Freya Giles shares her experience of choosing and living at Trinity

How did you choose the University of Melbourne and Trinity College?

I left high school at the end of 2020. I’m not going to go on about the impact of lockdowns on high school students because we’ve all heard that before. I had planned to travel to the UK and work in a cathedral boarding school in Chichester, helping teach the choir there. This all fell apart in July, so I had to quickly come up with another plan as university applications were fast approaching. I didn’t know yet what I wanted to study because I was an all-rounder at school and hadn’t thought too much about where I wanted to end up.

I decided on applying for a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne because of the flexibility the degree offered, and I was relieved to know that I would have a year or so to decide on my majors and could try out different subject areas.

I’m from Albury in New South Wales, so also applied for Wollongong and a few universities in Sydney and Canberra, but this was half-hearted as I had only ever really wanted to live and study in Melbourne. I have extended family here and it’s that bit closer to Albury.

Throughout high school I was always aware of older students who had left school and moved to Melbourne to go to a college. Formal dinners, trams, parties, and lots of new friends started appearing on their Instagram accounts and I ‘liked’ away, not fully understanding where they were or what college even was.

My school was helpful in informing us of accommodation and colleges around Melbourne, aware that as interstate students we would all need somewhere to live. Traditionally, we would take a school trip at the start of year 12 to come and look at the colleges but due to the pandemic I never got to do this.

Instead, I scoured the college websites and eventually decided that Trinity looked the best.

I knew I wanted to live in a community where I would have access to extracurricular activities, academic and wellbeing support, and wanted to be close to the university. Trinity’s website was the easiest to navigate, the photos of students and rooms looked inviting and neat, and I read that there were choirs and an all-girls a cappella group.

Trinity seemed like the perfect college for me.

How did you feel when you first arrived at Trinity?

I remember O-Week in my first year and feeling so absolutely overwhelmed. I wasn’t upset or scared, but I remember just feeling a lot all at once. I was super excited to be started college and meeting new people and to get involved in a new community, but I was not prepared for what I faced.

My high school was small, 50 kids in my year and I had been there since year 4. I knew everyone and felt entirely comfortable in my little Albury bubble. When I moved to Trinity, I felt like a tiny little fish in a giant ocean of overachieving incredible people who all knew each other and were all already settled in on the very first night. I now know this was my overthinking mind doing its best, and this was of course not the case and everyone else was freaking out too.

But I definitely found my first year at Trinity difficult as I tried to settle in and figure out what I was doing. I was so grateful for my lovely SC (student coordinator) and corridor, and everyone I met was so kind and friendly.

I got involved in many activities, putting my hand up for everything arts related. I found my first semester absolutely jam packed with the musical, choir, Candystripes (the women’s a cappella group), and fresher dance rehearsals, and I never gave myself a moment to truly connect with people and settle in.

I was welcomed and did thoroughly enjoy everything I was doing, but in hindsight, I wish I had slowed down to enjoy myself even more and appreciate what I was doing rather than always looking on to the next thing.

There are so many opportunities at Trinity and I made the most of them, but it’s easy to become overloaded doing things you think you should do rather than what you really should do. In second year, I cut back and kept a few commitments but spent a lot more time working on myself and my friendships, which turned out to be a lot more enjoyable.

What have you gotten involved in at Trinity?

Singing with the Candystripes as secretary in second year and president in third year has been my extracurricular highlight at Trinity. I love getting together with the girls and having a sing, a laugh, and bringing together wonderful performances for the rest of the college. For me, nothing beats the feeling of finishing a great song that you know you’ve worked hard on and are proud of and getting lovely feedback from the rest of the college.

I know now that college is all about balance.

Ultimately, we are all here to study for our degrees and live at college because we need somewhere to sleep. But college is so much more than a place to sleep. The many extracurricular activities on offer are a wonderful way to make friends and keep busy. The parties and events are lots of fun and a great way to meet new people and celebrate the wonderful lives we live.

Finding the right mix between being social and working hard and looking after yourself is something I think I only just started to get a hold of in third year. On the other hand, I could not imagine having half as much fun or being able to have made any of the wonderful friends I have now without the opportunities and experiences that I have had at Trinity.

How do you think Trinity has set you up for future success?

Apart from a home and a base for university, I also see Trinity as a community of likeminded young people coming together to make friends and form connections that we will carry through life. Everyone here is driven, passionate, and wants to be successful. We all work hard and love to do well, encouraging and pushing each other to succeed as well.

This was a mentality that wasn’t quite as noticeable in my cohort at school and upon arriving here, I felt like I had found my people. Trinity has set me up for future success in that it has given me the habits and motivations that will help me do well. I have been able to meet so many wonderful people and made plenty of great connections, both in person and on LinkedIn.

Would you recommend Trinity to other students?

Based on my own experience I would recommend Trinity to other students as I believe it’s a wonderful community where the academic, wellbeing, and social support is so helpful in making university a well-rounded and balanced experience.

My younger brother, Will (pictured), is now a student at Trinity too. After coming to visit me and hearing about everything I was getting up to, he decided that he wanted to have the same experience. I was so excited to hear that he wanted to apply because I knew it would be so fun to have him here with me and to know that he would be able to access all the same opportunities that I have. I now love going to meals and being able to check in and hang out with Will and have loved seeing him settle in and make friends.

I would suggest that if you are uncertain about a college, make the time to go and visit each one (or do a virtual tour) and make an informed decision. All colleges are fundamentally designed to help young people have fun and do well at university. Trinity certainly does this, but as it’s a large, high-achieving college where a lot is expected of you, it’s not for everyone, in the same way a smaller, more quiet college is also not for everyone.

Every student is different and is looking for a slightly different thing from their university experience. I know that Trinity has been truly wonderful for me, and I have thoroughly enjoyed my experiences here.

I wish the same happiness and enjoyment for everyone else thinking of coming to a college but would still recommend that they come and check out Trinity first.