Trinity College Top Questions

What are the most popular student activities/groups?

Amara

Frats. Literally that's it. WGRAC is a thing though (women's center) and it should have more of a presence and I am sure there are groups for students of color.

Jabari

The majority of the population isnt involved in student activity.

Tommy

The most popular groups are the Frats, in order of course, then maybe the squash team, and then maybe the football team. I am involved with Track, and must say that it is regarded much more poorly at Trinity than at other schools. A normal school considers you a warrior for the school, a Bantam. Here, if you have enough time for sports, your just not that important of a person. That is unless your involved with the almost comically stereotypical elitist sports such as: golf, sailing, crew, squash and tennis. Students in dorms don't leave their doors open. And the doors auto-lock. Athletic events, speakers, and theater are about as popular as the WNBA. (Not very popular at all). The dating scene is a hierarchy. The older the guy the younger the girl. Everything is a fling and there aren't any serious relationships. Sort of goes along with the moral-less, concious-less, operating at one single-level, jist of the student body. I meet my closest friends in random places. It is hard to find the true people amongst the clones and they are scattered. Because of this it's hard to find a place that you really like. If i'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday, I either took my adderral too late or am smoking with some kids from my dorm. I don't even know of the traditions/events that take place here. Frats have parties and they're even more over the top than normal. Generally a good time. People will party probably at least twice a week. Thursdays and Saturdays. Sometimes more. Lots of party spirit. Probably because these kids can't function in the stress filled, competitive culture without the behavior modifiers. People party with alcohol. People party with weed. Some people will party with coke. Some people will roll-face (ecstasy) at the frats. They're not too good on say no to drugs/peer pressure, and everyone comes around eventually. Frats are VERY important. Sororities are less important. Last weekend, I went to the frats Thursday and Saturday. Had a decent time. Had my vibe killed by being an inferior underclassmen. Saturday night, if you don't want to get ridiculously intoxicated as necessary to have fun in the Fraternities, you can go to the Mill. I've never been to the place but it is extremely looked down upon and is like a substance free community of kids. There known as loosers. (Just what people think, not necessarily my opinion) Off Campus, I fend for my life, watch my back, pick up my beers, put them in my backpack, and then fend for my life while watching my back on the way back.

Emily

Social life primarily revolves around the frats, of which there are about 7, but only 3 are considered socially acceptable to frequent. Students are let in on the basis of whether or not they know a brother, or are deemed adequately attractive. Alternative social activities exist, but are not popular, and are primarily attended by the same few people.

Leighan

There is always something fun to do on the weekends, so most students never want to leave and risk missing something. The school-sponsored events are often well attended. For instance, the 80s party is a dance, where literally the entire student body dresses in 80s garb. Other popular events are Spring Weekend, which is a weekend full of concerts by mainstream artists and a luau/ pig roast, and the International Hip-Hip Festival, which is the first of its kind, bringing in performers and speakers from five continents for a weekend of hip-hop shows, graffiti art, and break dancing. Hartford offers a lot of cultural opportunities, such as museums and arts venues. It has the Mark Twain House, the Wadsworth Athenaeum (oldest public art museum), and the Bushnell Theater (off-Broadway performances) to name a few. Hartford contains many ethnic pockets, in which the food is amazing. From Afghani to Italian, you can find every type of food and most Trinity students take advance of that weekly. For students who are 21, the Tap is a popular bar within walking distance of the campus. Students also go 3-5 minutes downtown in Hartford to bars and restaurants. There is a bus that shuttles students downtown on Thursday and Friday nights for free. Also all students are given a free U-PASS, access to the local bus system in Hartford. However, after the first year, students may have a car on campus. Most students are involved in multiple student-run clubs and organizations. There are over 100 currently, but it is simple to start one up. Popular student groups are the 5 a cappella groups, TCAC (Trinity College Activities Council), ACES (Community Service), debate team, cultural groups, radio station, SGA, and the Tripod (school newspaper). About 18{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students are involved in a Greek organization. First year students are not allowed to pledge until their sophomore year. The Greek houses only house up to 7 students, so most members are interspersed throughout the campus community. Those in the Greek organizations contribute greatly through community service and hold events open to the entire student body. It is nice to have Greek life as an option, but by no means is it a dominant presence on campus. About 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students are involved in athletics of some form (varsity, club or intramural). Trinity has 30 varsity sports-- all Division III, except for Squash, which is Division I. The men’s squash team has the longest winning streak in the history of NCAA and they have won the national championships for 10 consecutive years. Not only are the squash teams incredible, but also the other sports teams are very competitive. For instance, men’s hockey and men’s basketball won the NESCAC championships this year. The men’s baseball team is currently 27-0. In addition, the intramural and club teams are very popular, particularly softball in the spring. For a small college, there is a great deal of school spirit, not just for the sports teams, but also for the student performers. Almost all of the events and sports games are very well attended.

