Prospective Int’l Students to Fly Here on Admissions’ Tab

KAT NAMON ’22
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

This November, a new program for prospective students will be made available through the Admissions Office. A fly-in aspect has been added to Preview Weekend, which is taking place the weekend of Nov. 4. The new addition will allow for easier access for students from all over the country, as well as international students, to see the campus and experience Trinity rather than only viewing the College through an online map.

The program is structured specifically around the experiences of first-generation students, international students, and students of color. The panels featured during the program will be run by current Trinity students of color, low-income international students, and first-generation college students. These Trinity students will help provide answers that come from experience and thus help prospective students better understand what their Trinity experiences have been like. Students who take part in the program will have the opportunity to stay overnight with a current student, have their meals on campus, choose a class to attend, interview an admissions officer, and experience a myriad of other opportunities focused on all aspects of life at the College. 

Due to the plethora of opportunities this program offers to prospective students, there is an application process that students must go through to be able to participate. The application is brief but is necessary for the Admissions Office, allowing admissions counselors to get a sense of which students are seriously considering attending the College, rather than those who may not. Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success Angel B. Perez stated, “one of the best ways for students to figure out whether or not they would feel comfortable at a college is to visit, stay overnight, eat the food, and engage with faculty and peers.” Perez added, “the students that have attended our programs in the past tend to apply, and if they are admitted, many enroll.”

Additionally, the application gives the Admissions Office a sense of who has the potential to be accepted to the institution in terms of academic standing. Regarding the application process, Perez stated, “our challenge is that there are many more students qualified than we actually have space for. We hate turning away students who want to visit us, but we have limited seats for the program. Either way, we are committed to a deeply individualized experience for each applicant on their journey through the Trinity College enrollment process.” 

The Admissions Office is also offering financial assistance to help cover the travel costs for students coming from around the world and  from across different parts of the country. A main concern of the Admissions Office in creating this program was to help limit the barriers for all prospective Trinity students, allowing as many people as possible to explore Trinity to the fullest, and the fly-in aspect for this upcoming Preview Weekend, Admissions hopes, will help them to achieve this.