<p>I would appreciate some honest answers. My D liked Trinity but we were both concerned with the surrounding area and the fact that it is an open campus about Security </p>
<p>Also she would probably do pre-med so would want to volunteer and have internships at Hartford Hospital ( would take a school shuttle but still pretty scary ) </p>
<p>Also , Greek life seems to be a big thing there - to a parent that says "drinking parties"
Is there much to do on the weekends that are clean fun on campus.... ?</p>
<p>Please answer honestly, my daughter has not been exposed to urban life.</p>
<p>I don’t have a kid there, but my cousin graduated from Trinity and I live near Hartford. Good school, but there are many schools that are just as good, if not better, in much, much better places to live! I would send my kid to Boston before Hartford. Too much happens there that is just not good! Same goes for Springfield, MA.
Have her look at Smith, or UMass Amherst. She could volunteer or intern at Cooley-Dickinson hospital in Northampton. Plenty of Boston schools are within walking distance of medical facilities.</p>
<p>Trying to get a handle on campus culture can help. For some colleges the kids don’t venture all that often “into town” or they have a neighborhood that is “theirs” and the campuses are fairly insular. Look for kids that make comments like “life in the bubble.” Then it doesn’t matter so much if the town is a negative because the kids simply don’t have much interactivity with the town and could be perfectly happy with a vibrant campus.</p>
<p>Of course if you’re looking at two colleges that are the “same” but one has a great town/gown synergy that is a definite tip and that will generally bubble up in student comments. Every college admissions will tell you they have a great college town etc. etc. so really listen to what the students are saying.</p>
<p>I’m not sure I should comment since I haven’t lived in the Hartford area for 16 years. My H was a physician at Hartford Hospital and we lived within walking distance for 3 years and then in a suburb of Hartford for 4 years. Both of my sons were born at Hartford Hospital. We loved the hospital and the people who worked there. I felt comfortable walking around during the day, but did not feel comfortable at night. </p>
<p>We moved to Hartford from Boston and I was the one who insisted we live in the city, as it appeared to be up and coming. When we left 3 years later it was going back downhill. I did not enjoy living in Hartford. My viewpoint back then was that it was not a vibrant city. There were areas that had undergone urban renewal, but you often had to walk through bad areas to get to them. It was a workday city, where people left after work, and didn’t come back until Monday morning. I still have family in the Hartford area and don’t hear talk of “going to Hartford” for outings (except to go to The Bushnell for a show). I hope I’m wrong, maybe things have improved.</p>
<p>Now the areas surrounding Hartford are wonderful. Lots of beautiful New England towns with lots of beautiful parks and places to hike. We were in the Farmington Valley and I loved living there.</p>
<p>Know lots of professors at Trinity. They say the drinking/drug culture is pervasive in part because there’s not much to do outside of the campus (bad neighborhood/hartford not too exciting.) So the kids stay on campus and drink/whatever, especially during the winter months. </p>
<p>That said, those same professors are pretty awesome people. I think the school offers a very good education by some very dedicated professors.</p>
<p>It was a dump, is a dump and always will be a dump. I wouldn’t send my kid there. The big “entertainment” is going to West Farms Mall and Blue Back Square in West Hartford.</p>
<p>I don’t hear a lot, but what I hear is that there is a LOT of drinking. Really a lot. Not more than similar schools (Williams, etc. there - there isn’t even a mall to go to!), but a lot. </p>
<p>If big drinking is really an issue you want to avoid, and are looking for good science/pre-med prep, Smith (or, really, any of the better women’s colleges) would be a better bet.</p>