The next College Spotlight from JDK's recent New England tour is Trinity College located in Hartford, CT.
General Information
Located about two hours from New York City, Trinity College is set atop of the city of Hartford on a really really ridiculously good-looking (who doesn't like a Zoolander reference with their College Spotlight?) 100-acre campus. A member of the NESCAC athletics conference, often referred to as the "baby Ivies," Trinity is a liberal arts and sciences college that also houses an engineering school. There are about 2,300 undergraduate students - a nice size for students looking for an intimate college experience. Some quick facts include:
- Student to faculty ratio: 10:1
- Average class size: 19 students
- % completing internships during enrollment: 50%
The majority of students come from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York, but a growing number of international students are coming to Trinity - about 11% of enrolled students at time of publication.
Trinity's main academic buildings surround an enormous quad eliciting that classic college feel, and actually makes you want to put out a blanket and study...or throw the frisbee. Interestingly, though the school has a religious-sounding name and was founded by the Episcopalian order, today, the college no longer has any religious affiliation. Students enjoy many perks of living on campus, such as free laundry, access to Trinity's on-campus movie theater, and dining services that include an "innovation kitchen" whose is planned to not repeat options during 28-day cycles year-round.
Finally, faculty at Trinity encourage their students to think independently and pursue non-traditional combinations of courses and majors. It is common for their students to major in both biology and art or politics and engineering, for example.
Today, Trinity's enrollee retention rate is 90%, an indicator of students' satisfaction.
Academic Information
Trinity is a liberal arts and sciences college housing dozens of diverse and interesting majors and minors from economics to physics to political science. A few of their most popular departments are Urban and Global Studies and their Human Rights Program. Trinity also offers many Study Away programs that stretch from New York to China. Unique for a liberal arts college, Trinity has its own Engineering Program that offers four concentrations in Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, and Bio-Medical Engineering. Students interested in theater and dance will also find great programs in Trinity's InterArts Program. where they will be encouraged to try various classes, minors and majors.
With so many choices, Trinity does not require students to declare a major until the end of Sophomore year and make it very easy for students to transfer majors later on without losing many credits.
Admissions Information
- Acceptance rate: 33%
- Middle 50% accepted SAT: 1730-2020
- Middle 50% accepted ACT: 26-30
- Suggested GPA: 90
Trinity is a "test flexible" school, meaning that they accept scores from either SAT, ACT, or two subject tests to be considered for admission. In addition to their Regular Decision deadline, Trinity offers Early Decision for students committed to attending if accepted. In 2014, 58% of Early Decision applicants were accepted. When applying, it is also important to know that Trinity is need-aware, meaning they will take your financial status into consideration during the admission process. Once accepted, they do offer 100% of need-based aid, a helpful perk givent that Trinity's total cost of attendance is $63,970 per year. Finally, there are 8-10 Presidential Scholarships given out each year to the top incoming freshmen, which covers the awardees' total cost of attendance for all four years.
Final Thought: Trinity College is absolutely worth a visit if you are looking for a classic liberal arts school. Students will receive a lot of personal attention from faculty, have access to a beautiful campus and enjoy close in proximity to the cities of Hartford and New York.
Enjoy the pictures, and as always, happy searching!