We looked at Trinity with D1. Liked but did not love, but D would have applied if she had not gotten into her ED school. We were impressed with the students on the info session panel. Place seemed friendly and we thought the campus was very pretty and well kept. Agree, area surrounding is not the safest. In my neck of the woods it has a very solid reputation
@katliamom I believe that 1.4 Trillion dollars in national student debt suggests that the working class cannot afford State U (especially in PA). I kind of find it interesting in how the discussion has steered to how expensive college is just inevitable, and there is no rational way to control costs, all the while ignoring this massive debt. Has no one noticed how our culture has changed? TV commercials now reference student debt, weaving student debt into the everyday conversation. Why does this have to be normal?
The friend whose S who went to Hobart wanted to sail. S2 and I stopped on our way back from Maine college visits. Beautiful area, reminded me a lot of Northern Michigan. Friendly kids, I do remember that distinctly, but I do recall it seemed a tad pricey compared to what we pay in the Midwest. We are full pay but not so wealthy that $20,000 over 4 years is meaningful and with 3 kids a quarter of a mil was nothing to brush off.
Trinity’s high tuition does appear to convert to commensurate post-graduate earnings potential. Trinity places a solid third among the NESCAC LACs in comparative (*U.S. News[/i ]) salary data.
But is it because of the school, or because the scions of wealth who seem to be in abundance there are well connected enough to find high paying jobs regardless of what college they attend?
@momofthreeboys I know about 10 kids from the local prep school that have chosen Trinity. The draw is: preppy, sporty, and parent approved. These students are mostly very wealthy. 2-3 were less wealthy and offered merit - which they do give- and they happen to be top athletes in their sport. They are a D3 School so don’t do athletic scholarships, but there are ways around that with other merit and FA. The fact that the school is test optional is a draw also.
The super wealthy seem to value Trinity for it’s LAC attributes, alumni, and name recognition in their circles. So it’s worth it to them. Also, it’s the best school their kids were accepted to. The top tier college competition is fierce and the decent (but not great) unhooked wealthy white students are being shut out.
In the New York Times analysis (of 2395 colleges), Trinity ranks #1 in percent of their students that are from the Top 1% of family income:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/college-mobility/trinity-college-conn
@Portercat and @ucbalumnus – yes… the working class cannot afford the generic (i.e. non-public-Ivy) state U… in Pennsylvania and many other states. THAT is the issue we should be up in arms about… not that Trinity College costs $72K.
I am the parent of a current Trinity student. I am a little surprised by the tone of some of the comments on this thread.Yes, the tuition is extremely high. I cannot justify that. Yet Trinity gives out substantial merit and financial aid to top students from upper middle to lower income families. International students also receive a lot of merit aid. Trinity belongs to the Posse program and I think I remember a number of full-ride scholarships offered to worthy students from Hartford’s low-income areas.The college itself is excellent. Professors are qualified and accessible. Students may begin research in their first year. Paid internships in science and non-science areas are readily available in the summer with housing provided at no cost. Hartford may not be a big city but it is a vibrant state capital. Most Trinity students are committed to their studies and work hard.
@Lulee1: Just be aware that Trinity indeed was one of the charter-member colleges of Posse, but it choose to drop out of Posse in the past year.
@MinnesotaDadof3: Are you sure about that? Trinity just announced admission of Posse Scholars for Class of 2022. And Trinity President Berger-Sweeney received an award last year from Posse. I do know Trinity chose to end its affiliation with Questbridge Scholars.
Do you know why Trinity chose to drop its affiliation with Questbridge?
As others have stated. These Elite schools are usually Meets full need schools and their financial aid for the average middle class family brings the cost close to the state schools. The problem is not the cost it is trying to get admitted.
At one of our state schools, The College of New Jersey, the cost is now almost 30,000 a year including room and board. The most merit you get is 6000, with the average being closer to 3500 for better students. No other financial aid is given to most students based on family income. These top NESCAC Schools will get your cost at or sometimes better than our state school for the middle class family. Trinity, as well as the rest of the NESCAC, seem to have the strongest symbiotic relationship between academics and athletics nationally.
Trinity provides a very strong career path in finance. Has a presence on Wall Street with a strong alum network for internships.
As previously mentioned, the tragedy is not the cost of these type schools, but getting the average school counselor to promote these options to their bright, hard working, financial aid needed students.
Our son chose Trinity as he desired classic LAC and ability to participate in d3 athletics. While he did try initially to go to Amherst EDso did 7 other kids from his excellent high school and only 1 got in. The other 6 have to go somewhere and not everyone wants our state school with 40000 students. Once you start looking at the next “tier” of Nescacs and peers, many of the options are very rural. So while he had 4 other choices - Bates, Kenyon, Grinnell, and Conn College, Trinity seemed more vibrant and connected and he has done well. Yes 72k is ridiculous but many others will soon announce similar rates and the issue is not one for this specific excellent school, but the broader question of high price with high aid that makes it exhorbitant for full pay families.
Here’s the link to the Trinity Tripod article, from December 2016, about ending the Questbridge relationship:
That and LACs outside the elite tend to be highly regional in nature. I get that. I will say coming out of the Midwest with powerhouse engineering it was interesting to go visit the small school engineering programs in the NE. Interestingly the one that impressed me the most was Alfred but none of them were worth for us the extra money when the only attraction was small. Villanova was interesting but not compelling compared to Michigan Tech.
" That’s the definition of Veblen goods (demand increases with price rather than decreases as normal rules of economics would suggest)."
Right. We see this with services, too. Personal trainers, stylists, “obstetrician to the stars,” etc. And independent educational consultants, of course.
@jym626, but note that every single one of those southern schools you mentioned (including Duke, Vandy, Davidson, and Emory) give out some big merit scholarships to attract the caliber of students that they want. Duke’s and Davidson’s peers in the Northeast do not feel like they have to do that, and that’s because there is relatively greater demand for privates (or good OOS publics) in the Northeast. At pretty much every single one of the Ivy-equivalents (both RUs and LACs), even outside the Northeast (except for maybe Rice, which is 50% Texan), you’d see an overrepresentation of Northeastern kids.
@PurpleTitan - Not sure what your point is. My point was that not everyone in the S opts for big flagships. Some are willing to pay for southern smaller schools (including Rice, which we did, minus the NMF scholarship, outside scholarships and hid departmental scholarsips).
@jym626, my point, if you looked at my post #75, was that there was relatively greater demand for privates amongst Northeasterners than folks in other parts of the country (and yes, I know that there are indeed people in other parts of the country who prefer privates as well). I never said that Southerners only liked state schools.
Trinity is an island b/c it is a religious-based, more conservative LAC in a sea of liberal schools in the NE.
Your post #75 reads that people outside the NE who could pay for a private may opt for a state school. Your words.