<p>I am wondering what type of students are attending Trinity? My D believes that most kids there are really preppy. Is this true? We are trying to find out if this is a good fit for her. She comes from a very diverse high school/town in the Northeast and she doesn't want a school that is super preppy, big party scene or big frat scene.</p>
<p>Not the best match for her. Would suggest Oberlin, Wesleyan, Vassar, Smith, Bates.</p>
<p>Trinity students are very preppy, and can sometimes feel like what an ivy league institution might have been like in the mid-20th century. I would agree with nervedoctor in saying that those colleges would fit her better. I have been to Vassar, Oberlin, and Bates and it is apparent that their student bodies are significantly more in line with what your daughter and you are looking for. I would add College of Wooster to your list as well. This all being said, the students may be preppy and have preppy backgrounds, but that does not mean the student body is snobbish. There are very few of those students here, and those that are aren’t glorified in any way by the college or the student body.</p>
<p>Thank you. This is helpful. She has decided that it is too preppy for her. My other D is at Vassar and loves it. The others on your list are a little beyond her reach. We think Skidmore will be a good fit.</p>
<p>Im a student here and have always felt comfortable being myself, so I definitely don’t think that Trinity is just for preppy people and it disappoints me when I hear that stereotype. I think it’s easy to hear about a label or reputation without hearing how diverse the student body actually is, so I don’t think that your daughter would have a hard time at all. There are plenty of different things to do on campus and diverse groups to hang out with.</p>
<p>Skidmore is a good choice - maybe look at Bard also? I second the Bates suggestion and maybe look at Connecticut College and Hamilton College. Trinity is excellent in academics and I know several students that are science majors that are not preppy at all. Hopefully you can visit these schools, that really helps!</p>
<p>I think Trinity diversity should be great; they offer one of the best financial aids to international students. Is it right?</p>
<p>They have about 120 international students with financial aid. That amounts to just about 5% of the total undergraduate population. Of course there are internationals there who don’t need financial assistance, but not too many. However, I hardly think OP was referring primarily to international student diversity – that’s not all the diversity American institutions are hoping to create. Important to take note of socioeconomic, racial, sexual diversity and such. </p>
<p>OP, you should tell your daughter to look into Sarah Lawrence, Bard. I’m not quite sure about the extent of diversity there but they certainly lack frat culture and excessive partying.</p>
<p>Two more suggestions - Tufts and Brandeis - Brandeis especially is less ‘preppy’ and we know 3 people who were/are very happy there.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. We have a good friend who transferred from Conn College to Wesleyan because it was too preppy so D won’t apply there. Sarah Lawrence and Bard are too “out there” for her. Bates and Oberlin are too far and too cold. Tufts, Hamilton, Wesleyan are too much of a reach. I think Grinnell would be a good place for her but she doesn’t want to be in Iowa in the middle of nowhere. Yes - she is picky! Skidmore, Brandeis, American, UVM(where she just got in!), Dickinson, F&M, Gettysburg, Clark and Loyola Maryland made the final cut.</p>
<p>Dickinson, F&M and Gettysburg? Toss in Bucknell and you have cornered the market in Central Pennsylvania “Preppy!” Almost zero diversity in that group. All good schools, some even better than good, but none should be confused with having a diverse student body. Best of luck!</p>
<p>PS. Not sure about Dickinson but both F&M and Gettysburg are very big into Greek life and rely heavily on it for the social scene.</p>
<p>Both my husband and I went to F&M so we are very familiar with the student body and Greek scene there and at the other PA schools. It is one of the reasons those schools are not at the top of her list. However, there has been a lot of improvement in diversity and Greek life since we were there. And academically, they are all good, solid schools. It is very difficult to find schools without Greek life - I wish there were more of them.</p>
<p>Have you considered Ursinus or Muhlenberg? Both are equals academically to most on your list and neither have much Greek life. Best of luck to you!</p>
<p>If you’re looking for a school that can offer diversity I would advise noting the fact that Trinity’s in a city- I’m doing an internship next semester that I’m really excited about, because I’m going to be getting involved with kids in the Hartford community and can do more than I would in a small town. Our career center offers a lot of internship contacts in different areas, here’s the link if you’re interested. Just some food for thought!</p>
<p>[Internship</a> Directory](<a href=“http://www.trincoll.edu/Academics/CareerDevelopment/Students/internships/Pages/Internship-Directory.aspx]Internship”>http://www.trincoll.edu/Academics/CareerDevelopment/Students/internships/Pages/Internship-Directory.aspx)</p>
<p>All this hype about trinity being preppy is so untrue. My son is a freshman, we went shopping and spent a lot of money on so called preppy clothes. When he started school there, he discovered that there are only a handful of preppy kids. Most just wear sweats, jeans, shirts, shorts…money we did not need to spend on preppy clothes.</p>