Transfer, Retention Rates Stay Steady

Every year, anywhere from 12-18 students transfer out of Trinity and about 20-25 transfer in.According to Associate Dean of Students Ann Reuman, about 60 students per year come into her office and express an interest in leaving. However, this number seems normal to her and causes her no reason for alarm. "I don't know that I see any unusual things here," Reuman stated, who has been in charge of speaking to students interested in leaving Trinity for the last eight years.

Associate Director of Admissions Scott Herrmann-Keeling is in charge of dealing with students transferring into the College. "We had a total of 26 students enter the Trinity community by transfer between the Fall of 2005 and Spring of 2006 semesters," he said. "This number is pretty typical of what we've seen over the past few years."

According to Reuman, most students interested in leaving Trinity cite fairly normal concerns: many express interest in going to a bigger city, namely Boston, New York or Washington D.C.; some are interested in transferring to a school with a stronger academic reputation; others are looking for a program or major that Trinity does not offer.

In addition, the Dean noted that a certain number of students each year are looking to use Trinity as a "jumping stone" towards a more prestigious institution. "Some students come in and say that they got all A's last semester so they think that they belong at Yale," she said.

Although somewhere around 60 students express an interest in leaving Trinity each year, only about 12-18 actually transfer. Reuman believes that many students who are thinking about leaving are not involved in the Trinity community outside of the classroom. "Extracurricular activities are the real way for students to make friends," Reuman said.

Many students that Reuman encounters feel as though they are the only ones who do the activities that they do. This sense of isolation, Reuman suggested, is one of the main reasons for students to explore transferring.

According to Herrmann-Keeling, "Trinity attracts to different students for different reasons, and it is an option for transfers for many of the same reasons first-year applicants find us attractive (small liberal arts college in a major city, etc.). Many transfers started their careers at larger institutions and feel a bit lost," he explained. "Some have decided they need more challenge to their studies. Others find themselves not fitting in socially. Every case is a different story, and each must be evaluated with that sensitivity in mind."

According to Reuman, worldly events also influence how many people think about leaving Trinity at any given time. "After 9/11," she stated, "more and more students have been looking to go to bigger schools in cities in order to study international relations and international politics." In addition, Reuman noted that the amount of violence and indecent behavior on-campus can also increase the number of people who consider transferring. "Last semester, some students mentioned that the soccer game incident had made them think harder about transferring. And the amount of Campus Safety messages sent out at a particular time can also influence people's ideas about transferring," said Reuman.

One former Trinity student, who transferred out after her freshman year, echoes some of the Dean's ideas about why people transfer. This student, speaking anonymously, stated "To be honest, I don't know I would love the school I am at not so much if I had started out here. When I was a freshman in college, I didn't know what I wanted," she said. "Anyways, the reasons I officially left were because I was sick of drinking beer in the basement of Psi U every weekend, and I hated that the school was so small."

However, Hugh Livengood '07, a student who transferred from Trinity to Brown University, offers more poignant criticism of Trinity. Although repeatedly stating his academic respect and "love" for Trinity, Livengood highlighted some issues at the College that he thought were serious problems. "Although I found the Guided Studies program interesting and challenging, the typical Trinity class was simply not engaging. The problem lay not in the professors or material, but in the student body," he began. "Too often there was no student involvement or interest in the material. Apathy is a terrible thing to have in a college. In addition, too many of the students simply had different priorities about partying and socializing."

Livengood believes that he made the right decision to transfer. Although he does identify a few faults with Brown, Livengood states, "The main reason I transferred out of Trinity was to find a more rigorous academic curriculum, a more dedicated student body, and an environment that would better prepare me for the future . I am much happier [at Brown] than I was at Trinity. I look back at Trinity with fond memories but I know I made the right decision," he commented.

Alex Miller, a junior who transferred into Trinity from Fairfield University, was attracted to Trinity because of its academic reputation. "I felt that Trinity was a better school academically and that the people were so nice and welcoming," she said. Like Livengood, Miller believes she made the right choice in transferring.

Students interviewed by the Tripod seem to agree that being involved in extracurricular activities is an incentive to stay at Trinity.

Niko Harovas '08 said that he has thought about transferring, but has ultimately decided to stay at Trinity. "I am not going to transfer, the financial [problems] will not last forever, and have not directly affected me," said Harovas."Also, I am established here and I do not see my experience being significantly better anywhere else.Finally, I am also committed to the wrestling team here."David Maliniak '08 noted that "there are a lot of really great people here. I believe that if I didn't join Pike I would have transferred.