<p>I will be attending Trinity this upcoming fall. However, I have not had the chance to visit and most likely will not until September. (I am attending b/c of the AWESOME financial aid I'm getting... which is pending :/ )</p>
<p>Anyways, I was wondering what your experience was like. I hope to major in neuroscience and have been invited to apply to ISP, as well as the Cities and European Studies Programs. Do you have any personal experience with these programs/majors/professors?</p>
<p>Moving on to "student life," what is it really like? Are the students racist or focused on forming cliques? (I am European, but southern European - Italian and Greek. Therefore, I look Hispanic/Mexican. Because I live in TX, where many Mexicans reside, everyone assumes I am. Since I have not been to the north before, where I have heard that there are less Mexicans, I was wondering if people would still partake me as one. I have nothing against Mexicans; I am just tired of being seen as one. What do you think?) </p>
<p>How much playing vs. working goes on for most students and science/pre-med hopefuls in particular? What's the social atmosphere like? Will I be surrounded by athletes? </p>
<p>Think from a southerner's view... Is the snow really THAT bad? I prefer the cold over heat, I think.</p>
<p>How are the dorm rooms? Especially community baths (which I hope not to despise)? What's the course work like? I already fear I will become overworked within a week. I am trying to accept that I may not make straight A's... and it's painful. </p>
<p>I know I have a lot of questions, so thank you in advance just for reading this. If you can answer even one, or have the time to relay back an experience of yours, please do. It would help me out so much!</p>
<p>My son also received yesterday an invitation to apply to the European studies program (Guided Studies), and he must let them know by March 25, before admissions. That invitation was separate from admissions, but he thinks it’s a good sign.</p>
<p>He’s talking with us about it, and we’re not exactly clear about the benefits of locking oneself into a set cluster of courses that is spread over two years. If one chooses NOT to do one of these “gateway” programs, is there just greater freedom of choice? Does anyone have thoughts about benefits/drawbacks?</p>
<p>@Mia,
My son comes from a large public high school in California that is as ethnically diverse as New York, if not more diverse. He’s Caucasian, but that group is a minority at his school. And the culture of the school is such that there is very little self-segregation on the campus, the kids mix together really well. At this school, no one would assume a native Spanish-speaker was Mexican, because there are so many diverse Central and South American nationalities. “Where is your family from?” is the usual question, followed by the answer, followed by: “Cool.” </p>
<p>I don’t know where my son will end up, but surely there will be other students at Trinity like him, who are pretty culturally aware and accepting.</p>
<p>Thanks, CalAlum. My school is the same, in that Caucasian is the minority. However, we are more self-segregated. I just hope the same isn’t at Trinity.</p>
<p>@CalAlum I am currently a student at Trinity. I also went to an incredibly diverse California public high school where Caucasians also happened to be about 22% of the population, and my dad is also a Cal alum! I can say that Trinity certainly does not meet that same level of objective diversity; while people talk about a perceived lack of social interaction across various socioeconomic/racial/other divides, I think a bunch of that talk is bunk. I’m on the perceived other side of at least the economic divide, and it’s really never mattered. just to answer your hope, yes, there are people like that at Trinity.</p>
<p>Glad to hear that, @way12 - my son’s high school sounds very similar, though it’s on the east coast, and I had wondering if that might be an issue at a school like Trinity.</p>
<p>If you’re a prospective neuroscience major, you might want to try ISP. It’s rigorous (no wonder ISP is also short for Intensive Sleep-deprivation Program) and also helps you get involved in lab research as early as second semester freshman year! If you are leaning towards the sciences, ISP would be a great fit because it helps you get the best out of Trinity by providing you with the best resources and making you aware of all that Trinity has to offer (esp in the sciences/engg). And the adviser is the best!</p>
<p>I don’t know much about sciences here, but I did the Guided Studies program and although it’s a solid program, I wouldn’t recommend it if you are interested in neuroscience. ISP is a better fit. Science and pre-med is hard no matter where you go. It’s going to be a rough time, but if it’s your interest and you’re committed to doing the work, you should be fine.</p>
<p>Trinity is pretty cliquey, because it’s such a small school. Although your average student is white, preppy, and wealthy, there’s still a variety of people. Yes, Trinity has racist/homophobic/sexist incidents about once a semester. Many students of color that I’ve talked to have reported feeling uncomfortable at least once at Trinity. I don’t want to make it seem like Trinity is a hostile place, but it’s just something to be aware of. Also, I don’t know if people would think you look Mexican. A lot of your social perception on campus depends more on how you self-identify and who your friends are. I would almost argue that socioeconomic class is a more distinct signifier than racial identity. It’s also apparent which people are international students, too. Cliques tend to form around these sorts of distinctions. There’s different social groups and organizations for students from diverse backgrounds, for different religious, national and ethnic communities. So if you identify with anything like that, there’s probably a place for you to meet similar people.</p>
