Trinity: National Reputation?

<p>Hey guys, I am an international student and got admitted by Trinity with FA. So at this moment I am seriously considering attending Trinity for college education. </p>

<p>But I do have some concerns about its reputation as I could not simply get it from USNWR or some other ranking guides. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>Trinity is ranked #1 south Master's Universities, which Idk how competitive it is with other national universities/ liberal arts colleges. I am admitted by Villanova as well but without FA. I do know that Villanova is a very very good university, which ranks #1 in the north. So, is Trinity as good as Villanova?<br>
It's really disgusting that USNWR put the Master's Universities into 4 regions and make no comparison at all.</p></li>
<li><p>When I told my friend (both in the US and in my country) that I applid for Trinity, the first thing they came up was "Trinity college in Conneticut?"
So is Trinity University well-known? not only in Texas, but how about it's national reputation? Are students easy to find jobs outside Texas with a Trinity diploma?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>What do you think, guys?</p>

<p>I really appreciate your opinions.</p>

<p>I think its common knowledge that you should not just judge the quality of one school based on rankings alone. You will find a job somewhere as long as you have a good record in college. The name of your college will not get you the job neccesarily but it could tip the balance towards you if you attended a prestigious college. However, that’s not so important as holding a record of excellence in college. As for Trinity being well-known, I don’t think its so well-known on an international scale as is Harvard or Yale. However, it’s fairly well-known and recognized among alot of intelligent people I run across.</p>

<p>I live in Texas also, and Trinity is very highly regarded everywhere I turn. I’ve lived here about 9 years and moved from the northeast. And before I came here, I would have been one of those people who assumed you meant Trinity College in Connecticut as well. But I’ve been delighted with Trinity and so has (more important) my daughter. We’re not really worried about her having to “educate” prospective employers about her school – I think she will come away with a lot of great skills and learning. Good luck in your choices. It’s an exciting time in your life now, CiTreofa.</p>

<p>CIT- Is Trinity going to give you the ego boost as a commonly known prestigious university, no.
Is Trinity going to give you the opportunity for a solid education, yes.
Is Trinity a well respected college, yes, to those who know about it and know people who graduated from Trinity.
Who gave you $ to help you come to the US for an education, Trinity.
Research Trinity more fully, especially in the field of your intended major before you make a decision.</p>

<p>Sorry for taking so long to reply. Thank you all for the very good advice. I feel more convinced and confident to go to TU now.<br>
I understand that to evaluate a college is far beyond reputation and ranking, and what I need to find is a place where I could spend 4 years happily and worthy. </p>

<p>I will research trinity more fully (if time permits) and talk more specificly about Tu with some current students.</p>

<p>BTW, some majors I may be interested in are international relations, psychology and political science. Do anyone know about these majors in Trinity? </p>

<p>Thanks again.</p>

<p>I have just received a significant scholarship for Trinity, and I need some advise on how strong its pre-med program is.</p>

<p>My plan has been to study bioengineering, with a goal to become an MD, but would like to know what relatively similar paths Trinity could offer me.</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

<p>Trinity has always been regarded as a strong school for academics. I believe the school is second only to Rice if you were to rank the schools in Texas.</p>

<p>The US is a mobile nation and kids with degrees from schools all over the country are landing good jobs in all fields in all states. It is tougher right now for sure but a degree is a degree. Name recognition does open doors but it is the candidate who lands the job. A school like TU where internships, research ops and small classes are readily available is going to prepare a candidate as well or better than any other undergraduate institution. </p>

<p>And face it, most college have only regional name recognition. It is only the 2-3% most elite schools that are household names.</p>

<p>I just got home from bringing my D back from her first year at Trinity. After 2 days of packing and schlepping, I had the opportunity to see how her classmates/dorm buddies/sorority sisters have been faring. Wow. What a bunch of happy campers. And my D’s comments always seemed so positive – she loves being around all these “smart kids”. But it’s an unpretentious environment in which these kids flourish – not the pretentiousness I’ve encountered in some other settings of “smart kids”. My sense is that these students will graduate with the skills they will need to make it on their own up against graduates of better known schools. And, again, it’s not as if Trinity is an unknown commodity in Texas from what I have learned. Outside of Texas, perhaps they’ll be depending more on their skills and confidence – but they’ll have it!</p>

