Rollins College?

mom22boys

DIS Veteran
Joined
Apr 10, 2005
By chance do any of you have experience with Rollins College? My oldest DS's guidance counselor recommended it to him and of course, he is very intrigued by the idea since it is so close to WDW. However, being from the north, we have very limited knowledge. Any insider information would be appreciated! Thanks!
 
I never read on this forum, but the "Rollins College" caught my eye. Rollins is an excellent school. Really top rate.

I have been on several boards at Tulane University so am fairly familiar with other Southern schools. While I've never been to Rollins I am very aware of its reputation.

Whether this is the right place for your DS is not something I can assess. It's a small school so the experience is going to be very different from going to a mega school with 80,000 students. My undergraduate class at Newcomb College (women's school) at Tulane was about 300 people as was my MBA class at Stanford. I loved knowing all of my classmates.
 
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I graduated undergrad from Rollins.

Is there something specific you're looking for regarding the school that you can't find online?

As for "close" to WDW - it's only close as in that it's in Orlando. It's on the opposite side of downtown Orlando and is a good trip down I-4 to get to the parks, so it's not right next door. Winter Park is a beautiful area, but the college itself is very small - which is a perk to some, but a con to many.

Is there a specific major he's interested in that would make Rollins a potential undergrad spot for him?

It's also private, so I would look into what tuition is like these days. I was on academic and athletic scholarship, but this was back in the early 2000s.
 


Yes, the website has been so helpful! As for "close" in our book since we live so far away from WDW, for us Rollins is very close to WDW!;) :)

I guess I was just wondering if they had an inside scoop. Just wondering if students are happy there.
 
A friend of mine graduated from Rollins and it seemed like she really enjoyed her time there. It's usually rated as one of the top schools in the southeast. The campus is seriously stunning, and the city of Winter Park is charming as well.
 
Visited this past week. It is a small campus and is stunning in architecture. It is also very busy and I found driving a car to be challenging due to small roads/traffic. But, Winter Park is gorgeous!
 


Yes, the website has been so helpful! As for "close" in our book since we live so far away from WDW, for us Rollins is very close to WDW!;) :)

I guess I was just wondering if they had an inside scoop. Just wondering if students are happy there.
I doubt anyone will be able to say if your ds will be happy there. Each kiddo's college experience is very different. My dd went to a small university in RI. She loved it, it was perfect for her. Yet, there were others that hated it there. Some left after freshman year, saying it just wasn't big enough. Others just didn't like the school for their own reasons. It's all in what you make it. Just be careful. My dd really wanted to go to school in NYC, as she was a theater major. But, we figured that if she was there, she wouldn't be going to class but doing other theater type stuff. So, if you think your ds might be close enough to WDW to make frequent trips there, it may not be the best option!!! And if he is thinking about getting a p/t job there, or doing DCP while at college, be aware that it isn't a quick ride down 4!!!!
 
My son started at Rollins in August 2018. He loves it! He was in a very small high school and loves the small campus and low teacher/student ratio. The town of Winter Park is beautiful as is the campus. I-4 is currently (perpetually) under construction it takes about 45 minutes to get from Disney to campus. We stay at Disney(DVC) when we visit. Our son has an annual pass and will uber to Disney when he's free. He has found at ton of stuff to do in the Orlando-it's easy and cheap to get around if you use Sun Rail (there is a station right across the street from campus). let me know if you need any more info...
 
My son started at Rollins in August 2018. He loves it! He was in a very small high school and loves the small campus and low teacher/student ratio. The town of Winter Park is beautiful as is the campus. I-4 is currently (perpetually) under construction it takes about 45 minutes to get from Disney to campus. We stay at Disney(DVC) when we visit. Our son has an annual pass and will uber to Disney when he's free. He has found at ton of stuff to do in the Orlando-it's easy and cheap to get around if you use Sun Rail (there is a station right across the street from campus). let me know if you need any more info...

Jackie, the timing of your answer is unbelievable. We are at Disney now and just visited Rollins yesterday. We all really liked it! I would love to get more info from you. Thank you! When I get home and back on my laptop I will be in touch. Thanks again!
 
Jackie, the timing of your answer is unbelievable. We are at Disney now and just visited Rollins yesterday. We all really liked it! I would love to get more info from you. Thank you! When I get home and back on my laptop I will be in touch. Thanks again!
No problem. It's been so annoying having our son go to school there-NOT! It means more Disney trips: May (dorm move out), August (dorm move in) and November (Parent's Weekend)- all are less crowded times of the year! He has 2 dorm mates that are also Disney freaks so they try to go when they can. Also, I don't know where you are located, but Amtrak's AutoTrain is great for move-in/out. you load up your car and you can be there overnight!
 
