Rollins College is a liberal arts college of about 2200 students on a beautiful campus in Winter Park, Florida, a gorgeous and very wealthy suburb of Orlando. US News and World Report ranks Rollins the #1 regional university in the south. Business, Biology and Psychology are the most popular majors at Rollins, but some other interesting majors are Elementary Education, Public Policy & Political Economy, Communication Studies and Critical Media & Cultural Studies. Some interesting minors are Jewish Studies, Data Analytics, Global Health, Ethics, Secondary Education. Writing, and Australian Studies, of all things! Rollins also offers some great accelerated masters programs, including the opportunity to combine any undergraduate major with an MBA in a 3+2 program. That said, Rollins is unapologetically a liberal arts college, firmly invested in preparing students for a lifetime of learning by teaching and modeling problem solving, critical thinking and cognitive flexibility. We spoke with a biology professor who told us that his freshmen are learning that science isn't a field wherein you memorize information and spit it back. Rather, you learn new information and then use it to solve problems - so expect problem solving on exams! He said this is a hard adjustment for some, but they learn that they can try and fail, then try and fail again on an assignment or lab before succeeding - and this is normal. This is learning how to think, which is precisely what Rollins is teaching. Furthermore, their core curriculum is designed to teach students to make connections across disciplines so that they can solve 21st century problems considering many perspectives.

Rollins doesn't meet 100% of demonstrated need, and stronger students do get more financial aid. The all-in price is $79K, but merit scholarships are awarded up to about $32K. Additionally, Rollins awards 10 Alfond scholarships per class, which is a full ride of tuition, room and board. To be competitive, those students need a very high unweighted GPA and scores well above their 75th percentile if submitted.

Rollins College is another great example of a liberal arts college with faculty dedicated to teaching, creating an environment where students can really make their mark. After all, a hero of mine, Mr. Rogers was an alumnus of Rollins, and looked what he accomplished!