<p>We are in the decision month! I invite different viewpoints on choosing between a Masters University and a nationally ranked Reaearch University for 'undergraduation'. Case too touts smaller class sizes taught by professors etc. On the other hand, they say, 'don't bother too much about big names for undergraduation', but 'focus on the college experience'.</p>
<p>Hi, just wanted to say that I made the choice of Trinity over Case Western. There are many differences between the too, but in terms of getting a good undergraduate education, both are wonderful. Trinity also has very small class sizes taught by professors, though the beginning science lecture classes, of course, are larger. </p>
<p>For me, environment was the deciding factor, both in terms of weather, residential life, and in terms of the college size. Trinity can sometimes feel as small as my high school, but the campus is so big full of opportunities that it's completely different. Case may have a more differentiated student population, but I see all types of people at Trinity as well. The professors here are great, and I was surprised when I first got here how polite everyone is--holding doors open, saying pleases and thank yous, just being considerate. So those are my thoughts on Case Western and Trinity U.</p>
<p>Omg,Your stats are awsome! You ignored chicago and Grinnel to opt for Trinity. What was the deciding factor? Is it financial aid? Thanks.</p>
<p>Yeah, it was mostly financial aid, though my parents told me not to worry about that. I visited Trinity, and even though the overnight stay didn't impress me very much, I really really loved the campus and the teachers I met.
Of course, U. of Chicago was really tempting, but I realized I just wanted to go there because it's prestigious. If I had actually gone, it would have been a lot of money and a lot of pressure. And a lot of cold weather.</p>
<p>On the other hand, Grinnell is completely awesome about financial aid. I emailed them about a certain family situation that prevented me from filling out the correct forms, and when they got the email they immediately awarded me good-sized grant. For Grinnell or Trinity, I really don't remember how I decided. Probably weather.</p>
<p>Trinity might not have much prestige or the best academic standing in comparison to big name schools, but this college prepares you incredibly well for whatever you want to do after graduation. Here at Trinity, it's up to you how much you get out of your education and what you do with it. Nobody's going to force you to work hard, and you probably wont even fail if you don't. However, if you do good work you'll get a lot further and many more doors will open.</p>
<p>Sorry, my answer is too long. ^^</p>
<p>O my god dude! I would actually sell my soul just to go to Uchicago! Seriously if I would have gotten in I would have sold my house to go to Uchicago</p>
<p>After visiting Case this summer with our son (rising senior) we got the sense that their intro classes can be quite large (300 to 400). That is quite different from Trinity’s intro classes which I believe are half that size or smaller. Also Case doesn’t at all share the intimate, supportive, friendly campus vibe that Trinity has. Case’s freshman dorms are remote from the classrooms. Case’s social scene, such as it is, seems to revolve around the Greek system. Its students seem far more focused on academics than at Trinity and less inclined to have significant other interests or strong social lives. And as between Cleveland and San Antonio, for us it is not a close call. After visiting, our son has decided to take Case off his list. Trinity is still on it.</p>
<p>niceday: could you clarify, did you say Trinity intro science classes can be 100-150 in size? !</p>
<p>My notes from our visit say that a few of the really popular intro classes can be quite large. From what I recall they were in the 80-100 range, not 150, but in any event much too large for any meaningful discussion or personal attention from the professor. </p>
<p>Trinity attracts a lot of students who start out thinking they will be pre-med or engineering. This leads to large intro courses in the sciences. As they progress, many students change direction either because they aren’t up to the challenge or they find a new passion. So, classes get smaller after freshman year as students spread out among the various majors. </p>
<p>Another factor that plays into this mix is transfers. We ran into a Trinity engineering student once during a summer trip who told us several of his good friends were transferring out of Trinity to an ‘easier’ school because they wanted to stick with engineering but could not achieve a high enough GPA at Trinity to be in the running for good engineering jobs.</p>
<p>According to the latest CDS (2009), Trinity had exactly one (1) class that Fall with 100 or more students. Only one. You can find all the pertinent data on the website under Institutional Research.</p>
<p>It is a challenging school. A’s are earned, not “given”. Merit scholarships come attached to a 3.00 GPA. Many students don’t realize until they are there that that means working hard!</p>