Trinity College
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: English Literature
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Heterosexual Male
Summary
Student-athlete
Background
Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Private school in Oklahoma City with 90 people in my graduating class. There was a culture of going to college.
First Generation College Student: No
Major: English Literature
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: Student-athlete
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
We have a lot of readings and a lot of responses and essays. You also have to participate in a lot of discussions, so you have to be prepared for that.
Is there anything you feel either of your major’s department does especially well or especially poorly?
There’s a good amount of attention paid to the students. The professors know the students personally.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s competitive or collaborative?
It’s a little bit competitive. A lot of English Literature is discussion based and a lot of learning from each other. But, writing essays is more personal.
What has been your favorite class in your major?
Prison Literature. It was literature about prison and by people in prison.
Why did you choose your major?
I was thinking about going to law school, and am still considering it. Law school is a lot of reading and writing, so it was something that could translate without having to be a pre-law type of major.
Are you happy with your choice?
For the most part, I’m happy. I think if I could redo it I would have picked something a little more quantitative with numbers because I enjoy that.
Reasons to Attend
1) It’s a small school, so you know your professors and your professors know you.
2) I think the academics are a good balance. I think they are serious and at the same time there is time for other activities. You can be an athlete and also be a student or be in a fraternity or something like that.
3) I think there’s a good diversity of people. You can meet lots of different types of people, like different races and also different personalities. [About 11% of students are international students. About 65% of students are White.]
Reasons Not to Attend
1) The social scene is party or nothing else.
2) I can see how if you don’t find your group it can be a little rough at first, but I think that’s also just part of the college experience. I had a team when I first got here, so I had friends. But if I didn’t have those friends coming on campus, I think it may be harder to get friends fast.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Funston in a single.
Sophomore: Summit Suites. I had three other roommates but we all had our own room and shared a common room.
Junior: Jarvis with seven other roommates. We all shared a common room and I shared a room with one roommate.
What was your favorite living situation?
My favorite living situation was Jarvis.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I’ve never felt threatened or anything. I think it’s pretty safe.
What is your favorite off-campus restaurant?
Trinity Restaurant, it’s pretty good and pretty close.
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
West Hartford, just like Blue Back Square. It’s a nice area and has a lot of nice shops.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I probably go to fraternities the most. I usually just go out on the weekends, so Friday and Saturday.
Can you describe a typical night out freshman year?
Meet up with your friends, and hope that somebody knows where to go and then just follow the pack.
Do freshman boys have trouble getting into parties that aren’t at their fraternities?
I guess it depends on where. Some places, yes, some places, no.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
It’s pretty essential. It’s a very vital part of it. I don’t think there really is a nightlife outside of fraternities for the most part.
How happy are you with the nightlife? Is there anything you would change if you could?
It’s nice. I mean I guess I would like to have different options or more options. It’s a lot of the same thing so it can get repetitive.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
Through my sports team.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Trinity?
For the most part, everybody stays on or near campus. And then I’d say the majority of students go to the fraternities or to the bars. And then the other group doesn’t go out or goes to other social venues.
How would you describe the student body?
I think for the most part people are pretty open-minded. Also, for the most part, people are pretty wealthy. [Trinity has more members of the student body in the socioeconomic top 1% than the bottom 60%. The median family income is $257,100.]
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I mean people of different races mix socially. I think there is a little bit of both, but I’d say there is more racial mixing than people of different sexual orientations mixing.
Do you think people are happy with their choice of Trinity by the time they graduate?
I’ve heard mixed responses, but for me personally, I’m happy with it. It’s hard to speak for other people.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
Yes. I have an internship right now that I got because the guys who started the company were both athletes at Trinity. I applied for the internship and got it.
To what extent have you used the career office?
I’ve used it like two or three times to go over my resume, read over a cover letter, and I had them give me advice in terms of internships to apply for and what major to do when I was thinking about majors.