Jessica Thompson | Guest Writer
Trinners is for winners. At least, that’s what I heard someone squeal girlishly back in Leaving Cert year, which was oh so long ago. She was offered her chosen course in Trinity and then dropped out. Does that mean she was no longer a winner?
Here in Galway, we pass little heed on Dublin colleges. We live our own lives, comfortable in our own shoes, without the need to wear scarves that show off what university we go to. We don’t have the urge to brag about where we study – we don’t worry about what others think.
Our opinions of Trinity College vary. Most of us see it as just another college: “I don’t see how it’s any better than NUI Galway or anywhere else. I think for some, saying that they are in Trinity is a status symbol. Entry requirements are the same as other colleges, student life is the same – a load of hype about nothing if you ask me,” said Lyndsay Hughes, who spent four years studying in Trinity before she moved to NUI Galway – surely she’d know?
“I’ve met students just as pompous, egotistical and competitive here at NUI Galway. I think it’s just that the ratio of stereotypical academically-gifted, socially-inept students is greater in Trinners than here in Galway. I like their scarves though – NUIG men should wear scarves more often,” said Jenna Hodgins, suggesting that there is a certain elitist attitude among some of the Trinity students.
You can’t deny Trinity has a reputation for being elitist, high class and, quite frankly, posh. But with the number of students attending the college, surely there’s only a certain percentage that fits into that description?
Michael, who spent two years in Trinity, suggests that “there are genuinely nice people, who are not at all stuck up or elitist. However, there is a minority who give the place a bad name.” He goes on to say, “I think that pretty much everyone in the country has this perception of people who go to Trinity as snobs, and that someone who goes to Trinity fancies himself or herself as better than them. I think the Irish media and the Irish people have a general animosity for the place because of its Protestant history, but that really shouldn’t still be an issue.” He does add in that “in my two years there I never heard people mention that Trinity is a great place to study, or Trinity does this really well. In fact, Trinity is quite far behind colleges like UCD or NUIG with regards to services like blackboard.”
One NUI Galway student said, “the Trinity students that I have met seem a bit uptight and highly competitive – like the opposite of the laidback vibe that we have at NUI Galway.”
When NUI Galway students were asked their thoughts on Trinity College, words like ‘posh’, ‘fake’, ‘elitist’ and ‘snobs’ were thrown around, with a few phrases such as ‘up their own holes’ tossed in for good measure.
“Everyone has a grá for their own college, but I’ve heard one or two people say things like ‘that’s such an impressive degree… especially from Trinity’ – but never from anyone who didn’t actually go to Trinity,” one student said.
“When I went to UCD I was always told that going to Trinity puts you ahead on the international stage because the name is known. However, you can’t get a job in Dublin because nobody wants to listen to you,” said another, adding a very important fact: “NB: no longer true; now nobody gets jobs.”
There are some students who know Trinity College as a tourist spot in Dublin: “Isn’t TCD the ‘Harvard’ of Ireland?” asked one student. No, good sir, it is not.
“The place has a bit of a Hogwarts vibe when you visit their Manuscripts Department. Most people can probably avoid that place, though,” said another.
He was soon answered by a third student visiting NUI Galway from the US; “The tourist in me can’t wait to visit TCD to see the Book of Kells. But for school and atmosphere, I’d rather be in Galway than Dublin.” Yes, so would we.
“It’s really the mix of the elitist Dublin attitude, the Protestant background, mixed with the artsy courses that gives Trinity the stigma of being a posh college stereotype. But in the end, it’s just another university… that happens to have nicer, non-soviet-style buildings, unlike NUIG and UCD,” said Michael Finn, a DCU graduate currently doing a Masters in NUI Galway.
The general NUI Galway attitude towards Trinners is indifference. Nobody cares. Almost all opinions end with “but it’s no different to any other university” or “they’re just the same”.
Trinity has no relevance to us, so why should we care about Trinity? Perhaps Trinity should stop caring about what other colleges think about it because maybe – just maybe – the other colleges aren’t thinking about it at all.
Now there’s a thought.
