Trinity University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Political Science
Minor: Education
Student Self Identifies as: Hispanic Lesbian Female
Summary
I was [a student-athlete my freshman year], but this year I decided not to play. I wanted to take up other opportunities the school has to offer. I now work in the fitness center, I’m part of the Eco Allies, the International Humanitarian Crisis Initiative here.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Hispanic
Sexual Orientation: Lesbian
High School Experience: Public high school in El Paso, Texas with a graduating class of about 600 students. There wasn’t really a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Political Science
Minor: Education
Extracurricular Activities: I was [a student-athlete my freshman year], but this year I decided not to play. I wanted to take up other opportunities the school has to offer. I now work in the fitness center, I’m part of the Eco Allies, the International Humanitarian Crisis Initiative here.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
Working in the fitness center has. Working on campus is great because you can do a work-study, and make great relationships. Being in a [leadership position] is very helpful for going into the work field in a couple of years. I’m learning things like scheduling and payroll, which have been very useful to me.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
It’s a lot of reading [assignments]. They make you read a lot in the humanities classes here. It’s always relevant to the course. I’m taking two Political Science courses right now and I probably spend three hours a day on those two classes. You’ll have a good balance between reading, essays, and tests.
Is there anything you feel that your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
They do a really good job of reaching out to their students. There’s a wide variety of teachers and they all have different teaching styles. If you don’t like one, it’s easy to avoid them and take the course with another professor. They have an open-door policy so you can go talk to them about the class or just about political science issues. I’m very happy with the Political Science department.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s absolutely competitive. When you have smaller class sizes and get further into the major, you begin having the same people in classes. That’s nice because you build relationships and find people you study well with, but at the same time, you have people you compete with. The students here are all very smart. When we do have to do collaborative work, for the most part, everyone does their part and wants to get a good grade while helping the group.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re very accessible. They hold office hours once or twice a week and if you send them an email and say you can’t meet at their set time, they’ll make an appointment with you.
Do you feel that people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
The majority does, but there are individuals I’ve encountered who are stubborn and opinionated. I’m a big believer that opinions can change through knowledge and it’s important to keep an open mind. Even if you don’t agree with it, I think you should respect it. The professors do a good job giving equal weight to both sides of the argument. If someone poses a question, they’ll leave it up to the class to see if anyone has insights or opinions. In the end, the professor will come in with the facts and clarify it for the class.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I came in wanting to do Business Analytics and Technology. In my first semester, I took a microeconomics course, along with an American politics course. I hated the microeconomics course and decided I didn’t want to go into business. I fell in love with my American politics course and have always been interested in politics and how governments work. Once I was introduced to the field, it was something I wanted to explore further so I took more Political Science courses.
Reasons to Attend
1) The class sizes.
2) It’s a liberal arts education and we have pathways you have to fulfill, but under those pathways, you have 30 or 40 courses to choose from. There’s a wide variety of classes to explore.
3) The number of clubs and groups they have here. There’s pretty much something for everyone, and if there’s not something, they’re open to listening if you want to create a new one.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) If you like the big school college football atmosphere, don’t come here. We have Division III sports, but they’re not big and there’s no tailgating.
2) If you’re going into a more specific major like nursing, going through the STEM program here is extremely hard.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Witt-Winn Hall with one roommate and two suitemates
Sophomore: Prassel Hall with one roommate and two suitemates
How was transitioning from El Paso to San Antonio, TX in terms of location?
It was fairly easy. My family and I did a good job of picking a place I could transition to easier. There’s a lot of culture in the city and I went from dry heat to humid heat, which took a lot of adjusting to. The people are really nice and there are things to do. It’s also safe, which made the transition easier.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I feel safe on and around campus. There are always police officers around. I haven’t experienced any time where I felt unsafe. Trinity is in a good area and is surrounded by a pretty good household community.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
It’s nice to get out and do nature stuff like going to the park or the Japanese Tea Gardens. If you want to make the drive, we have Six Flags downtown. Austin is only an hour away so people will take a day trip to go hike or hang out in the downtown area. You can also go floating in the river in the spring and summer months. There are also campus parties, fraternities, and sports teams that do the whole Friday and Saturday stuff. I don’t mind going to those parties, and there are 18+ clubs in the area. I prefer going to a close on-campus party with my friends, or even just staying in and hanging out watching a movie. The parties are mostly hosted in off-campus apartments or houses. It’s rare for there to be a real party in a dorm room.
What have been some of your favorite times at Trinity?
At the very beginning, there’s a ritual called the Tower Climb. You climb it to commemorate your first year, and then you do it right before you graduate. That was one of my first memories here and it was cool because once you’re at the top you meet the president and feel accomplished. Last semester I was a peer tutor for a climate change class and we went plogging, which is picking up litter while jogging. We cleaned up the area with first-year students and had breakfast after. I enjoy doing things like that outside of class.
How has identifying as LGBT influenced your nightlife experience? Are there any LGBT nightlife options that you like to go to?
There are definitely some nightlife and clubs that have drag queen shows, but I’ve never been. But, being on this campus and being part of the LBTQ community, I’ve never had a negative experience with it.
How happy are you with the weekend options at Trinity? Is there anything you would change about them if you could?
I’m not a huge partier, but there are always things to do.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
I met them through [my sport], and I met other friends through classes.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Trinity?
I describe Trinity as a bubble. It’s pretty much a city within a city. It’s a small campus and after a few years here you know everybody and have seen everybody, which has its ups and downs. It can get annoying and repetitive, but it’s also nice that you have the opportunity to build a strong community and have relationships with people. It’s not just a one-time thing where you see them in the cafeteria, you’ll see them other times. People are nice for the most part.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I think they mix pretty well through some of my classes. People of color and minorities tend to naturally gravitate toward each other because that’s where they feel the safest. Overall, there’s no problem with different types of people mingling. I have friends from all different races, ethnicities, and gender identifications. [The undergraduate population is 56% White, 4% Black, 6% Asian, and 18% Hispanic.]
How would you describe the LGBTQ+ community on campus? How strong is it?
There are groups, but I’m not part of any. I think the number of LGBTQ students is actually very low on campus. I’m not sure if that’s because people aren’t as open about it, or if there just aren’t that many. We are in Texas where that’s not exactly widely accepted [in this state], so I don’t blame people.
How would you describe the Hispanic community on campus? How strong is it?
There’s a pretty decent Hispanic community. I think there’s about an [18%] Hispanic population. Most often than not, I find myself being the only person of color in a small class of 10 people.
How do you like the size of Trinity in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [There are about 2,500 students at Trinity.]
The size is one of the main reasons I came to Trinity, and I love it. I wanted small class sizes and I think it makes learning a lot easier. I think you’re engaged ore. [There’s a 9:1 student-faculty ratio.]
Careers
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
They’re helpful. You can schedule an appointment and they’ll help you with everything such as your resume and job applications. They have workshops for this throughout the year. I’ve found that talking with seniors is very helpful too because they’re very honest and will give you advice on things the university won’t tell you.
Financial Aid
Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating was the office to your needs?
I haven’t had any issues and haven’t had to go down to the office. They have a portal where you view your expenses, and as long as you get the taken care if in a timely manner there’s no issue.