Trinity College Top Questions

Describe the students at your school.

Katie

Although it is fair to say that there is little ethnic diversity on campus, I do not think this affects who befriends whom. At Trinity, students become friends with those who they meet through dorm life, classes, social activities, extracurriculars, etc. For me, although I am in a sorority, I do not restrict my social network to just students within the Greek system. I have friends who participate in a wide array of activities and interests throughout campus. Generally speaking, the majority of Trinity's student body are affluent caucasians from the New England area.

Molly

One of the things I love most about Trinity is the fact that everyone makes an effort to put themselves together everyday and make the effort to look nice. That may be a superficial view but it's true. Most of the time, people here get somewhat dressed up to go out at night which I believe is a true characteristic of the student body. There is a wide range of people to be found here and one can meet all different kinds of people. Another characteristic of Trinity is that you can often tell which students play sports and which don't. A lot of the time, athletes can be found spending time with each other and really forming a tight knit group of people.

Kate

more diverse than one would think... Majority of students are from New York and New England, but many students are from the south, mid-atlantic, minnesota and california

Alex

It can be diverse, or it could be sterotypically conforming...it all depends on who you hang out with... In general, groups tend to consist of the same kinds of kids...be it race, athletes, greek org, math club, etc.

samantha

Racial tensions at Trinity are especially high, which I think is mostly due to the way issues are exggerated. I feel that the african american community on campus bands together based on the fact that they think Trinity is full of "white rich kids." By doing this, they discriminate against themselves because, from my experience, Trinity is very accepting of all kinds of people. I think that people can either socialize with people based on the fact that their differences are the same, or they can just allow everyone, no matter who they are, to be their friend. Most Trinity students seem to be from an east-coast boarding-school. And if you ask just about anyone on campus where they are from, the response will be "twenty min outside Boston." In the dining hall, there's ALWAYS the guy's crew table, with the most people and then a table of kids from Boston who love Boston. A large group of really loud girls who are always laughing. The squash players, from around the world, always sit at the same two tables together. There's usually a football table, where most of the food the dining hall makes can be found. There's usually a table of African-American's and then the rest of the tables are mixed groups of friends and the few who dare to sit alone. Guys more so than girls often discuss finance and "what's going on in the market" I feel like the majority of them will end up on Wall Street. The girls are competitive with eachother and while many of them are driven, the majority of them will probably end up being hot soccer mom's who drive suburbans and have rich husbands. I feel that everyone out of Trinity will end up with a successful job in either New York or Boston. I do not feel like students are very politcally active or aware.

Kellie

There is very little diversity of any kind. Most people are rich white kids from New England. Large politically conservative population. Very few students are politically active.

Olivia

It's often joked about that most Trinity student's are from "outside of Boston". A lot of people are able to draw connections through friends and that's how many friendships start. When someone is from the west coast, people get excited. Trinity is one of those schools where the more outgoing you are, the easier it is.

Meghan

very fun. work hard and play hard.

Megan

most people dress appropriately when coming to class (i.e. not sweats or looking disheveled)-i think that is an important image to maintain, esp in showing the professors your respect for them. in many cases, i believe, the way you are dressed, is the way you are going to preform, if the professor makes it in to class, with a prepared lecture, the lesast the student body can do, is not look like they just rolled out of bed.

Rosie

Trinity students are often white and upper-class. Those that don't fall under these categories could feel out of place on campus. Most students dress in a very preppy, New England style. Most of Trinity's students are from the Northeast as well as California and several states in the Midwest, (i.e. Ohio and Minnesota).

tory

trinity's student body is not very diverse. it seems to be mostly white, preppy, wealthier kids. most of the minority students on campus pretty much stick together and have a separate world from the majority of trinity students. many of trinity students have similar backgrounds and interests which gives the image of not being very accepting of diversity.

Katie

I have not experienced anything racial or religious

Liz

Most of the students here are white. When I go out I see mostly white people. Trinity students definitely dress nice for class. Sweat pants and sweat shirts are not typical Trinity attire. Trinity students want to make a lot of money post college.

Ashton

Not diverse. There are always racial problems.... not the students fault, even though we end up being punished for mishaps.

Kristina

It seems like there are two different groups at Trinity, the large majority of 'typical' trinity kids, and then everyone else. The typical Trinity student is usually very economically stable. Students are generally preppy, athletic, and either went to private/boarding schools for high school or excellent public high schools. Boys wear whatever to class, ranging from sweat pants to khakis, they kind of have a typical 'new england' look (llbean, patagonia, polo, vineyard vines, sports gear). Girls tend to get more dressed up for class and spend a lot of time on appearance, even when they are in sweats they are cute looking sweats.