We just visited UCF today and Stetson last week. A few people recommended Rollins to us. I think we will go check it out and do another Disney weekend.
 
Thought I would chime in- my oldest is at UCF majoring in Hospitality, loves it. She is starting the DCP on Monday. Best part, she is staying in her "dorm" which is really an apartment on her campus. Having a kid go to school in Orlando is great. She takes her car so other than the drive, I get to go to Disney twice a semester. I also love the auto train!!!! I am actually driving down with her tomorrow and taking the regular Amtrak train back tomorrow night. No disney this time, but I am coming down during her DCP.

My younger D needs a much smaller school. She really liked Rollins and Eckerd. I always hear great things about Rollins and how involved their professors are.
 
Thought I would chime in- my oldest is at UCF majoring in Hospitality, loves it. She is starting the DCP on Monday. Best part, she is staying in her "dorm" which is really an apartment on her campus. Having a kid go to school in Orlando is great. She takes her car so other than the drive, I get to go to Disney twice a semester. I also love the auto train!!!! I am actually driving down with her tomorrow and taking the regular Amtrak train back tomorrow night. No disney this time, but I am coming down during her DCP.

My younger D needs a much smaller school. She really liked Rollins and Eckerd. I always hear great things about Rollins and how involved their professors are.
I would love to hear more about your DD's experience at UCF and Rosen. My DD is a HS Junior and we are coming down in June to do a Disney trip/college visit. She plans to major in Event Management. We are from the midwest so while I see the appeal to her and I would love to have the excuse to visit; I do worry about her being so far away. Did your DD live on the UCF main campus or just Rosen? Are you out of state and did she make friends easily?
 
We are in NC- she lived at both main campus first year and is at Rosen this year. She was a part of the Out of State program her freshman year, so all her roommates were not from FL. She had her own room and shared a bathroom with one person. UCF does not have hall baths in any dorm. She only had a few general ed credits left, so she took those and a couple of Hospitality classes while at main campus. She is completely in her major now and lives at Rosen and loves it. She knows people who shuttle back and forth to main campus for classes, but she is glad that she doesn't have to do that. If they are at Rosen I highly suggest they have a car. The Rosen campus is 15 minutes away from the airport, so if you live near an airport, getting home might not be as bad as you would think. We are lucky to have several direct flights so her travels home are quicker than if she would have gone to school in state.

Rosen dorms are apartments- everyone has their own room and there is no dining hall- just something to keep in mind. All of her roommates are from Florida this year- it has actually made it easier to make friends since they all know people. They all have annual passes to Disney, which is nice too since she has an AP. She is going to Disney today- must be nice!

I have heard no complaints about the Hospitality program. A lot of her friends are doing DCP or work part time at Disney or Universal. Rosen classes tend to only meet 1 to 2 days a week- I don't even think they have Friday classes! The one downside of having nice dorms- no one leaves them! They haven't met a lot of people on their floor. It's a little weird to me. Having your own room is great, but can be isolating. She lucked out and has good roommates who like to leave their rooms!
 
We are in NC- she lived at both main campus first year and is at Rosen this year. She was a part of the Out of State program her freshman year, so all her roommates were not from FL. She had her own room and shared a bathroom with one person. UCF does not have hall baths in any dorm. She only had a few general ed credits left, so she took those and a couple of Hospitality classes while at main campus. She is completely in her major now and lives at Rosen and loves it. She knows people who shuttle back and forth to main campus for classes, but she is glad that she doesn't have to do that. If they are at Rosen I highly suggest they have a car. The Rosen campus is 15 minutes away from the airport, so if you live near an airport, getting home might not be as bad as you would think. We are lucky to have several direct flights so her travels home are quicker than if she would have gone to school in state.

Rosen dorms are apartments- everyone has their own room and there is no dining hall- just something to keep in mind. All of her roommates are from Florida this year- it has actually made it easier to make friends since they all know people. They all have annual passes to Disney, which is nice too since she has an AP. She is going to Disney today- must be nice!

I have heard no complaints about the Hospitality program. A lot of her friends are doing DCP or work part time at Disney or Universal. Rosen classes tend to only meet 1 to 2 days a week- I don't even think they have Friday classes! The one downside of having nice dorms- no one leaves them! They haven't met a lot of people on their floor. It's a little weird to me. Having your own room is great, but can be isolating. She lucked out and has good roommates who like to leave their rooms!
That is such helpful and positive information....THANK YOU!
 

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