<p>I am a parent of a current high school senior who is very interested in trinity college in Hartford, CT. I always had a vague sense that trinity was a good school, like most of those NESCAC's. however, as i started to dig in, I am surprised to see that the rankings seem to be very inconsistent. usnwr and Forbes rank it pretty well, but it hardly appears on the barons ratings. in fact is is disturbingly low. I am very concerned. the other school he was looking at is Lehigh, but it is quite different. it is business course at Lehigh vs liberal arts at trinity. trinity is more expensive, so with such low ratings I struggle to see the value proposition over Lehigh. does anyone have any insights into the low nations rains? .</p>
<p>Trinity is a good school. Don’t base your judgment of Trin Coll on rankings because regardless of what they say, Trinity will always be a good school. Anyway, what on earth are Barron’s ratings? </p>
<p>If your son wants to study economics, all schools in NESCAC have strong, reputed programs. Bates, Bowdoin and Williams stand out, but Trinity is around there.</p>
<p>Trinity’s a great school. One of my top choices. The rankings all jump around. Their football team is the best in the NESCACs hands down.</p>
<p>Have you visited both schools? Trinity is a lovely campus but borders a ghetto. Lehigh borders a lower middle class smaller city. If safety is a concern you can research the police reports in both areas. Lafayette is a similar, slightly smaller school in a bit safer neighborhood. With similar stats, of he is interested in Business, consider U Richmond (if the South is possible). All of these schools strongly recommend ED or he may not get in even with stellar stats. My friends daughter is case in point, accepted to Cornell but Wait listed at Lehigh.</p>
<p>Economics is one of the strongest Trinity majors. With its great reputation, many students go on to either B School or Wall Street.</p>
<p>Im a junior at Trinity, and although were in an urban area Ive always felt safe walking around both on and off campus. I see campus safety officers around at all times, and I love that we have a shuttle to take us across campus late at night. Of course when youre in a city, safety is a concern, but I think that if you make smart choices and behave the way you would in any city, youll be just fine. </p>
<p>I actually really enjoy being in a city! I’ve had tons of opportunities for internships and community service that I don’t think I would have been exposed to at other schools, so I’m really glad to be in this location.</p>
<p>Visit Lafayette. It’s seems to be an up and coming place. I liked the campus and the overall vibe.</p>
<p>Actually my son was interested in both Trinity and Lehigh and viewed them as very similar from a reputational perspective. Both are very highly thought of by almost everyone. For his final three he had to choose between University of Rochester, Trinity and NYU. He choose Trinity primarily based upon campus size and comfort factors. Many Trinity kids go to financial firms. While they do not have a finance major if you look at the courses they have all of the courses there that you would take to be a finance major at other schools (LAC colleges call it Econ). BTW I was a finance professor who taught at major institutions</p>
<p>According to Bloomberg News, “Trinity is a pipeline to Wall Street.” It has a very rigorous and competitive economics department, as well as many other strong major. Visit Trinity, and see for yourself. It is a vibrant place offering amazing internships, a new innovation competition, and very strong academics. It has many new buildings, strong athletic teams, and a very committed and loyal alumni base. A student who works hard and takes advantage of all that Trinity has to offer will go very far in life.</p>
<p>I don’t doubt that the right student can find great opportunities at, and coming from, Trinity. However, the Bloomberg article you are likely referring to is “Wall Street Pipeline Trinity Sees President Resign.” If so, then you have put an unfair spin on it. Within the article there’s a credible assertion that Trinity’s “‘hedonistic’ culture and ‘lower levels of intellectual engagement’ are a turnoff for the academically-oriented applicants it’s seeking.” So the College appears to need a concerted reworking of its priorities before it will be attractive to the most intellectually serious students.</p>
<p>My post should have more properly concluded: “So the College appears to need a concerted reworking of its priorities before it will be attractive to many intellectually serious students, in relation to peer colleges.” However, this is merely what I consider to be a fair summary of the Bloomberg article and not my personal experience.</p>
<p>This was Ds #1 choice during our visits. Once I did more research about the surrounding areas I had her remove it from the list altogether. FWIW, out of 20 schools including one in Boston, one in NYC and one in DC, this is the only one I found unacceptable due to local crime. Just an FYI for those considering, not a bash on the school, which I think was a perfect match for her in every other way.</p>
<p>NEPatsGirl, looks like our kids are interested in the same schools: NEU, Umass, now Trinity. I excluded Trinity too, is on our list but not applied yet. I do not think I want to spent extra $ for application fee. We visited Trinity too, and surrounding was horrible, I mean neighborhood where school is. </p>
<p>Could you let us know more about the surrounding area? How does this impact crime on the campus? Thanks to those who have visited. This is on my D’s preliminary list.</p>
<p>This is an older article, but it will give you context within which to frame other responses: “Trinity College Leads Effort to Spark Hartford’s Renewal”/The New York Times.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.trincoll.edu/cs/weekly/Pages/default.aspx”>http://www.trincoll.edu/cs/weekly/Pages/default.aspx</a>
Please check this website. There is a Trinity College Daily crime log. Click on each day and every day there is larceny, theft, burglary, drug use on campus. These things going on on campus. Never mind drug use (if you S/D does not want to use, that’s their bussiness), but theft, burglary…sorry, nothing I can do to prevent that happening to my S/D. And that artical is 17 years old from merc81</p>
<p>As a current senior here, I would like to say the Hartford area is a pro rather than a con. There are tons of cultural opportunities and over 200 internships offered to Trinity students. It is about using your street smarts and being aware. Campus Safety is extremely visible and present on campus, they have security patrolling the boundaries every night and there is also a shuttle that runs nights in a loop around campus. The reality is, many students are graduating college these days and going to work in a city so it is nice to get that experience of living in one now. I have never felt unsafe walking around campus and I have really grown to love the Hartford area during my time here. </p>
<p>Thanks for posting that MHMdad, I meant to do it last night after my post. Too bad, the campus is beautiful and I can personally compare it to the other 16 we visited lol. I imagine there are good research and intern possibilities in Hartford as well, rounding it out as a good pick, other than the neighborhood 
Its funny because we ended up there unexpectedly…we were touring the Amherst area schools and were headed to Williams the next day when D asked if we could look at Trinity instead. I pulled out the map and figured it was close enough and thus we ended up there…now I wish we had gone to Williams instead (though it didn’t get put back on the list anyways).</p>
<p>Every college has some potential negatives that prospective students should be aware of. @TCStudent, I think you did a good job of pointing out the pros, which, for a student who takes advantage of them, seem considerable.</p>
<p>Surrounding area (i.e. within a mile of campus) is the capital of Connecticut and includes hospitals, legislative buildings, Bushnell Theater, Hartford Atheneum, Mark Twain House, major insurance companies and law firms, etc. All offer amazing internships, and unlike many schools, Trinity offers for credit internships during the school year. The surrounding area also offers opportunities for community service such as tutoring, mentoring, coaching, etc. </p>