes in every aspect of French culture. I enrolled in a French Lit course that had class taken at the cafes and jardins that the authors wrote their novels in; my drawing class was held at a different museum every week. To understand anything about a culture different than your own, one must immerse themselves in it: which is what the Trinity-in-Paris program did best. Be it exploring the castles of the French countryside or running around the city interacting with locals, it was impossible not to feel lucky to be exploring a world unknown, especially one as rich as Paris. I highly advise taking advantage of the study abroad programs--which can be nearly anywhere you're interested in. Currently, fresh off the flight from Europe, I am living on campus working for Trinity's Admissions Office. I will be completing my final year, writing two thesis & taking in as much as I can in my final lap around. If you think a small, liberal arts school is a fit, absolutely come visit Hartford & take a tour of the college. It was one of the most rewarding choices of my young life.

My time as a Trinity student has been monumental by its academic rigor, individual attention, and specialized programs. Entering the college, I was thrown into a whirlwind of experiences & challenges in and out of the classroom. By the end of my first month, I was working in the on-campus coffeehouse, acting in the fall production, taking advantage of the lively social scene, while balancing the freshman curriculum. At a large university, the bite I took would have been daunting, but the personal relationships I made with those first year professors was indispensable: two of which are my thesis advisors as a senior. Whether you need help catching up or looking to taking advantage of research or internship opportunities, Trinity's faculty is there for every student--available before, during, and after office hours. My Junior year was spent abroad: fall in NYC for a theatre-intensive program & French Immersion in the spring at the Trinity-in-Paris site. The first semester I spent attending over 40 on/off-Broadway performances, studying theatre & dance by professional

The best thing about Trinity is the classes, teachers, and the relaxed stance on drinking and drugs :). The parties are always raging. I would change the student body. (Diversify the painfully homogenous population) I really do like the size of the school. It's big enough you can run into different kids every weekend, but at the same time also run into kids from your Economic class, and have a drunken. "heeyyy, what's up! econ class remember!!! yeah Mr. smiths a total douche muncher!!!" They can be fun moments, because every kid here is getting just as messed up as you are every night, it doesn't matter who they are. People often don't know of Trinity College where I am from down in the south. To others who are more informed/educated, I think Trinity is viewed as a strong academic school, for the children of the rich. The jist: If you have decent grades, and your parents have the money, you don't have to be like the rest of our countries children and go to a State or Community college. You can just pay tuition and send you kid to a top college! I spend most my time in my dorm room or the library. My life is sinking into depression right now. I'm from Florida, the lack of ambient lighting and a climate suitable for outdoor activities is a definite negative. The doors in the rooms automatically lock, which is not conducive to socializing. Sometimes they're will be a kid in every room of your floor but due to the auto-locking doors and lack of common areas, one can feel isolated and might find it hard to meet others. (resulting in depressed studying and loneliness). Trinity is under no circumstances a college town. Wondering off of Campus will almost always result in a mugging, not that there is anywhere to go (with the exception of 1 gas station, and 3 liquor stores.) Because of the surrounding ghetto around Trinity, you may feel as though you are on an island, only the TrinIsland has no sun, no water, no sand. It is a land locked safe-zone in the middle of mayhem and possibly one of the worst ghettos in the nation. I went through a phase of reading the Hartford Current everyday seeing what crimes went down the night before, and then punching in the addresses of the altercations. Each time I am more amazed than the last, each crime took place closer to Trinity than the last. At a certain point, the fact that a dead body wound up in front of the liquor store you hiked 10 minutes into the ghetto to pick up booze from (so they don't ID you) the day before becomes banal. The administration of Trinity is highly regarded. President Jones is a nice enough guy, he has the ability to relate to everyone from everywhere which is great. But a politician type, you never really know with that kind of person. (Being new, I'm not sure if that's because that's what were supposed to think, being brainwashed members of the student body, or if they actually are doing a good job.) In my opinion, the admissions department is doing a terrible job. I don't see positive change in our student body if we continue to accept (Northeastern) Prep Schoolers mindlessly. We need some substance in this place! The biggest controversy on campus, that's a hard question. There is not much controversy here at Trinity. Opposition is crushed as in a dictatorship. The fraternities ensure that everyone strives to be as white and elite as possible. There is no time for individuality or protest. The structure of every aspect of Trinity (calendar, events, everything) is geared to be a rich spoiled kids dream school. (Long breaks for European excursions in the winter, and lame, poorly-organized parties in the student center for those who can't make it in the Frat scene.) Even when you get in trouble for drinking underage or something, you're not actually reprimanded. You have to pay a fine, like the f@&#ing NFL. Trinity is similar to the NFL, in that there is so much money that a student, similar to an NFL player can get out of any trouble by throwing some of his/her excess money at the problem. (They may try to have you do some community service as punishment instead, but if you feel that you (commonly: a jobless, sport-less, COLLEGE kid (the epitome of someone with time) don't have time to do the community service, they are very understanding and will just fine you instead.) I would say there is little to no school pride. There are the kids who pride themselves in being part of a community that is as white and littered in ridiculous Patagonia fleeces and Polo shirts as they. There are also those who are part of the squash team, and have a sense of pride in being part of the team with the longest win streak in any sport at any level, and rightfully so. But none of this transfers to school spirit, or Bantam pride. There is no one wearing Blue and Gold. No one will paint their faces. Sleep is priority over supporting the Football team or even the great Squash team. What is unusual about Trinity is the extreme homogeneousness. I have never been in a place where something as subjective as "cool" is so unanimous. The thing that is the most unusual about Trinity is the blandness, even amongst students from very different places and cultures. They all secede to the powerhouse that is Trinity popular culture. First year students may come in hearing Trinity is preppy. They'll accept that, and won't expect to change themselves. Three months later, the (commonly wealthy) individual will already have purchased an awful olive-colored barnyard jacket and several pairs of Sperrys. This ultimately continues to keep it's ugly student body, ugly. (But well dressed.) I have had a lot of fun at Trinity. I will always remember the parties and the beautiful people. I will remember my self-developent and character-development as I become an adult. I will never forget interacting with these rich kids, who act like brats and try to steer my children away from how they act. Students complain about: -Absurd amounts of snow -Cold -Dorm locations (if your not part of the concrete jungle as a Freshmen, you're really an outsider from the beginning) -Boring repetition in activities from day to day -Not being able to get off campus/isolation -Having to eat at the same two places every day.

