You are nearing high school graduation and already you are eying the university where you will pursue your desired major. If you live in Florida, you have many colleges to apply to. Rollins College is one of the best choices for you.
However, it’s never as easy as simply handing in an admission slip to enroll in a college. They have to accept you first, and colleges like Rollins College have more than one reason to be selective about who gets to enroll. But how hard is it to get into Rollins College? Let’s find out.
What is Rollins College Known For?
What is Rollins College Known For?Rollins College is Winter Park, Florida’s finest college. This small private school has the credible distinction of being Florida’s fourth oldest university; independent, nonsectarian (which means it is unrelated to any particular religious group), and coeducational from the start. As a liberal arts college, it focuses the most on undergraduate programs in the arts, business, communication, and music, among other forms of learning.
Rollins College’s campus is a relatively small one. It is around 70-80 acres, less than a quarter of a square mile. For comparison, Augusta University is a university in Augusta, Georgia. While it doesn’t have quite the prestige or history as Rollins College does, it does have multiple campuses, with its main campus being over 200 acres of land. However, what Rollins College may lack in size, it makes up for in content and style.
The campus is known for its Spanish and Mediterranean-style architecture, a rarity in the United States. The buildings on this campus have their history on top of what they teach their students:
- The Pugsley and Mayflower Halls, created in 1931, were created to make a dormitory for women, the latter being named after the Pilgrim ship, the Mayflower. Chase Hall exists as a male dormitory as well.
- The Peace Monument was erected on Armistice Day, a landmark famous enough to be featured in the New York Times in 2000.
- Olin Library is Rollins College’s signature library. Its collection is one of the oldest in Central Florida, and its Carnegie Library is one of the original 14 libraries in Florida funded by Andrew Carnegie. In 2021, it established the Rollins Book Arts Collection, which supports the college’s history of liberal education.
Rollins College gives the impression of a small but intimate college where you can become very accustomed to the students and faculty there. Typically, those universities and colleges are no slouches to get into, and Rollins College is not an exception any time soon.
But before we can get into exactly how difficult it is to get into Rollins College, we shall start with how well Rollins College is ranked, giving you an idea of how other people and institutions see the college and inform you of Rollins College’s standing among other colleges.
How Does Rollins College Ranked?
Rollins College is a college of many different achievements. If you are interested in whether Rollins College is a college that can back up its high credit, don’t worry because it does.
Rollins College has many accomplishments besides when it was first created. The college earned first in the U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Regional Universities South Rankings” ranking in 2021 while taking first in “Best Undergraduate Teaching ” the same year.
Finally, Rollins was named one of the top producers of Fullbright Scholars—a program for cultural exchange programs that aims to improve intercultural relations and competence—among colleges that grant masters.
Rollins College achieved these awards and distinctions with a relatively small student base, with only a little over 3,000 students attending as of 2018.
A college with an impressive set of accomplishments like those listed above must mean that Rollins College is selective in the kind of students they accept. But is Rollins College hard to get into? If so, how hard is it?
Is Rollins College Hard To Get Into?
How hard is it to get into Rollins College? That is the central question on your mind. To answer this question simply, it isn’t easy to get into Rollins College. The specifics of such a claim are elaborated on later in the article, but let it be known that it will not be an easy time if you are interested in the college.
To give a first good impression of how difficult it is to get into Rollins College, we shall give you the acceptance rate and what it means that it is so comparatively low.
What is the Acceptance Rate at Rollins College?
Rollins College’s acceptance rate is 48.7%. The average acceptance rate in America is 68%. Comparing the two, it is clear that the acceptance rate is well below average; less than half of the students will have their applications turned into acceptance letters. This means that Rollins is a very competitive college.
We can give you an idea of what it will take to get into Rollins College. We have outlined why the college might be so challenging, and giving the acceptance rate is concrete proof of how difficult it is. However, while the acceptance rate is below average and is evidence of a competitive college, this does not mean it is impossible to enter.
