Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut hits the trifecta – it’s a beautiful New England campus, it’s filled with smart, ambitious students, and it’s in the middle of a moderate-sized capital city. Students at this small undergraduate college, which has both engineering and liberal arts options, have immediate access to art museums, hospitals and the state Capitol building less than 2 miles away.
Trinity’s education is focused on critical thinking, writing, and discussion. The average class size is 18 and the student-to-faculty ratio is 10:1. There is no core curriculum, but all students must take classes within the five distribution requirements, including math, social sciences, natural sciences, humanities, and fine arts (students may test out of taking math and language courses with strong AP scores). All first year students take a freshman seminar, and their professor stays with them as an advisor until they declare a major during sophomore year. Classes take advantage of learning outside the classroom; the university has established relationships with employers in Hartford that provide internships only to Trinity students. Additionally, Trinity owns land in Rome and highly encourages students to “study away” either there or in one of seven sites at which Trinity partners with another institution.
Tradition plays an important role on Trinity’s campus – you won’t leave your tour without knowing the tradition of the stealing of the lemon-squeezer. President James Jones not only lives on campus, but also attends the pre-orientation hike in the Appalachian mountains with first-year students.
Over 90% of students live on campus and students get free passes to all Hartford public transit. Student life is very active on campus; there are over a hundred student groups and theatre and a cappella are very popular. A little less than 20% of students are involved in Greek life, including several co-ed organizations. Trinity has 20 varsity sports teams (Division III) and they are known for their squash team.
Students who are passionate, dedicated and eager to get involved will succeed on this campus – in fact, my tour guide Paloma speaks in the video below about balancing work, activities and social life:
Trinity allows students to submit either the SAT or the ACT, or two SAT subject tests, plus a transcript, essays and teacher recommendations. Students may submit an art or music portfolio. According to Trinity admissions counselors, they are looking for students who are “challenging themselves with APs but not drowning in them. We like to see that you can handle the work that you have undertaken.”
Trinity’s campus, location and strong reputation make it a solid choice for students looking for a traditional East Coast college experience.
Admissions stats: middle 50% SAT Critical Reading: 580-680; Math: 600-690; Writing 610-700.
Evelyn visited Trinity in spring, 2014; you can scroll through all of her photos below.