<p>We have to get this forum going again.</p>
<p>Lets hear it! Why are you (or your child) choosing to apply to TU? It is such a fabulous school in a great city and I am really hoping my daughters get those acceptance letters. I would love to hear whatever you have to share about your decison to apply.</p>
<p>Hi historymom!</p>
<p>My d also has an application in to Trinity.</p>
<p>The academics look great and San Antonio is an appealing city (plus my d wants to be someplace warm!)</p>
<p>From the web site, it appears that students also have good opportunities for internships.</p>
<p>Since we are so far away, d will not have the chance to visit unless she is accepted, so we are eager to hear everyone's impressions.</p>
<p>I'll have to uncross my fingers momentarily to type this, but we're hoping for an acceptance as well. My D applied ED so we should hear by December 1. We visited Trinity, Southwestern and Austin College in Texas as well as some schools in the northeast this summer. We live in the Houston area, so it would be only a few hours away to San Antonio -- which is a really neat city from what I can see. The campus is nice, the dorms are great. And as the months between our visit and application season progressed, we continued to hear nothing but enthusiastic reports from people who had lived in SA, known someone who went there, knows someone who goes there now, etc. And people also said they thought it would be a really good fit for D. She says she can really see herself there and we all agree that it's a good size (about 2400 students) for her and would challenge (but not overwhelm) her academically. Well we'll find out what Trinity thinks soon...
Fendrock, I hope you'll have a chance to visit: we're in the nice time of year here as far as the climate. I honestly have nothing negative to say about Trinity.
(time to recross those fingers)</p>
<p>bblfraser,
What were your thoughts on Southwestern vs. Trinity? We are in the Houston area, but haven't had time to visit yet. Both schools are on DS's list.</p>
<p>We liked both of them. Southwestern is much smaller: about 1350 students (same size as Austin College as well). It's in a small town in proximity to Austin; it seemed like a nice little town. I would say Southwestern is probably D's second choice. But Trinity seemed to have more to offer her: city vs town, more course offerings (being a bigger school), more people (2400 -- her high school has about 2700). I know a number of graduates of Southwestern in our area, but Trinity seems to get such raves in conversation that I couldn't help but be impressed. Both of the schools are relatively new to me as we moved here from the east cost about 7 years ago. But Southwestern had a very nice feel to it so I hope you'll have a chance to see them for yourself to compare: they're not too far from each other, fortunately.</p>
<p>bblfraser,
What was your take on the frat scene at Trinity?</p>
<p>No data, really. Our tour guide belonged to a frat, but he didn't imply that it was the be all and end all of his life. He had other things he was involved with as well. I don't really have much to go on. The overall sense (again, not supported by a lot of data) was that greek life was there if you want it, but it isn't what rules the place. At least that's what we hope -- I'm not sure I see my daughter in a sorority, but if she's interested, she'll have it to check out. Sorry I don't have more to report. Any one else?</p>
<p>I never post but couldn't resist bragging about Trinity. My twins are freshmen and love it. I can't comment on the greek scene because they aren't really interested and live in a substance free dorm. I know that there are lots of parties if you interested, but lots of other activities if not. They have joined several organizations (political and volunteer) that they are interested in.</p>
<p>What has really been great about their freshmen experience is the amount of effort that goes into making the kids feel connected to the school and each other. The hall RA's do a fantastic job as mentors and social coordinators. There have been lots of group activities, even laundry parties, so the kids can become familiar with their new environment and each other. Their hall becomes a nice home base of friends. My kids roomate and suitemates are really great and diverse (only 1 other Texan out of 6 kids).</p>
<p>Academically the school is challenging, but the professors have been accessible. So far, Trinity has been everything we were hopeing for in a college experience and it's such a relief knowing they are happy.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the report. This isn't a high profile college nationally (relative to some of the other CC colleges) so it's great to hear a first hand account.</p>
<p>wow! I leave you all alone for a couple of days and the post count increases exponentially!!</p>
<p>bballfraser (is that base or basket btw? I have always wondered) fingers are crossed and positivie decision prayers/vibes are being sent in your D's direction. Best best best of luck!!!</p>
<p>cpqix: I can hunt up some greek/nightlife info for you.</p>
<p>tfermom: nice to see you again. It is so great to hear that your twins are having a wonderful experience. My own are fairly reserved socially so it is so good to know how much TU does to include everyone andmake them feel at home. Also good to know that there are sub-free choices for those who want them.</p>
<p>fendrock did your D apply ED? Best of luck to her as well. This is exciting. </p>
<p>My two are still waiting on those last ACT scores. Math is still a little low :( but I am hoping that even if these scores aren't on the mark the other strengths of their applications will conpensate.</p>
<p>from C011ege Pr0uu1er:</p>
<p>"On an average afternoon, at least three Greek organizations make themselves highly visible on campus just by wearing their jerseys collectively. The Greek system is not hugely popular at Trinity, only about 30 percent of the student body joins a fraternity or sorority, but at the same time, they are quite noticeable. Mostly, this is due to the fact that frat brothers and sorority sisters tend to hang out together. Large groupings of people all wearing the same color become a common sight; however, none of the sorority or fraternity members are terribly exclusive, and they rarely make non-Greeks feel out of place. Fraternities hold some of the better parties throughout the year that are open to everyone.</p>
<p>Trinity fraternities and sororities are not officially allowed to have their own houses, but there are a few near the school that are known to be rented exclusively by members of a certain fraternity. This makes it a popular place to hang out or party, especially for freshmen, since it is within walking distance. It seems that the more recent the sorority or fraternity pledge, the more intense their devotion is to the club, but older members still retain their loyalties, and are an important factor in passing along the Greek tradition to new rushees. While the Greek presence is felt on campus, it is never in an aggressive or opressive way, and the frats and sororities can be a great alternative for people seeking a place to feel at home. "</p>
<p>Thanks for the good wishes, historymom.