Ali

People work hard here, and they party harder. The fraternities are probably the most popular places to go on the weekends, in part for lack of other places to go. The Fred (an 'alternative' to the typical frat-hopping, holding events like music, comedy, poetry readings, etc) is controversial but has a strong following. Sports are big, especially squash and football, but if you're a jock of any kind that will probably earn you some cool points. There are a lot of different theater productions and groups on campus, but they tend to seem exclusive and cliquey to an outsider, or even someone who wants to be an insider. Most people meet freshman year through their seminars, or in dorms, or out partying. As for dating, in my opinion, it seems that people have sex, and then either stop, or continue to have sex. Long term relationships seem rare, and the people who are committed to each other seem like old married couples.

Nick

trinity Squash, Crew, Football are popular. I'm involved with the squash team and we are a close knit family. No doors are left open. Most sporting events are very popular. My closest friends are through my sporting team. There's more hooking up then dating. People party 3 times a week on an average. Fraternities play a huge role in the party scene. Saturday night only involves drinking. Nothing else going on on campus.

Tristan

good, practical, the dorms are safe, and personal sfety is required, as in any school

Piper

The clubs I am in are Trinity Chemical Society and Trinity College Biology Club. Both do a considerable amount of community service. I am usually studying at 2 am on Tuesday. On Saturday night, I usually go to the movies or do a project at one of the many houses on campus that are an alternative to the fraternity scene. There are frequently concerts, art projects, etc.

Erin

The social life at Trinity is party based. Most of the weekend activities happen at night at the fraternities and sororities. There are a number of groups on campus, but many of them are underfunded or poorly run. The athletic events can be popular (squash) or can be fairly ignored. There are a lot of good speakers that come to Trinity, but they are not always well advertised. There are also a lot of acting and singing events on campus.

Jordan

Fraternities and Sororities and sports seem to be the most popular. On Tuesday and Thursday nights I am usually at the Tap Bar ( Campus Bar) and on the weekend you can find students socializing at theme parties all along Vernon Street. Parties range from jungle themed to 80s night. There are a lot of other great spots on campus too. Cinestudio is an on campus movie theater and is way under rated and the Alchemy Juice Bar right off campus is an organic jem serving up tasty smoothies and wraps.

Kate

I play volleyball. Attendance is not a priority, but lets face it, I rarely go to women's sports either. For men's football, basketball, and hockey, attendance is prevalent. Fraternities and sororities are also important - our school has fun!

Clifton

Parties all the time, drinking starts from thursday and ends on sunday Some racism can be experienced for students of color

Kendall

The Fred is a great alternative space for people to come watch films, create art and relax without the stereotypes of the fraternity/sororiety crowd. It is definitely not a dry organization though, it's simply another social option for a weekend on campus.

Sarah

GREEKS GREEKS GREEKS. there is nothing to do off campus so frat row rules the social life. the fred offers the only real weekend alternatives unless you want to go to college sponsored dances which are very lightly attended. Academic type activities are small, and usually department run, they exist but you will most likely have to hunt for them. cinestudio is an incredible resource for anyone that likes movies. the greeks are really able to control the school. drinking is the only weekend activity if you don't have a huge paper to write and want to spend it in the library. not a huge percentage of students are actually in a fraternity or sorority, but the majority of the student body spends their weekends there. friends are often met freshman year, in the dorms. for many its rare to make new friends after frehsman year, but it is possible if you are unhappy and want to seek out new people. friendships often seem to revolve around nothing other than drinking, it is the main social activity. dating doesn't really exist, but what college does have a dating scene. it's all about the hookups or the relationships. you won't find much else. overall it's not a very community oriented place. there are no traditions, few school wide events, all goes to show the administration is just fine with the greeks ruling the show.