Charlie

Most of the students at Trinity seem to have a lot of money. I would feel very uncomfortable and out of place at Trinity if I had very little money. Everyone drives a very nice car and it is obvious that kids have money.

alyce

i think that it is evident that a majority of the campus comes from wealthy backgrounds and that a lot of students went to small private schools before they attended a small, private college.

Casey

There are definite groups based on socioeconomic factors.

Allison

I think there are some tolerance issues in terms of people being very close-minded and conservative.

Andy

People at Trinity really care about causes. People care about the environment, about race, about culture, about rape, about other people. Of course, there are those who don't care...but there are definitely a fair number of people who genuinely give a shit. There's preppy kids, artsy kids, science dorks (like me), religion buffs, history-lovers, religion nerds (like me), etc etc the list goes on. There's a huge range of interests. Students are predominantly liberal, but there are definitely conservatives. Trinity is no Wesleyan.

Ali

Trinity students are typically upper class students who have gone through private schooling through their entire life.. but you can definitely find people who break that norm. I am part of the Hillel on campus and have a good amount of Jewish friends here which I think is amazing. Students normally dress up to go to class although I wouldn't say I'd feel uncomfortable wearing sweats.

Antonia

artsy kids might initially have trouble here (i did) but there is a definite niche for them. it is definitely the alternative in sort of an underground way but there is a lot of closeness with in the smaller community. did i mention that the school is preppy? cause it is, majorly. guys have popped collars and girls wear strings of pearls. its practically a uniform.

Payden

no diversity non blond hair blue eye people/ people who arnt really pretty jenes shirts yes table- rich, blond, preppy table sporty, rich, pretty and fit table- african american, may not be as financialy fit as other tables table- jocks, partiers, only talk about weekends and games

Laura

Trinity's student body is very uniform. Most people dress up for class, while some are in scrubs because they are on their way to the gym. Usually the sports teams hang out together or maybe the sorority girls and fraternity boys hang out together. However, everyone is friends.

Sam

While the majority claims our school to be overly homophobic, racist, etc, I would not say that is entirely the case. The majority of students I have met are actually very open to other people, they just don't interact with them. It's a small school, and thus there are not large racial populations and LGBT populations. Overall, students are well off, financially conservative but socially liberal.

Jessica

Everyone here is white, the diversity is terrible. a good amount of people here are roman catholic (i am jewish-and not a fan of religion) but they dont act it. there is about 5 gay people here. everyone here is rich and shows/tells it. a black/ latino/ gay person would feel out of place. trinity is a very unaccepting place. most students at other colleges wear pjs or sweats to class but here everyone wears collered shirts and nice pants. who are you trying to impress?differnt types of students to not interact. trinity is very clicky. there are four tables in the dining hall--i do not eat in the dining hall. the food is inedible, not to mention filled with laxatives. most triinity students are from ct, ma, and ny. everyone here is rich. some students are politically aware but not enough. yes, people talk about how much they will earn one day.

Lindsey

I think there are some racial issues at Trinity, but I also think you will find those type of issues at most other schools as well. I don't think many people feel out of place at Trinity because there are so many different types of people on campus. Students wear all different kinds of clothes to class. Some people just wear sweatpants and others get pretty dressed up, but you'll find all different types of clothing on any given day. There are a lot of Trinity students from the New England area, but I have friends from California, Oregon, Illinois, India, Pakistan, and Hong Kong too.

Stephanie

Most students get dressed for class- not a sloppy student body, which goes along with the generally good-looking stereotype. Groups often don't mix. Mostly a higher socio-economic background. Students are generally knowledgeable about worldly and national issues.

Brittany

I think that Trinity has started to become more diverse place but it still isn't the most diverse school. I feel that some students would feel out of place if they were from an ethic background. Most students dress really nice for class. I would not describe Trinity as a place where many people wear sweatpants or sloppy clothes to class.

Kelly

The trinity community is not very tolerant. The student body is fairly homogeneous. People get pretty dressed up for classes and look very put together. A lot of people come from similar high schools or situations. A lot of students are conservative.

Katherine

Lots of diversity, but segregated. Can integrate yourself.

Lindsey

I feel that there are many different social groups on campus that do not mesh. Even if they do try and mesh, the stereotype is that they don't and thus, I believe this won't change. It's not that people of different races don't mix, its that people with similar interests just group together.

