Despite the elimination of exemptions from the annual Scholarship exams, the number of students who have registered has surpassed previous years.
The college has received 792 applications, of which 740 were received by the original deadline. Last year the College received 482 applications.
It was common belief that the removal of exemptions had dissuaded many students from applying. However the College has responded, saying, “this year the examination will take place considerably earlier than was previously the case and therefore the deadline for applications to sit the examination was also correspondingly much earlier than in the past. Given the significant changes in dates, and the fact that a number of potential applicants had missed the deadline, the deadline was extended by a number of days.” They continued, “this was a one-off recognition of this year’s particular circumstances and will not be repeated in future years.”
There was disappointment among students when it was announced that the exemptions were to be removed from the scholarship benefits. While the other benefits still remain, including rooms on campus and attending commons for free, the prospect of being exempt from summer exams were probably the most tempting invite to participate for many students who would not have considered this challenge otherwise.
The exam is a tradition as old as Trinity itself and is highly valued by both the College community and prospective employers as an example of students’ hard work and determination.
