Trinity College Top Questions

Visit schools, sit in on classes, and stay in a dorm. By seeing a campus you know if you'll be happy there. Sitting in on classes gives you a feel for the class size, interactions between faculty and students, and the quality of the education. In dorms, see if people are friendly with neighbors and if dorms are kept in good condition. See if the weekend night life it is compatible with your own interests. Join activities, be friendly, and utilize resources. Clubs and activities help you meet people with similar interests, and allows you to make a variety of groups of friends. There is no ?popular? group so being friends with a diverse group of people is easy and beneficial. It?ll broaden your experiences by meeting people from all walks of life. Freshmen year tough on everyone, no one has any best friends yet so never be afraid to introduce yourself. Meet with professors, they?re one of your greatest resources. They offer advice and help you with school work. It?s good to have a close relationship with a professor so you have someone to write letters of recommendation for jobs or graduate school.

Those applying to college should decide what kind of school they want to be at in order to easily eliminate those options that do not fit them. There is a big difference between a large city school, and a small school in a suburban area. Also take note of what fields you are interested in, and if the college you are looking at has a strong department in that area. Once you get to school, try everything you think you might be interested in before you decide which activities you will continue with. This way you don't rule out anything right off the bat.

There is rarely a "perfect" college fit for you, each college has a diversity of students even if there is a stereotype. I have found myself frustrated at somet of the qualities of my college yet I have been able to find my place with friends and activities on campus and even gotten to love the area surrounding my college. Of course each person will have their own size preferences and such but once you get down to a few schools that are all very similair like big university, small liberal arts, etc. you will probably do well once you get plugged into campus. Don't waste your college years- if you need to take off a year and binge drink do that, don't waste your time and money to do it 24/7 at college. Lastly educational institutions offer so many opportunities whether it be for jobs, research, grants, study abroad, etc. so make sure to take advantage of all your school has to offer.

Visit while school is in session! Sit in on some classes, see where students hang out and see if you can envision spending 4 years there. I think the best thing is to know that there isn't just ONE good college for everyone so don't convince yourself that one school is the end all. If you like the campus and students, and the learning style and class sizes fits your needs, you will be able to create your own niche. Once you're at college, what you do once you get there is the most important part; get involved! Make friends and have fun while learning and socializing, that is what makes the biggest impact. If you enjoy your time once you have found a school, THAT is what makes alums look back and think that the school they went to was the only one for them. Its the experience I had that makes me look back on college and think I couldn't have gone anywhere else, and I would love to do it all over again.

If you know your academic interests, try to meet with some faculty members to get a better look at the departments. Visit the school while there are students around; try to stay overnight, visit some classes, etc. It's important that students get to check out the school a little without their parents so they feel uninhibited to ask current students questions they might not ask around their parents.

I would advise that students make use of resources such as overnight visits and stays in order to actually experience the social life firsthand. It's easy to gain a feel for the academic life through the guided tours, admissions vists, etc. but it's more difficult to gauge what your experience outside of classes will be like just from a day-long tour (especially if it's during the summer). To parents I would advise to not push any one-type of school, even if you think that's the best option for your child, because in the end he/she will know best and need to choose for themselves. In terms of making the most out of the experience, get involved as best you can, and always keep an open mind about your college experience. If it seems like the wrong choice, remember that you can always make the most out of any situation you're in, and there are plenty of activities to involve yourself in on almost any college campus, or in the surronding community.