It's actually just bblfraser not bballfraser, but I guess it could be. We're rabid Red Sox fans. We watch basically every Red Sox game on MLB during the season. But I lived in Boston during the Larry Bird years and was pretty worked up about the Celtics back in the day. I got lured into watching the playoffs last year and could see it happening again. Maybe the Spurs could sway me over if I had a reason to be in the San Antonio area from time to time. <g></g></p>
<p>Ears perking up --"Substance free dorm?" At some schools the substance free dorm is considered to be "no fun." At other schools the substance free dorm is where the kids with drug problems live so they won't be tempted. From what you are saying, it sounds like Trinity's substance free dorm might be a good place to live.</p>
<p>historymom, my d applied EA. Here's hoping she has an answer shortly after Feb. 1! (and not the purgatory of deferment...)</p>
<p>I think I read somewhere (maybe livejournal?) that the substance free folk can be pretty rowdy at Trinity? Something about Swashbuckling, as I recall??</p>
<p>I’m not sure how the sub-free dorm is viewed by other students on campus, but mine are happy there. There are lots of specialized dorm options. They made the decision after a friend had a major issue with their roommate/suitemates over alcohol. I know their roommates/suitemates include several athletes and premed students who are pretty driven and prefer a substance free environment. They don’t volunteer much, in passing have mentioned going to parties and dances, both on and off campus. </p>
<p>I've also been impresssed with the guidance and help Trinity provides. One of mine is a biology major, he’s not sure what direction he wants to go with this, but Trinity offers so many resources to help those interested in the healthcare/medical field. They have special advising, tutoring groups, and hospital internships. Of course, it's up to the kids to take advantage of these opportunities.</p>
<p>Trinity isn’t perfect. On move in day, the weather was unbearably hot and humid, building up to a late afternoon thunderstorm. It was miserable even for a life long Texan, I felt so sorry for the girls with the flat ironed hair. Trinity’s claim “dorms like palaces” should include “unless you’re a freshman”. The freshman dorms are much older, but are roomy and perfectly fine. I actually prefer mine not have the most lux living conditions. </p>
<p>Good luck to everyone applying and wishing you large merit scholarships!</p>
<p>My D is a FY at Trinity, she is a pre-med student and is about 9-10 weeks into her first semester. Trinity seems to be meeting all her expectations. The thing that she mentions the most is that the faculty really are accessible as they "advertise". She wasn't sure this would be the case but they are always ready to help with questions, etc. She is taking 17 hours and is swamped most of the time but she still has had time to ride on the Equestrian club team and do a few out of town weekends. She is taking a program they offer called HUMA 1600 which is a 6 hours class writing workshop and Humanities. She has written about 12 papers over the 10 weeks in this class. She really is enjoying it, they have visiting faculty almost every week from Princeton, Rice, etc that lecture. Her dorm/suitemates seem to have been matched very well, even her entire hall seem to have a lot in common. Good luck on your college search, we are very happy with Trinity.</p>
<p>texas, one of the draws for one of my girls is the EQUESTRIAN CLUB!!!! How cool that you D participates. Mine would be bio/pre-vet majors and we have heard that the HUMA 1600 is the way to go. Not only the class but the dorm the huma 1600 students are assigned to is apparently top notch for FYs. </p>
<p>Thanks for the well wishes</p>
<p>tfermom: Do they really superscore the ACT? I didn't know any schools did that. TwinK got a very nice score in reading and a far better math ACT than the math SAT the first go around and the second time she was quite sure she did much better on science and eng. than the first time. It would be awesome if she were able to combine the best parts of both if it worked out in her favor. Which is the sub free dorm btw??</p>
<p>To the person that visited Austin and Trinity, what was your opinion of Austin College relative to Trinity?</p>
<p>historymom: Sorry it took me so long to respond, I've been out of town. Yes, they do superscore the ACT. Trinity does seem to consider the whole application for admissions as well as scholarships. Last year, we attended a Trinity program focusing on the admissions process. One thing they stressed was the importance of the essay. </p>
<p>The sub free dorm is Beze. </p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>RE: Trinity vs. Austin. Both are appealing schools that have a lot similar qualities. It was interesting, in visiting those two and Southwestern, they each indicated the other two schools as their competition when asked. I think there are two main differences: the size and the location. Austin C and Southwestern have about 1350 students vs 2400 at Trinity. Austin College, although it has some proximity to Dallas, is pretty remote: Trinity is in San Antonio. So a lot of the decision comes down to what sort of setting you want to be in. Smallish or smaller; urban vs small town. Hope that helps.</p>