How to Get Into Rollins College?
What will a student need to have to get into Rollins College? We will go over the primary requirements, followed by the additional considerations. You will find that many of the requirements are similar to what other colleges and universities have, namely, proof of a student’s academic prowess, transcripts and forms, and additional considerations such as letters of recommendation and extracurricular activities.
First is the completed admissions form itself. It is not difficult to get and send in, nor does it have any particular impact on one’s chances of getting accepted besides being what you need to attempt admission.
Next is a personal statement. A personal statement is a letter o essay that is unique to you: Rollins College wants to get to know a potential student on a personal level, and writing down a personal statement helps in this regard.
An official high school transcript, proof that a student had completed high school before sending in their admission, is also required; that, or a copy of a GED. What kind of GPA does Rollins College accept? The average GPA, according to PrepScholar, is 3.3, which is not an exceptionally high score. This means that Rollins would accept below-average students.
We have reached the end of the hard requirements, but there are additional forms that a student can send in that increase their chances of acceptance, such as a letter of recommendation from a teacher or other academic reference, as well as their SAT or ACT scores. Rollins College is test-optional, which means that if a student demonstrates that they perform well in classes, such as having a B+ or A- GPA or higher, but not so well in standardized tests, the latter requirement will be waived entirely.
By now, you should have a fuller idea of how hard it is to get into Rollins College. You must be more interested in what you can do to improve your chances. Thankfully, we have a few tips that will help you.
3 Tips to Improve Your Chances of Getting Accepted at Rollins College
For the last few sections of the article, we have crafted together an idea of how difficult it is to get into Rollins College: the requirements, the standards, the tuition, etc. These details are daunting for some students. If you find yourself an exception, that these details do not deter you from applying, then take note of these three useful tips.
Study and Improve Academically
If you ever want to get into any college, it is common sense that you need the academic prowess to back up your admission form.
Rollins College expects high GPAs from its applicants and high SAT and ACT scores if you are willing to include them. The latter scores are more manageable to present than the former, as you can retake the SATs and ACTs as many times as you want. However, getting a good GPA demands rigorous study and test-taking skills. If you are not taking your study seriously, now is an excellent time to start. Rollins College is not going to accept any less than the best!
Complete Your Understanding of Rollins College by Getting in Contact With Staff and Students
It is not inherently intuitive for applicants to ask and speak with figures important to their chances of getting into the college they want. Students tend to think of a college as physically untouchable until they join, but the people involved are simply people who are happy to give anyone who asks an idea of what it is like to attend the college.
If there are specific details that you want to know about Rollins College, such as what sort of courses they give or how difficult they are, contacting the professors and staff through email or the contact information readily available on the college’s website helps. You can contact students currently enrolled or who have already graduated about their experiences, including how difficult it was for them to get their acceptance letters. Finally, there is a wealth of information on Rollins College’s website and other websites such as Cappex and PrepScholar. Get ahead of the competition by being as prepared as possible.
Submit Your Application on Time
Our final piece of advice may be obvious when you read it, but many students complicate their application by applying too late or far too early for their enrollment.
Rollins College, like any college, has deadlines for admission. Rollins College also makes use of Early Decision, where students can apply earlier than the standard deadline. Early Decision is perhaps more competitive than the standard admission, but if you feel your chances of acceptance are high, you would be a fool not to apply early. On the other hand, you do not need to apply for college immediately if you have other amends to work towards. Throwing yourself into more schoolwork is not always the best option. Ultimately, however, it is your choice when you want to apply.
Wrapping Things Up: How Hard is it to Get into Rollins College?
How hard is it to get into Rollins College? Rollins College’s prestige comes with it a selective admissions process that asks only for the best and most ambitious students in Florida. Such a spot is not impossible for a student to take, however. Follow our advice closely and when you’ve finally gotten that acceptance letter, you’ll wonder why it was so hard in the first place!
