<p>I am sure Thebuff91 is mostly right. This is probably a case of a few bad apples and isolated incidents. But, taken in context with the overall pattern of news about Trinity, it seems like those bad apples are gradually spoiling the barrel for a student population of whom the majority are probably quite normal, tolerant, and generous in spirit.</p>
<p>Initially Trinity was in my top 10 list to apply for fall 2014, as a well-ranked school that explicitly caters to non-traditional-age students like myself.</p>
<p>Then I read about all of this:
Muggings [WTNH</a> - String of muggings around Trinity College campus | WTNH.com Connecticut](<a href=“http://www.wtnh.com/news/hartford-cty/string-of-muggings-around-trinity-college-campus]WTNH”>http://www.wtnh.com/news/hartford-cty/string-of-muggings-around-trinity-college-campus)
Assorted racist incidents (which to their credit, the student body rallied against, on a campus not known for activism) [Trinity</a> Students Call For ‘Zero Tolerance Policy’ On Racist, Homophobic Incidents - Hartford Courant](<a href=“http://articles.courant.com/2011-04-26/news/hc-trinity-protest-0427-20110426_1_zero-tolerance-racist-incident-white-student]Trinity”>http://articles.courant.com/2011-04-26/news/hc-trinity-protest-0427-20110426_1_zero-tolerance-racist-incident-white-student)
Poor town/gown relations [Sad</a> City Hartford: Hartford College Students Invent New Slur](<a href=“http://sadcityhartford.blogspot.com/2011/04/hartford-college-students-invent-new.html]Sad”>Sad City Hartford: Hartford College Students Invent New Slur)
Serious fraternity-related injuries [Wall</a> Street Pipeline Trinity Sees President Resign - Bloomberg](<a href=“Bloomberg - Are you a robot?”>Bloomberg - Are you a robot?)
Sexual assualts [Hartford</a> PD investigating sexual assault at Trinity College - WFSB 3 Connecticut](<a href=“http://www.wfsb.com/story/23336559/hartford-pd-investigating-reported-sexual-assault-at-trinity-college]Hartford”>http://www.wfsb.com/story/23336559/hartford-pd-investigating-reported-sexual-assault-at-trinity-college)</p>
<p>…and the Student’s Guide To Colleges describes a culture of elitism, intellectual apathy, and social insularity.</p>
<p>Granted, you will find all of the above at any school in some small measure. But to find it all within the past couple of years, within such a small student body? I have a hard time believing that I could go there and find the culture of actively-practiced civility and insatiable inquiry that I would expect from a top liberal arts college.</p>
<p>That is disappointing, because the school rests upon a legitimate reputation for excellence. They’ve produced some great minds in the past, and I am sure they continue to do so. However, I also get the impression that a long, slow slump is underway. </p>
<p>I want to be at a school that implicitly challenges me, that calls me to a higher standard than I have ever yet set for myself. And I worry that at Trinity, I would <em>be</em> the higher standard.</p>
<p>I remain open to being disabused of that interpretation, because you can’t believe everything you read in the news or on the Internet. But at present, the weight of the evidence has me looking elsewhere.</p>