Kendall

Most students are from the suburbs of New York and Boston, and have previously attended relatively small high schools in those areas or boarding schools throughout the east coast.

julia

a lot of trinity students come from affluent families, but there is a pretty diverse mix of people. there is an equal mix of prep school kids and public school kids. religion is not really an issue on campus, though race has been in the past. you can tell which girls are freshman and which are seniors because the freshman get really dressed up for class, while the seniors dont care anymore. students are not very politically active, though they have been more recently with the upcoming election. money is a topic of conversation depending on what groups you run in, but it doesnt have to be.

jenny

I think while there are perceptions of wealthy, preppy students as a majority of the student body at Trinity, this is not really the case. As a result of sports, multiple majors, and a collection of students from all over the Country, Trinity offers many different domains that appeal to a diverse group of people, and thus creates an environment for different types of students to interact and develop commonalities.

Sarah

There have been a few racial issues on campus. Last year a forum was held to deal with these issues and I think/hope it was somewhat beneficial. From what I have heard from upperclassmen there is a greater amount of interaction between students of diverse backgrounds then there use to be. Most trinity students are from wealthy north eastern areas. My friends and I almost never talk about how much money we will learn but talk about what we would like to do.

Jesse

most kids look well dressed every day. You wont see a lot of peopel wearing sweats to class, unless they are going to the gym. Its also a really fit campus. Most people play a sport or stay in shape some how. Peopel are usualy really nice. not a very politically active campus.

Rachel

Most students dress up for class, which is different from the lax dress code of my high school. Coming from California was a shock, because the east coast atmosphere is more intense and formal than the west coast. Students are more moderate/conservative and slightly more competitive in classes and jobs.

Ashley

i know that racial diversity has been a big topic for debate, and i wouldn't know where to begin to make people feel more comfortable about the issue.

Katie

There is definitely a large majority of white students on campus, but I don't think that students are racists and if they are it is a small minority. Students that don't enjoy going out at night might find the social life a little boring. The students in the dining hall are pretty mixed, some people sit based on sports team, or group of friends, and some sit with other groups within the school, but they are mostly mixed in terms of race. It seem that the stereotype is that most people are rich but I think that it may only be a minority of people. I think people take into consideration how much they are going to make but I don't think people really talk about it a lot.

Lorie

I think there is a wide range of students here at Trinity, despite what stereotypes may suggest. In fact, for such a small student body, I remarkable that we have so many different races, religions, etc. represented.

Margot

As I said before I think everyone is pretty well represented at Trinity. You can find any type of student who you wish to hang out with. T

Emily

Trinity is a fairly homogeneous student body and it has been said that minority students constantly feel out of place.

Trinity

I think Trinity has received a bad reputation over the years for lacking diversity, but this is just not the case. We have a number of multicultural houses on campus and Pride Leaders who ensure that everyone feels comfortable and accepted into the social and academic realm. Aside from cultural diversity, we also have a wide diversity in interests on campus, with extracurricular groups ranging from the Chemistry Society to a Knitting Club. The great thing about having such a small student body and campus is that none of these groups can be exclusive; rather, people from each group interact on a daily basis, both in and out of the classroom. I think what we can improve is the image that Trinity has received. We can do this by continuing to accept a diverse incoming class and as an SAA, we can communicate with prospective students and let them understand the diversity that does exist at Trinity.

Cindy

trinity overall doesnt have a very open minded feel to it most students dress up for class dining hall is split into 2 differnt areas, one area is preodominately white and the other minorities students are definately very politically aware and active

Mark

Very non-diverse student body. Mostly white upper-middle class. Any students who are not familiar with Polo or Vineyard Vines may feel out of place. Most students wear polos, khakis, or anything that is in style. Rarely sweatpants. Most Trinity Studens are from Tri-State area or New England. Upper-middle class. Students sometimes talk about politics, but hardly a presence on campus. I find a majority are conservative. yes, student talk about that, and about their current family economic situations as well.

elizabeth

The uber-involved, active student might be frustrated in trying to get more than 10 people to attend his/her club meeting.

Gene

I think Trinity has a place for every type of student on campus. It really is a matter of how well they can accept the different people around them. The guy with a popped collar might be the coolest person you know, but he could also be good friends with the guy with blue hair and a nose ring.

Jordan

This campus is not overtly comfortable with racially, sexually, religiously "different" people. That being said, I have never had a problem and I have had multiple (4, to be exact) gay friends while at this college. Compared to my hometown, this college has much less diversity and even the minorities that are represented on campus are very much segregated from white students. I would say it is the school's biggest weakness, but Trinity recognizes that and has made significant steps to fix it.

Carver

Many students complain about classism at Trinity. There are many privileged individuals here but also many from less privileged backgrounds. The divide is noticeable and at times can be dividing. However, I give the school credit for recognizing that fact and altering their admissions practices and on campus activities to try and shrink the gap.