TrinTalk

This is the second post in the Prefrosh FAQ series, the first post can be found here: Prefrosh FAQ Part I.

I’m looking for more questions that anyone might have and would like to see posted here. If you have any, please feel free to contact us via the contact form, or post in the Anonymous Confession Board. I’ll try to go through the ACB and post some of the best threads that people might find useful in the near future. 

5. Is keeping a decent GPA difficult?

Most people say that if you do your work, go to class, and study at least a little bit you should do fine at Trinity. I think its pretty much true, it really can also depend on what kind of classes you’re taking and who your professors are. It’s always a good idea to check out RateMyProfessors.com to see what past students have thought about a particular professor. 

Niki Albino ‘10 says, “No I don’t think it’s difficult- you just need to put in the work.”

6. Laptops? 

Mac or PC will do, but I’d absolutely have a laptop at school. There really isn’t any advantage at Trinity to having either a Mac or PC as kids seem to have a pretty good mix of both on campus, and there are both in computer labs at the library, etc. The library and quads are wireless (although not always the best reception) so make sure you have a WiFi enabled laptop. 

7. How often do people leave campus?

Surprisingly little. Trinity is by-and-large not a “suitcase” school, meaning that the majority of students stay on campus through the weekend. This makes for a very large social scene and fun parties with most of the school out. People do often leave campus for errands and meals though, most students find having a car or a friend with a car more than handy. 

8. Can you have a microwave? 

Yep, and unlike other schools I don’t know of Trinity having a requirement on size of either microwaves or mini-fridges. Both come in very handy and are highly recommended. Target and Walmart sell both at pretty good prices if you’re in the market.

I noticed a lot of questions flocking into the Anonymous Confession Board regarding what to expect at Trinity, what to bring, etc. I had been planning on doing a “prepping” for college series to help new students learn from our mistakes, and at the same time help returning students remember things that might have been forgotten…again. I’ll do four questions a post, feel free to respond in the comments with questions you’d like to see in a future post, or with any questions about the answers.

1. Is the Trinity health plan really useful?

It is if you currently don’t have health care. Trinity requires that every student have health insurance and while most kids do, those that don’t have a low-cost insurance plan that is also pretty comprehensive from what I remember. It’s something that your parents would know more about, and probably something to consider.

2. Is diversity a huge issue at Trinity? As in, is segregation by background that apparent?

As a freshman last year I didn’t notice any intentional segregation based on race or economic class. Sure there were clicks, often times people of the same economic class or ethnicity, but that generally tends to be natural in my opinion. Of course, this is looking at it from the perspective of a white male, so others on campus might see things differently. I don’t think it’s anything to be concerned about, if you look and scrutinize the social culture at Trinity who knows, maybe you’ll see something you don’t like. John Poleto ‘11 agrees saying:

“Just because there may exist different groups based on race or class, it doesn’t mean that people are working to perpetuate existing racial or socioeconomic divisions; these probably just exist because people with common backgrounds tend to gravitate towards each other and form groups.”

Also check out the ongoing discussion about Racial/Class Divide at the Anonymous Confession Board.
3. Meal plans, should we trust that the quality of what we were fed during Registration weekend, will always be offered?

Ha! Food tends to get better on occasions that involve prospective students/potential donors, it’s the sad truth. As far as meal plans go, get flex either option, but flex none the less. I found that I usually didn’t spend all my meals on the 19-flex plan, and could have easily gotten away with 17-flex. Having the option of going somewhere other than Mather is so nice though, because the food isn’t always the best and there are usually huge lines.