Katie

Trnity is only 20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} Greek, but this number is deceiving. Greek life and sports teams are very important to social life. There are five frats and two sororities, making the sororities extremely exclusive. I had many socially-adept friends who could not get into a sorority. It seems that there were way more people who wanted to be in he Greek system than would allow. At a school my friend goes to, the Greek system has many more options so a much larger range of people can be Greek if they want to. In spite of at times being closed minded, i will say that Trinity is an extremely social school (its just that people tend to stick with those who they are like). So even if you are not in the Greek system or in a sports team, you can have a social life. Howver, the social structure at Trnity is very rigid. After around sophomore year, when rush is over, it's pretty difficult to get to know people who are not in your social circle. People generally do not keep their doors open, which does not help the situation. Parties are generally thursday through sat, but you can find drunk people at trinity any night of hte week. There's barely anytining to do on a Sat night that do not involve drinking. There's a college bar and a few clubs in town, but a good deal of the city is not particularily safe at night.

Mary

the best social life you could imagine. if you like to dance, you won't like any other school besides trinity. at our school, you don't just stand around and hang out at night, everyone dances with each other and it is soo much fun. trinity is the best place in the world.

Monique

You can find an on campus party on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. At times it seems that Frat parties are monotonous. But there are so many other options: parties given by the school in Vernon Social Center, going downtown to bars and clubs, The Tap and Half Door (local bars) or having a party in your dorm room. On any given weekend, you're bound to have fun as long as you're connected.

Courtney

There is a variety of Greek life on campus. There are also many athletic teams that really work well for a bonding experience. Athletic games are important to Trinity. There is a brand new hockey rink, and now just about every sport can be watched on campus. It is possible to find a party on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings.

Laura

I would be dissappointed with Trinity's social life, this really isn't a college town. It is lame.

Harper

frats most popular. lots of sports teams. tripod not too many people, really down to earth people (who are hard to find around here) people go out all the time, especially thurs. saturday night if you don't want to drink, you can stay home i live off downtown so i go to bars sometimes, but in general trin students don't go downtown. if im awake 2:00 am tuesday, i am watching a (netflixed) movie in bed

Rory

Trinity is a pretty big party school. People are pretty much always going out ever Thursday-Saturday. If your not big on drinking you honestly probably wouldn't fit in that well. Weed is also pretty big, and although I'm not too sure about the actual statistics I think about 2 or 3 people actually got in trouble for smoking outside. The school honestly just doesn't really care about it. "Campus Safety" the schools police force is basically there to make sure your safe, not to get you in trouble for drinking or anything else.

Crissy

Good frat life, can't really go out down town so the frats are very important. People don't really leave dorms open. Squash events are well attended but no much any other sport. awake at a 2am on tuesday- other curled up in bed with the significant other, in the library hitting the books, or out getting drunk with friends. You can always just hang out with friends, watch tv/movies, study, drinking doesn't need to happen. Its just that at trinity we tend to work hard so we can party on the weekends, though I personally prefer to spend those nights curled up with my boyfriend after having a fabulous meal out (hartford does have some amazing dining options) There are some good shopping options in west hartford, and west farms mall is getting better

Sasha

Though very few people live in them, most partying is centered around the greek organizations.

Caroline

Frats are the focus of Trinity's social life. As a freshman girl, I have not had trouble getting into them but I wish they would be more accepting of boys, especially freshmen. Inclusion would, I think, ease the transition to college for many boys. The squash team is the most popular team, and for good reason! They are amazing and it is so much fun to be a part of such an amazing legacy.

