Trinity College
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Majors: Physics and Computer Science double major
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Japanese Heterosexual Male
Summary
I’m a student-athlete, I’m in a fraternity, and I’m in the Investment Club.
Background
Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Japanese
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Private school in Japan with a graduating class of about 150 students. There was not a culture of going to college in the United States. All the classes were in Japanese.
First-Generation College Student: No
Majors: Physics and Computer Science double major
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: I’m a student-athlete, I’m in a fraternity, and I’m in the Investment Club.
Did any of your extracurriculars have a particularly big impact on your experience?
Being an athlete has because as an international student it can be really hard to make close friends, but through [my sport] I met all of my best friends here. So, being on my team was very big for me.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your majors?
For Physics, we have a lot of problem sets and labs. The labs take up a lot of time because you have to do a pre-lab and a post-lab report. It’s hard. For Computer Science, it’s half projects where you do something creative and half exams. For Physics, it’s also half projects and half exams.
What has been your favorite class you’ve taken for your majors?
Physics: Physics 300 – Mathematical Methods of Physics. To be a Physics major, you have to take Calculus 1, 2, and 3, and you learn a very strict way of doing calculus. But, in this class, my professor taught calculus in a way that it applied to physics and I learned the use of calculus in physics very deeply.
What has been your least favorite class you’ve taken for your majors?
Modern Physical Measurements, which is a lab-based class. We learned how to write lab reports, physics academic articles, and how to do a presentation in physics. As an international student, English is my second language, so writing lab reports and articles and doing presentations are very hard for me. I spent a lot of time on that class and still didn’t get the grade I expected.
How was transitioning from learning in Japanese to learning in English?
It was pretty tough. English-wise, I have to do extra preparation for myself. In Japan, there is no class participation grade, but here, everybody raises their hand, asks questions, and gives their opinion. First semester, I took all science courses, so I didn’t take any classes that required a lot of reading. I just took science courses because math equations are universal. At least I could understand the math equations on the board or the programming problems. I did those science courses while also learning how to take notes and speak university-level English. The next semester I started taking humanities courses and social science courses, and I think the strategy of waiting a semester was perfect for me.
Reasons to Attend
1) The campus size and the class sizes are very small. You can easily interact with your professor, which is a really good thing. [The student-faculty ratio is 9:1.]
2) Because it’s a liberal arts college, you don’t have to take a ton of classes to fulfill your major. That’s the only reason I’m able to double major in Physics and Computer Science. You can design your experience.
3) Because it’s a small campus, it’s very easy to participate in extracurricular activities.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) I wish there were more majors. Like, I wish there was an applied math program.
2) The sports scene is boring. I wish football or other sports were as popular among students as big universities.
3) As an international student, it can be hard to make friends.
Around Campus
Where do you live this year?
I lived in High Rise, which is also on the north side of campus. I lived with three other people. That dorm is really fun during the weekend
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
The campus is very safe. The only thing that freaked me out is I got shot by a paintball gun by some locals walking just outside of campus. When you go off campus, it is not always as safe.
How was transitioning from Japan to Hartford, Connecticut?
This is my first experience in the United States and I’ve never lived in another city here other than Hartford, so it’s hard to compare. Of course, the safety aspect is different because Japan is a super safe country and I didn’t worry about my safety there. When I go outside of campus, I worry about my safety. Overall, you can get anything you need on campus. I have no trouble here life-wise.
What is your favorite off-campus restaurant?
Bartaco.
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
There is a really good Japanese grocery store in West Hartford called Maruichi. I enjoy going there. There are also several Japanese people working there who I can talk to.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
Trinity is a party school and I’m in a fraternity, so I go to some parties and hang out with my friends. I really enjoy doing those things. I only go out on Friday and Saturday because the weekdays are really busy for me. I very occasionally go out on Thursdays.
How was transitioning from the nightlife in Japan to the nightlife at Trinity?
There is no partying in Japanese high schools, so I was surprised at first. But, it’s a good way to make friends. Freshman year I joined my team and got close to my teammates in my grade and they invited me to their dorm rooms to party. We would then go out to parties together and do other things, so we got closer. Partying was important to me because it’s how I got closer with some of my friends.
What have been some of your favorite times at Trinity?
Right after finals because you grind for the whole week. Right after finals week I feel very accomplished and proud of myself. Spring semester after finals it’s senior week so everybody goes out and I think that’s the best time for me.
How happy are you with the nightlife at Trinity? If you could change anything, what would you change?
I’m pretty happy with it. I have no problems with the nightlife here.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
Most of them I met through my team or my fraternity. I also met people doing research over the summer because you spend the whole summer with science majors. The science departments host a lot of events and you can meet people that way too.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Trinity?
A lot of people say it can be exclusive in that people don’t hang out with people that are different from them. Like, if you go to the dining hall and you’ll see all the football players sitting together and the basketball players sitting together. But, I don’t think [that stereotype is true]. People interact a lot and making friends here is easy because the campus is pretty small. If you meet someone at a party, there is a good chance you have taken classes with them or have done a program or been to an event with them, so you can talk about those.
To what extent do international students and domestic students mix?
I think that is a very complex thing, but international students and domestic students don’t mix much. Usually, international students room together freshman year, so they make their friends there and then there is not much interaction between the domestic and international students.
Were there any parts of Trinity or American university overall that surprised you when you arrived on campus?
The party scene. The first time I saw the parties here I was really surprised. The music is loud and people are dancing, and I was really surprised.