On the surface, Trinity is an idyllic small New England college, and this is precisely how it promotes itself. However, a closer examination of the college reveals that its small size is stifling, its aesthetically beautiful campus is severely incongruous with the surrounding area, and its impressive academic potential is virtually wasted on a student body that is at once apathetic and incompetent. The only redeeming quality of Trinity is its faculty. The professors are highly intelligent and accomplished, and more than willing to award individual attention to their students.

Trinity is located in a capital city, yet the campus has a rural feel. It is so unique in that you have an absolutely beautiful enclosed campus as well as access to a wealth of different internship, cultural, and community service opportunities right beyond the campus borders. There are incredible relationships between faculty and students, a great amount of say that students are given in the administrative aspects of the college, and a strong sense of community and involvement on campus. The small size of the school enhances the academic experience as well as the strong social connections. Trinity students have great quality of life. Students typically love the school because of the great sense of community cultivated on campus. Most students live on campus or in very close proximity to the campus, which enhances that community-feel. The on-campus housing is excellent and continues to improve. Summer 2008 renovations on the largest, oldest residence hall have been completed, providing 6-to-9-person suite housing options. First year housing is based on the first year seminar, but after that, housing is based on a lottery system. So if, for instance, one year a student’s dorm is not centrally located, the following year he or she will have a lower lottery number when choosing housing. The administration at Trinity makes it a point to listen to students’ views. Often students are members of boards that make major decisions about the college. Our campus movie theater and many of the student houses and spaces on campus are all students-run. As far as the facilities, the library underwent a 35-million dollar renovation in the past five years. There are committees of faculty and students continually assessing the maintenance of classroom and lab spaces. The main buffet-style dining hall, Mather, was refurbished this year and is now top-of-the-line. There are also two other dining options on campus: the Cave, which offers sandwiches, pizza, and food on the go, and the Bistro, which has a grill, sandwiches, smoothies/ shakes, salad bar, sushi twice a week, and culinary nights. Compared to most cities, Hartford does not have a very high cost of living. Trinity is located in a low-income area within Hartford. A lot of community service efforts are made right in the outskirts of the campus, which has resulted in a great deal of positive change in the surrounding area. Community service is a huge commitment of Trinity students, making it the largest student organization on campus. There is a strong relationship between Trinity students and the Hartford youth. Trinity students tutor or mentor Hartford students at the local Learning Corridor and Boys and Girls club right on the campus edge. The Trinity Campus Safety do their best to be proactive about crime. They have a strong presence on campus- always on the main walkways after dusk with lights flashing. Trinity is also on the Blue Light system. As on any college campus, students are urged to use their common sense when walking around after dark. There are campus shuttles circling the campus after dusk and Campus Safety offers escorts to take students anywhere on campus if they ever feel unsafe. Trinity alumni are very talented and successful. In addition, they are usually happy to help other students find careers and become successful themselves. Trinity’s Career Services is very active in organizing alumni and student gatherings as well as forming websites that connect students to alumni in their field. In addition, Career Services often holds recruiting events, mock interviews, workshops, and career seminars. Many seniors are working with Peace Corps or Teach for America. Others go straight into graduate school, particularly in the sciences. Others still find careers in finance, marketing, arts, etc. Most importantly, the preparation that any Trinity student receives throughout the four years makes that student a competitive candidate for any position. They are typically confident interviewees, strong analytical thinkers, and diligent workers.

The best things about Trinity are that you have a good deal of control over your academic path. Lately, there have been the introductions of new spaces for various groups to pursue their interests. Most people here are very intelligent and interesting- there is more diversity in more areas than people think there is. Also, the campus is beautiful and it is possible to feel apart of a community there. The worst thing about Trinity is the student's apathetic attitudes. When problems or issues arise and need to be addressed, people seem more concerned with defending themselves and being aggressive towards other groups than actually taking a good look at themselves and seeing what they can change and if some of the fault truly lies with them. People tend to talk, talk, and talk, and then not actually get anything done.

The whole school comes out onto the quad on a good day. I'd change the arrogance of some of the wealthy kids. The size is just right. Most of my time is spent at the athletic center and at the dining hall. racial conflict is the biggest controversy on campus. Students are always complaining about Campus Safety and our dining hall food.

The bottom line about trinity is that we work as hard as we play. I've spent an equal amount of nights spent at my desk without sleep from 8pm to 9am as I have partying until 4am on saturday. The one thing that deters people about Trinity is that it is in the middle of a very rough area of Hartford. I'm not going to lie, November was a scary month (gang intitiation month; teen gang initiates must beat up a Trinity student to be accepted), but I have found the campus to be very safe otherwise. Just use common sense: walking alone across dark areas of campus at 3am may not be the best idea. But other than that Trinity is a solid school that provides a great education (and more than enough work) along with an unforgettable college experience. Freshman year felt like highschool on steroids--it feels like you are still high school seniors, but there are no parents around and beer is much easier to get. We fulfill many stereotypes of college--you'll find kids wearing polos and madras shorts and students tossing frisbees on the quad, along with the occasional argument over who's better at beiruit or flip cup. Overall it is a great school.