<p>And yeah, the snow is miserable. It’s fun for a while, but ugh. It’s cold from October-April…so basically the only time it’s warm outside is the first and last month. </p>
<p>The dorms aren’t that horrible. Each freshman dorm has its unique characteristics. Most are doubles, but sometimes you get a single, or a quad. Little, Frobb are tiny, hot, located on Crescent Street (which is gross, far away and sometimes dangerous). north is just grimy and filled with drunk, loud people. Jones and Elton are pretty nice, though, and Jackson and Funston are the best. Don’t worry if you get a bad dorm, though, because it just means that the rest of your time at Trinity, you will have first pick of where you want to live in the housing lottery.</p>
<p>My daughter is in her sophomore year at Trin and really loves it! It has incredible academics and classes…as well as a diverse array of social life activities! My D2 got a single her freshman year in Jackson…now in a triple on Crescent St…Will go to Rome campus next fall and then eligible for really good housing after that!! A beautiful campus and incredible faculty…Fun football games, LAX games…fantastic restaurants in Hartford and West Hartford for the parents!! Greek life!! Gorgeous chapel…& quad…friends from all over the world, do not believe anyone who says it is not diverse!!! The size is perfect for my daughter,…I could not wish for a better fit!!</p>
<p>thanks to all of you guys, especially for the honesty! :)</p>
<p>i got into gstudies, cities, and ISP. for some reason, i’m hesitant about accepting my spot in ISP. (i kinda want in on the mafia fys lol)</p>
<p>@canering or anyone else: is socioeconomic class really obvious? i read somewhere that students dress up for class, and tend to spend thousands shopping in one day. although i think that the latter is an over-exaggeration, is the former? i’m not rich, and tend to just wear jeans and t-shirts - nothing fancy. will that make me stick out?</p>
<p>oh, and how is the neuroscience dept.? pre-med track, psychology and italian program, & architecture minor?</p>
<p>have you had any professors that are insanely awesome and would recommend to students? even if the subject isn’t something with science, are there any profs who you would say to a student, “before you leave, you have to take a class with___ !”</p>
<p>@mia12, I would recommend talking to the advisors of each program before making a decision on the FYS. ISP tends to have very motivated students (many presidential scholars) and a disproportionate amount of pre-med and neuroscience majors. These are the students you’ll find dominating the annual science symposiums.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about dressing up for class, a lot of girls do but you won’t stick out for not doing it.</p>
<p>I’ve never taken a class with the humanities professors, Vijay Prashad, but I’ve had a lot of students tell me to take a class with him before I graduate. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to so I can’t tell you much. Try ratemyprofessor.com</p>
<p>i studied abroad for a year in europe and had the time of my life! </p>
<p>Neuroscience is probably a good choice for premed. Many students work with Hartford Hospital and the Institute of Living across the street. My philosophy advisor was involved in neuroscience, and I took a neural engineering course in the engineering department. Neuroscience is pretty well supported at Trinity. I did also notice there’s a definite connection between ISP and the neuroscience major.</p>
<p>As for Italian, Trinity has a campus in a great spot in the middle of ancient Rome. I didn’t get to go as a student, but the location is awesome, especially if you’re interested in architecture too.</p>
<p>You can study there for a semester, a year, or a summer. I didn’t because I studied in London, but everyone who went loved it. I did visit and it is in a lovely spot, central to the city. Trinity has a small but strong Italian Studies program.</p>
<p>Be sure to take Professor Sam Kassow in the history department!</p>
<p>thank you! i really want to be a competitive applicant for pre-med (or grad school, depending) and have no idea how to go about it. i like to have a plan, and i don’t right now, i just want to take classes that appeal to be and have an awesome prof! :)</p>
<p>@aaron56, that definitely does! i checked out that site earlier, but some of the views were so conflicting that i didn’t take it very seriously. i wasn’t sure if some students just had grudges or honestly think that the prof sucks. i’ll look him up! </p>
<p>@TCEngr08, i had previously looked at the reqs for obtaining a neuroscience degree, saw that class, and decided i would definitely try to take it! i really want to take a few classes in italian, and possibly major in architecture. i wasn’t sure if i could study abroad for a year (vs. a semester) and still have all my pre-med reqs.</p>
<p>@TrinGrad, thanks for the link! i was thinking i may study abroad in Istanbul or a place close to other areas i would like to visit, including italy, greece, israel, london, and ireland.</p>
<p>reflecting on it now, i think i may want to do way too much… i wonder if i can fit it all in four years…</p>
