Trinity College, CT

University highlight as contributed by Stefan Timiras, FEAC advisee and friend, freshman at Trinity College, CT, and featured in the Undergraduate Newsletter, Winter-Spring 2012 issue (available here).

Trinity College is a small liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut, enrolling about 600 students every year. It was originally founded in 1823 under the name of Washington College, receiving its current name in 1845. One of the top liberal arts colleges in the States, Trinity is one of the "Little Ivies", and its admissions process is becoming more and more selective due to fast increases in the number of applications.

This is for good reason. The college has a very low student-faculty ratio (10:1), students having easy access to their professors. What do students find when trying to reach their professors outside the classroom? Beyond the academic expertise they value during the courses, students find great people who inspire them through their passion for learning and sharing their knowledge, who design intellectual challenges for them and mentor them every day.

To start their university career on the right track, Trinity requires each student to take a writing-intensive first-year seminar. Students may choose from a wide range of topics, ranging from Ancient Greek political issues to finding new ways to use technology in order to improve life in low-income households and combat poverty.

Trinity also offers a number of special programs, such as the ISP (Interdisciplinary Science Program), which exposes students to various aspects of research through readings and activities through thespecifically designed first-year seminar (which is considered to be the most difficult seminar among those offered by the College) during the fall semester of freshman year. Students are then required to do research in a professor's laboratory for the spring semester, with the possibility to continue their work for ten weeks into the summer, with housing and a stipend provided by the college.

In order to ensure a broad liberal arts education, Trinity requires the students to take at least one course in five areas of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences and Numerical and Symbolic Reasoning by the time they graduate. Therefore, many of Trinity's graduates get into excellent grad schools, such as Harvard, MIT, Stanford and so on, which is confirmed by the national rankings: Trinity is among the top 50 "feeder schools" for top graduate programs, as stated by The Wall Street Journal.

In order for first-year students to make the most of their academic experience while developing a support network and friendships, they are placed in one of the seven first-year residence halls. Each hall hosts students from five or six different first-year seminars, enabling them to exchange ideas and broaden their horizons.

There are plenty of activities for students to choose from. Each fall, an Activities Fair is held in Mather, the main student hall. There, students can sign up for a number of organizations, ranging from the academically-oriented ones (such as the Society of Physics Students or Robot Team) and language clubs, to associations which encourage students' leadership and "making a difference" skills (Model United Nations, Mock Trial), to sports clubs (such as the newly-opened Skiing Club). Students can even start their own club, with the College's financial support.

During weekends, students can relax at a number of different venues around campus. For example, the Fred Pfeil Community Project hosts a themed event every Friday night. Or they can watch a movie at the College's own cinema, called Cinestudio.

The student body is comprised of about 10% international students who organize and take part in many interesting cultural events hosted by the I-House (International House) and the other cultural-themed organizations supported by the College.

School spirit is strong among the students; it is displayed through our mascot, the Bantam, at various athletic events, or through Trinity's long-lasting traditions, such as Matriculation. Before starting their academic career at Trinity, students must take the Oath of Matriculation in the Chapel and go through the Book Signing ceremony, thus declaring they agree to abide by the rules established in the Charter and The Standing Rules. This tradition is the oldest existing on campus, observed here since 1826.

The campus is particularly beautiful and has a number of iconic buildings, such as the Raether Library and Information Technology Center, originally built in the 1950s, renovated in 2003. It comprises an atrium, several study rooms, a media center, a café and a grand reading room, among others. The Watkinson Library is situated on the first floor; it houses manuscripts and rare books.

The central hub for students is Mather Hall, comprising a dining room, several auditoriums, a post office, student mailboxes, the bookstore and another dining facility, The Cave.

Trinity College certainly has a lot to offer to international applicants, in terms of academics, financial aid, extracurriculars, and social life. Learn more on the official website, www.trincoll.edu.