Casey

I've met all of my closest friends in my freshman seminar and in my freshman dorm. Greek life is popular at Trinity. You don't have to be in a fraternity or sorority, but going to frat parties is what most people do on weekends. There are some non-alcoholic options for students, but not many. Partying is what most kids do on weekends whether it's at a frat house, in a dorm room, or at someone's apartment. Since I was forced to live off-campus, I live downtown and occasionally go out downtown on weekends instead of coming to campus. However, very few people do this. Hooking up is very popular at Trinity and usually it's random hook ups. However, people do have successful, stable relationships at Trinity as well. It truly just depends on what kind of person you are. Sports teams are very popular and athletic events are popular as well, especially if they're outdoor and it's nice outside.

Virginia

Although Greek life is not overwhelmingly popular, fraternities do provide the majority of the popular parties to attend on the weekends. There is a clear divide between the students that rush and those that don't, however there is an overlap if you have friends that are in sororities or fraternities. There are some really popular and even famous parties here at Trinity that the fraternities host, such as Tropical or Playboy at Psi U or Jungle at AD. There are non-frat parties held during the year, the most popular being 80's in the beginning of the year. At the end of the academic year there is Spring Weekend (in the end of April), where popular artists come to host an all day concert on campus. The dating scene varies- it commonly consists of random hook-ups on the weekends, however there are some couples that are doing long-distance or are in a serious relationship at Trinity. Althetic events are not overwhelmingly popular, but as I said before the warm weather usually entices people to come out to both football and baseball games. The squash team here is the best in the country, so students should make an effort to see a few matches.

Brooke

The squash teams have been national champions for the past 10 years or something. The men's basketball and football teams are pretty good. Students don't usually leave doors open but usually you'll know your friends' "codes" (how to get into the rooms) so you can go in and out as you please. Athletic events draw a lot of kids for men's sports, especially in the tournament, but not for women's sports. Kids don't really date. They hook up drunk once or twice and it rarely lasts much longer than that. Kids who like to party will party maybe Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights, but most kids who like to do it occasionally will go out Friday night light and maybe Saturday night hard. Not everyone parties, though, as much as it may seem that way. Frats are where freshmen and sophomores go after they get drunk crammed in a dorm room. They dance there for a couple hours, hook up with someone and mosey on back to their dorms shitfaced. As you get older and kids have apartments or common spaces, people hang out and actually socialize or go to bars (there are a few local ones).

maggie

People attend games and campus activities on weekends. People also go downtown in Hartford to bars and restaurants. There is also a lot of room parties, athletic club, and fraternity/sorority parties on/around campus to attend. While the population of Trinity students who drink are some of the more visible students on campus, I would suspect that about half of the student population does NOT drink. I myself am not one of the non-drinkers so I am unsure of what sober activities people who do not drink engage in on weekends.

alyce

athletic events are really popular-showing a great deal of stduent pride. fraternities are also really popular. i would say that a huge population on campus attends the fraternities on weekends. i think that dorms have a huge influence on who you are friends with. for me, my closest friends are all girls who i lived in the same freshman year dorm as. homecoming is a huge social event that occurs every year that alumni return to campus for a it is a really fun day.

Ashley

i would love it if there were places that we could go off campus to party, but there are very few options within walking distance, and that number keeps getting smaller. so that leaves students to party on campus, which ends up creating controversy among students in different social circles (people who want to go out versus people who don't who get fed up with the noise and the party mentality).

Danielle

Trinity is definitely a social campus. There is something to do almost every night of the week and consistent partying Thursday-Sunday and usually on Tuesdays as well. Students here "work hard and play hard" and attend athletic events as well as sorority functions. While it is fun to travel up to Boston or down to New York on the weekends, students are generally reluctant to do so because the Trinity social scene is so vibrant.

Britney

The most popular part of Trinity's social like is drinking and the greek life on vernon street. it seems like the weekends revolve around alcohol. not many people here have boyfriends or girlfriends, rather, sudents choose to "hook up" randomly with different people every weekend.

amanda

trinity has a really fun social life. i spend most of my nights at the frats, but there are other options too, such as the fred. students leave their doors open. athletic events are very popular, especially in the spring time. i met my closest friends in my dorm freshman year and through my sorority. if i'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday, i'm either studying for a test, writing a paper, or coming home from the tap. people party at least 3 nights a week.

