Trinity College (CT)

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School Says - General Information
Trinity College is an independent, nonsectarian liberal arts college located in the historic capital city of Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1823, Trinity is one of the oldest colleges in the country, and is consistently ranked among the best. It brings the great tradition of the liberal arts into the 21st century with a dynamic living and learning community where education doesn't stop at the classroom door.

Our 2,200 students work closely with faculty and extend their education through campus activities and organizations. They engage with the city of Hartford through internships, community learning and service, and explore the wider world through study abroad and international initiatives on campus. With an 11 to 1 student-faculty ratio, each and every student is challenged and encouraged by Trinity's outstanding faculty. Students are offered a rigorous curriculum that is firmly grounded in the traditional liberal arts, but that also incorporates newer fields, an interdisciplinary approach, and urban engagement.

With 38 majors and more than 970 courses to choose from, students are immersed in a community of learning that is facilitated by a stimulating academic environment, small classes, and exceptional facilities, including fully networked classrooms and dorms. Opportunities to explore the arts abound on campus and students can nurture and hone artistic skills. More than 40 percent of our students play varsity and club sports, and many more participate in intramurals and fitness activities.

As a student at Trinity College, you will explore new worlds, thoughts, and ideas, and become prepared for the challenge and change of a successful, fulfilling life.

School Says - Student Body
While the number in our student body is relatively small, their interests are incredibly diverse. With over a hundred student organizations on campus, the opportunities for active involvement are wide open Ââ€" whether continuing something in which you've already been involved or something that is completely new to you. Student organizations include community service organizations, cultural organizations, media groups, such as the College newspaper and radio station, academic clubs, fraternities, and club sports. And if you have an interest that isn't covered by an existing organization, then start one! It will probably be impossible for you not to find at least one activity that appeals to you, whether on campus or in the city. Academics are the most important part of your education, but they aren't the only part. We encourage you to get involved beyond the classroom. The opportunities are right at hand.

School Says - Academics
At Trinity, the curriculum features the First-Year Seminar Program, where a small group of students and a faculty member explore a topic through critical reading and discussion, analysis and writing. It's a shared introduction to intellectual life at Trinity and an important way to meet other students and make friends because students in the same seminar live in the same residence hall together with a student mentor.

There are many special curricular options, including the Guided Studies, Interdisciplinary Science, InterArts and Cities Programs, as well as the Trinity/La MaMa Performing Arts Program in New York. Trinity is also home to the first undergraduate Human Rights Program in the United States, as well as the unique Center for Urban and Global Studies.

The key words here are variety and flexibility Ââ€" if you don't see exactly what you want, that doesn't mean we don't have it. Independent study? Study abroad? Open semester? Engineering? Neuroscience? Law courses? How about an academic leave of absence to work on a political campaign or hike the Appalachian Trail? Many Trinity students pursue these and other existing opportunities. And it is very easy to work with faculty to create your own opportunities. Your motivation and imagination are your only limits.

School Says - Admissions
Selecting candidates for admission to Trinity is a complex but personalized process. The components of your evaluation include your academic credentials. Your grades are very important, but so is the strength of the academic programs in which you participated. We require one form of standardized test; either the SAT I, ACT, or any two SAT II subject tests. Non-native speakers of English are encouraged to submit the TOEFL.

In addition, two teachers' recommendations are required. Teachers give us insight into your scholarship, work habits, and classroom contributions. Personal qualities are considered, too. What talents, skills, or qualities can you bring to the life of the campus? What contributions have you made to your school and community? We aren't as concerned with the number of your activities as we are with the quality and depth of them.

If we may be of assistance, please don't hesitate to call upon us in the Office of Admissions at 860-297-2180 or e-mail admissions.office@trincoll.edu.

School Says - Campus Life
Trinity is situated on a beautiful, 100-acre campus in Connecticut's capital city of Hartford, midway between Boston and New York. Hartford is a city with a rich history that offers many opportunities for urban engagement. Mark Twain lived here, as did Harriet Beecher Stowe. Dentist Horace Wells discovered anesthesia here. It is the home of the oldest continuously published newspaper in America as well as the oldest public art museum, the Wadsworth Atheneum. Trinity effectively uses the city as a classroom with access to assets and resources that is matched by few liberal arts colleges of our size.