<p>You aren’t planning on too much. If you take a look at all of the requirements, you can pack a lot into four years. There aren’t a ton of general requirements at Trinity. The 15 courses required for the neuroscience major aren’t even half of the minimum of 36 courses required for graduation. Subtract another 3 classes for the first-year seminar and language requirement, and maybe one more for a distribution requirement you wouldn’t have fulfilled anyways. That’s still 17 electives if you don’t have AP credit and only take the minimum number of courses. You can easily fit another major in there if you want, or spend a year abroad only taking electives, or get more depth in your major…</p>
<p>It’s good that you’re thinking about it now. You have a lot of great options if you plan for it. Do you know what else you’re considering for grad school? Even if you don’t, you have plenty of time to decide if you get going on prerequisites. All of the neuroscience and med school requirements are easy enough to find… For almost any grad school you probably also want to take calculus and some extra math. Start with all of that good stuff, and you’ll have plenty of time after you start to figure out what else to do. For what it’s worth, I double majored with honors in both philosophy and engineering and minored in models and data in four years.</p>
<p>I realized that, but, if I follow through with a pre-med track, it takes away more classes. Some of them are the same as the required classes for neuroscience, and others can be taken as an elective; however, I really don’t like them that much. I would rather take the neuroscience elective classes that interest me, so I think there will not be much overlap. (The classes I’m referring to are the ones that I saw Trinity says to take if you are to go to med school.)</p>
<p>I do have a question about the minimum courses required, now that you mention it. If I take 2 science courses, which each amount to 1.5 credits, does that fulfill 2 or 3 of the minimum courses?</p>
<p>I just don’t know how to plan for it! Haha. This is definitely driving me nuts. I’m just looking at the courses offered for Fall 2010 and have already begun to pull out my hair… :/</p>
<p>I wanted to do ISP so that I could decide whether or not I would want to go to med or grad school for neuroscience. But now, I’m thinking that med schools might want more diversity and that it will hurt me more than help me to do ISP rather than cities or gstudies. (Lately, they have all been saying that they are taking more students who don’t major in the sciences and show that they are more diverse.) </p>
<p>Thanks. That is encouraging </p>
<p>I’m not sure how familiar you are with these EC’s, but do you think I would be able to manage my science major while being involved in the Tripod, the Mock Trial Team, Fencing (maybe…), tons of volunteering, and maybe some random, small clubs thrown in their - like the Neuroscience club?</p>
<p>I asked my D at Trin again about the Italian program; she absolutely loves it. The professors are demanding yet friendly and easy to get along with…She has a minor in architecture in which she has to take a Studio Art, Art History classes, Drawing etc…This all fits in well for her junior year abroad in Rome…Prof. del Puopo (sp!) has taught many classes in Italian and is highly regarded, as is his wife…Homework completion is a must!! Trips to Italian restaurants are inlcluded on the agenda! Hint: when picking her Freshman Seminar my D2 chose Italian Culture as her #1 choice, was enrolled in the class and LOVED it! Usually the students in Freshman Seminar are all located in the same dorm, with the exception of my D2!! So if they offer it this year, take it! She gets A’s in her Italian classes…
One more hint that does not have anything to do with Ital. or Arch…: the Winter Ecology course is very popular for sophomores, they may have opened up 2 classes this semester?? The kids seem to love this; they went out in the woods and out on Conn River on a boat…It is fun to love science!!!</p>
<p>Some courses count as 1.5 credits, but most lab classes are 1.25. It is the credits, not classes, that have to add to 9 per year (last I checked). You don’t need to take 9 classes if 4 of your 8 are labs, or you take 3 labs and a gym class, or 2 semesters of calculus, etc.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry as much about impressing med schools with your course selection - they don’t care too much after you meet the requirements. Also, grad schools won’t be familiar with ISP or guided studies unless you explain it to them. Taking some courses in different departments will get you as much diversity as you want regardless of your freshman seminar. Grad schools, besides professional schools (including med) and rare other exceptions, don’t care at all about diversity. They just want depth in their field of study (and good recommendations, grades, and test scores). I think using ISP to test your interest in neuroscience etc is a great idea. I also recommend checking med school websites for their requirements in addition to using the Trinity guidelines. Requirements vary by school.</p>
<p>The Tripod can take as much of your time as you want. Anything else besides a frat or varsity sport really shouldn’t be enough of a commitment to distract you from studies. Most people are involved in clubs and sports and all of that good stuff.</p>
right now, i just want to take classes that appeal to be and have an awesome prof! :)</p>
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