Stephanie

Good social scene. Mostly on campus activities. Lots of drinking, generally go out 3 to 4 nights a week. It is only 20 percent greek but that is the social life that I am mostly familiar with. I mostly attend greek events and after that, TCAC events like the 80s dance. Spring weekend is the best annual event. Its also nice to have a movie theater on campus to give you something to do on a boring wednesday night.

Shelby

as stated before, kids at trinity love to party. if you dont like to drink or do drugs, there are not a lot of options on a saturday night, except perhaps to leave campus or watch a movie. love them or hate them, frats completely dominate the social scene.

Chandler

Frats only. Excessive drinking

Emily

The fraternaties are basically where most of the weekend social life takes place. Sporting events are also very popular namely the football games and squash matches. If you are awake at 2am ona tuesday you are either at the campus bar hanging with friends, or doing work at the library. Hartford offers amazing restaurants and fun bars - fun alternatives to the on campus social life

Sarah

There are many events on any given day at Trinity, which speaks to the large array of student interests. Some events are more well-attended than others, but in general those events that are well advertised will have a good amount of students at them. Drinking and partying is a huge part of the campus culture. Most students, whether they are going to fraternities or not, are binge drinking, which seems completely normal to most students. We have a repuatation for having a very good time.

Dale

My social life is all about the greek life...i am in a sorority so we have events then every weekend there is beer and latenight dancing at the frats...

Katie

Social life lies completely in the hands of the Greek organizations on campus. Hardly anybody will go into Downtown Hartford to party.

Molly

I met my closest friends due to my sorority. I never thought in my entire life that I would ever join a sorority but once I did, I couldn't have been happier. It was the best way to meet a new group of girls and to really bond with them. Greek life is not the most important thing here but it does rule a lot of the night life. The fraternities are open on weekend nights and are a great place to dance. Every aspect of Trinity is pretty much a part of social life and no matter what you find yourself doing, you will find someone who is interested in doing the same thing.

Kate

lots to do on campus-- greek life, cafe with poetry readings and music every weekend, active cultural houses, campus-wide organized activities

Alex

It has the best social life of the nescac schools, but it gets worse every year as the administartion is forced to make new rules to make lawyers, parents, or Hartford happy. There is very little to do if you don't drink, so if the school forces minors to drink in their dorm rooms, so be it.

samantha

Although Trinity has a comparatively small Greek like than those of other schools, the Fraternity's and Sorority's definitely control the social scene. I am in a Sorority- Kappa Kappa Gamma, and I absolutly love it. Whether you are in a frat or sorority, everyone knows how to have a good time. I've visited my friends at all different colleges, and my friends who have come to visit Trinity all agree that Trinity is the most fun school. Athletic events are popular and Theatrical and Guest speaking events, while attended, are not highyl advertised so people aren't always informed about whats going on on campus. People date when they are in a relationship. People hook up when they like eachother. The typical way to meet a guy is to dance with him at late night and go home with him.

Emily

If you're awake at 2am on a Tuesday, you are probably leaving either The Tap or Sidewalk Cafe on your way to the fraternity AD.

Kellie

Greek life runs the campus social scene. People party hard thursday, friday, saturday and sometimes tuesday. People randomly hook up more than they date. There's a lot of heavy drinking and casual drug use.

Olivia

Most social events occur on campus. Unfortunately, hartford doesn't have much to offer in terms of safe social activities. The basements of fraternities house the majority of Trinity's student body on a typical weekend night. Athletic events are most popular in the warmer months when students like to tailgate outside lacrosse and baseball games or tennis matches. Although Greek life isn't huge on campus, I do believe it's important. I am currently a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma- the only nationally recognized sorority on campus. I don't think that joining a Greek organization is as important for girls as it is for guys but it is a great way to meet a ton of people you may have never hung out with before.

Meghan

greek life on the weekends is the most dominant social scene

Megan

the most popular thing on our campus is to be a part of team. it really makes the campus feel smaller, and more intimate with an immediate second family. i love being a part of the greek system, as it gives you an outlet and an option in terms of night life