Anyone who visits the College sees the beauty of the campus, with its hilltop location, mix of historic and contemporary buildings, and abundant trees and lawns. Trinity is one of the earliest examples of "Collegiate Gothic"; many of the original buildings are modeled after the architecture of Oxford and Cambridge and symbolize Trinity's roots in the classical liberal arts. A major campus and community revitalization initiative has created several new state-of-the-art facilities, including the Raether Library and Information Technology Center on campus and the neighboring innovative Learning Corridor of magnet schools and academic resources. Also, in 2006, the award-winning Koeppel Community Sports Center opened its doors as a multi-use athletic facility on the southern edge of campus.

Off campus, the 256-acre Field Station at Church Farm in Ashford, Connecticut, is dedicated to research in the natural sciences and a wide range of environmental educational endeavors. Plans are being developed for use of Church Farm buildings to support programs in the arts.

As a Trinity student, you have numerous opportunities to engage in volunteer work, internships, research and community learning projects. Many courses Ââ€" from art history to political science and from economics to neuroscience Ââ€" incorporate aspects of city life. There are hundreds of internships that allow you to continue your education while exploring career opportunities. And whatever your tastes, there are cultural and entertainment events throughout the city and a shuttle service provided by the College.

School Says - Cost Aid
Estimated college fees for 2008-2009 are as follows:
Tuition: $36,864
Room & Board: $9,900
General Fee: $1,860Through the generosity of alumni and friends, the College has an endowment sufficient to give our students an education thatÂ's worth considerably more than the actual tuition charged. If you decide that Trinity is the right college for you, we are determined not to let money stand in your way. We are committed to making a Trinity education accessible to promising students who are unable to meet the full educational costs. Approximately 40 percent of our students receive need-based financial aid in the form of grants, low-interest loans, and campus employment. If you have any questions about financial aid at Trinity during any point in your college search, you should not hesitate to contact the Office of Student Financial Services at 860-297-2046 or e-mail financial_aid@trincoll.edu.

Students Say - Academics
[It's all] about getting a top-notch education in small classes with professors who know you and being able to also have a good time outside of class at Trinity College, a small and prestigious liberal arts school located in Connecticut's state capital. A "great political science department" exploits TC's location "about two blocks away from the state capitol, which is great for internships." Other social sciences, including economics and history, earn students' praises, as do offerings in engineering and education. Strength across the liberal arts bolsters the school's Guided Studies Program, in which students undertake a fixed curriculum of interdisciplinary study to survey the entirety of Western civilization from the classical age to the present. In all disciplines, "small classes, very involved professors, and a very conscious student body" combine to provide "an excellent liberal arts education that will provide [students] with the skills to be thoughtful, independent adults." Professors "are always available to talk and offer help to students. They often invite students out to lunch." Likewise, administrators are easy to access. "Even the president of the school, James F. Jones, is accessible. He goes on the Quest Orientation hiking trip for first-year students and regularly attends various student events on campus." Students also appreciate that "the career services office is amazing" here.

Students Say - Campus Life
The fraternity scene is the draw for the majority of campus at Trinity College, where "On a typical weekend night, people go out to dinner, go back to their room and nap, get ready for the evening, and go meet up with a friend or two where they chill out and then go to someone's room for pre-gaming...Then when it's about 1 A.M. they go out and do some frat hopping. It's great for people who like their life to be predictable." The frats are hardly the only option, though; in fact, "There are a ton of underappreciated options on or near campus. Hartford has amazing restaurants, there are movie theaters and bowling alleys nearby, the Cinestudio is a 90-second walk from the main dining hall, and there are two dorms on campus devoted specifically to alcohol-free activities. Plus, plenty of student groups hold events" in such places as "the arts and cultural houses." Trinity's theater and dance department offer regular performances. Hometown Hartford "may be [an economically] depressed city, but it is still a city, and it affords benefits that tiny college towns just can't match."

Students Say - Student Body
The stereotype about Trinity undergrads is that "most...are from the tri-state area and appear to have just stepped off a yacht or out of a country club," and students confirm that while "there are a lot of students who are not" in this crowd, the preppy contingent is "the main group" and "socially dominant" here. "There are definitely some very preppy girls and boys-blond hair, sunglasses, Chanel flats, a polo," one student concedes before adding that "sometimes people identify these students as typical Trinity students; however there are many students who are not like that at all." All students tend to be "well-rounded" and "very passionate," "intelligent but also social," with "good verbal skills." They "care deeply about their work and really like to have fun when they can," and while many gravitate to the Greek community for their fun, "There are [also] communities here for those who do not enjoy the frat scene, for people who are passionate about music and acting, and [for] those who want to spend their weekends giving back to the community."

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