Hott off the Press, by Karen A. Hott, May 2024

Celebrating 200 years of “preparing independent thinkers with purpose and pride,” Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, has around 2100 undergraduate students and a student-to-faculty ratio of 8:1. Though students hail from 47 different states and 86 countries, Trinity would like to see more engagement from their “backyard,” especially New Jersey and New York. Males and females are almost equally represented, with 51% female, 49% male, possibly because of the presence of engineering. (Most liberal arts colleges tend to be about 60% female.) 

In spite of its name, Trinity has no religious affiliation. The Office of Spiritual and Religious Life provides opportunities for worship in the chapel: Episcopal (the original affiliation), Jewish, Catholic, Islam, and interfaith services.

Trinity accepts only about 36% of applicants. The cost of attendance runs around $85K; 68% receive financial aid and scholarships. The Fiske Guide names human rights studies, engineering, economics, psychology, and neuroscience among Trinity’s strongest programs. In addition to listing academic programs, the course book includes interdisciplinary minors; students can also design their own interdisciplinary major.

The Trinity Plus curriculum

The Trinity Plus curriculum combines liberal arts with real-world learning experiences, such as research, internships, and community engagement. The surrounding community outside the campus looks rough–but rather than shut itself off from the problems of the capital city, Trinity purposefully engages with Hartford. Half study abroad during their four years. The Bantam Network (bantams are aggressive roosters, hence the mascot) places first-year students in small advisory groups to provide built-in support. Identity-based groups join together in cultural houses, such as the Black College Women’s Organization, Hillel House, Asian American House, and Latina house.

Metro Five: small liberal arts within cities

Trinity belongs to the Metro Five, five small liberal arts colleges located in cities: Trinity in Hartford, Connecticut; Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee; Lewis & Clark in Portland, Oregon; University of Richmond (Virginia); and Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. These colleges combine the close attention of a small liberal arts college with the opportunities afforded by a large urban area.

A personal note

Trinity College hosted a bedraggled busload of counselors from IECA on May 10, 2024. Because our bus broke down and we needed to switch buses, we had an abbreviated time at Trinity, but Matt Hyde, director of admissions and financial aid, made a point of saying that Trinity has been too quiet about itself for too long. I’m shouting: If you want to be in a city yet have a sense of community, to be known and to feel like you really belong, check out Trinity College.