<p>@historymom</p>

<p>While I agree with you that it is the candidate that ultimately “lands the job,” I would have to say that the school opens the door 9 times out of 10 for undergraduate hires. Why? Because the companies and employers seeking out the best candidates are not going to be recruiting at every school in the nation. Those employers know where to go. In fact, many use internal quota systems saying they will take “x” many students from a school…or at least interview “x” many students from a school. That shifts the odds of getting the most sought after jobs, earning the highest average pay, with the greatest upward mobility in a profession over to the “right school.”</p>

<p>You will also find a school weighting system placed on graduate school admissions. So if you want to go to a top law school, med school or Phd program (and business school to a lesser degree)…get good grades at a well renowned undergraduate institution.</p>

<p>Now nothing is impossible. But its an uphill battle if you end up going to a lower tier state school, even if you have decent grades.</p>

<p>First of all we are talking about Trinity University, not

and while all of that may very well be true^^ my point is that the vast majority of college grads do not attend the handful of schools which have more than regional name recognition and they are not automatically fighting an uphill battle to get jobs any more or less than the Ivy grad.</p>

<p>Good friend has a D who graduated from Barnard in 09 B+ avg, sent out over 100 resume’s ended up as a nanny and will be going to law school in the fall. I know a young man who graduated from Colorado State and sent out a similar number of resume’s who is now living the life as a zip line operator in a resort community. They were the only ones who contacted him. A former student of mine attend CSU Fresno (yes a lower tier public) and is now at Harvard Law. My point is that it is tough all over and that even though it is harder to find work now than it has been in generations, attending a top school as an undergrad is not the automatic or only golden ticket.</p>

<p>It is statistically absurd to say that not attending a top school will result in difficulty in finding work or grad school placement. While I am sure there are firms who headhunt as you say, the vast majority of college students do not attend those colleges where they are recruiting and still somehow manage to make lives for themselves earning enough money to avoid being a drain on society.</p>

<p>Trinity is an awesome school which will open up plenty of doors. The fact that it is not HYPSM doesn’t mean its grads are doomed to an

</p>

<p>It seems you’ve disconnected my sentence when it should have remained connected. Trinity is an excellent school and NOTHING like a lower tier state school. I don’t know where it came out that I was comparing them as similar entities. On the contrary, I said that going to Trinity would enhance your chances of getting a highly sought after job because many highly sought after employers RECRUIT there. Just like they do at other well renowned academic schools. Will it guarantee you a job? No. But it often provides you with an opportunity to get your foot in the door. Fore example, do you think you’re on the same playing field if Merrill Lynch recruits analysts for their New York office at Trinity but doesn’t at Texas State and you attend Texas State? If you go to Texas State you will be facing an uphill battle for that job when you apply.</p>

<p>Furthermore, if you study up on any Top 50 law schools adcoms processes, you will learn that they place weighting on undergraduate institution. That means your grades will be a put into a formula that calculates your GPA times the weighting of your undergraduate institution times your LSAT score. There are certainly other soft factors, but that is the general rule of thumb.</p>

<p>You’re always going to see quite a few people that got into Harvard who don’t come from one of the usual suspects, but thats primarily because Harvard is one of the biggest law schools in the United States.</p>

<p>I never said that you couldn’t get a job or go to grad school if you went to a lower tier state school. I said that your chances of landing a sought after job or a GOOD grad school are greatly helped by attending a strong academic school for undergrad.</p>

<p>BK,</p>

<p>Like historymom, I was confused by your post, especially due to your post #7.
Thanks for comming back to clarify. Trinity prepares its students to succeed on many levels. It is very highly thought of by those who need to know.</p>

<p>Gloworm,</p>

<p>Sorry if I made any confusion. But I’d like to ask how my post #7 takes anything away from Trinity? It says that they are one of the top schools in Texas, and really second only to Rice. Thats a pretty good compliment when you’ve got some very well respected programs at UT, A&M and other liberal arts schools like Southwestern in the state.</p>

<p>Exactly.</p>

<p>Because of what you wrote in post #7, I gathered that you were not putting TU in the category of a lower school, but I’m glad you cleared up the confusion.</p>