<p>College visit 10-18-07, with overnight visit for S
wow! I had read up on the reviews. They are correct about: the great dorm rooms (come with a fridge & micro wave, were 30% larger than my sons dorm at WashU StL). The campus is pretty. their HUGE endowment shows in the tuition rate, buildings (amazing library for size and comfort). soccer field grass, and supposedly with the faculty (no first hand expertise on this one but the students overall liked the professors), merit money. There is a large retail/restaurant area called the Quarry just 5 minutes from campus. Restaurants include a very good Canyon Cafe and Stoneworks, plus chains of Chilis, Jonathan _____(?), PF Chang, and a couple of others that I cannot recall, shops vary from Mattress Firm, OfficeMax, Bed Bath & Beyond, Ann Taylor and many more, movie complex with 10 screens! And, 2-minutes away is the Quarry Golf Course- very nice and the back nine is designed around a real rock quarry. Downtown with Riverwalk is about 15 minutes away. No metro or subway but that not Trinity's fault . . . food received great reviews. While strolling around campus, you had no idea that the airport was a mere 10 minutes away or that the 6th largest metro area was 12- 20 minutes away. Quiet. I asked the proverbial question, what would you change at Trinity to 3 boys- they paused for a minute or 2 before agreeing, "life was good". Most students take 5 classes a semester, graduate in 4 years, and say that studying 2-4+ hours nightly during the week based on your major was necessary. Overseas options are huge; they use any program in the US. If you want to study in Prague, with English given classes, they'll hook you up. Party atmosphere supported by the very local fraternities, about 30% join. Otherwise, seemed moderate as a party place. Sports a bit more student attended for a D3 (especially soccer) as they have several nationally ranked teams. Student body looked fairly diverse, and normal. Yes, 66% come from the huge state of Texas, but you wouldnt know/feel that from walking around campus. (FYI, they are serious about attracting more students from outside of Texas as well as internationals!) </p>
<p>The Career placement office has a new director. Seems enthusiastic. Like many LACs, they depend on alumni networking. Biggest challenge is the usual challenge to get the kids interested in leaving their bubble to begin focusing on life after college and USE their resources. San Antonio does have some built in advantages for internships. (Warning: summers are rather warm/hot.)</p>
<p>As a first time traveler to Texas, no less San Antonio, I was pleasantly surprised! No obvious Country music, southern drawl, big belt buckles, cowboy boots etc. Met lots of nice folks on and off campus. San Antonio has a spread out mid sized city feel to it. So does the airport. For the students and locals, the city is a nice resource. You venture into it for specific events. The campus and city seemed as if it could have been located in Indiana, Ohio or Illinois except for the warmer weather-year-round! </p>
<p>Overall, very impressed for anyone looking for an LAC and/or south of the Mason-Dixon line. Like a lot of schools (incl. the aforementioned WashU), Trinity University does not have a huge name brand recognition. But, I wouldnt let that from discouraging your interest. Its a wonderful college. I can see why many students that apply to WashU also apply to Trinity University.</p>