ELON or ROLLINS

<p>I am going to be a freshman in college this August! YAY!!! I am going to Rollins in the fall. Last week I was offered to enter Elon spring semester. Do you think I should transfer or stay? Elon was my number one when I was applying to schools, but at the time I didn't know much about Rollins... Now, I love them both so much!!! I have no clue what I am going to do in the spring! </p>

<p>Also, I was considering transfer from Rollins because they didn't offer my major. Elon doesn't either, which means that even if I went there I still transfer.... But my major could (and most likely will) change before I graduate. I plan to double major in Mathematical Economics and Political Science, but again, this is not set in stone. Please any advice would be great! </p>

<p>Thanks!!!</p>

<p>Welcome to the Rollins family. My S attends and my D will be a freshmen there this fall. I am biased and love Rollins but Elon is also very nice and also a close knit environment. S and I visited but he did not care much for the college or surrounding area.</p>

<p>The majority of students do change their major and even though my S is still in his intended major he has decided to double major and has tweeked his goal plans. I’m not sure about Elon but Rollins does allow something called a self-designed major. In hearing the professors talk about academics I believe they help tailor your major to your goals. Also what one college names a certain major can really be a combination of different subject areas that can be taken at another college by rounding out your courses. That sounds confusing but if you are certain about your major then look over the type of courses you would be taking at both colleges and talk to the professors to get a clear idea of your career path. </p>

<p>If you are considering transferring then it won’t really matter since the first year you usually fulfill general requirements wherever you attend. The first year for many students is to either find out what they want to major in or to find out that they really love something else.</p>

<p>My daughter (rising senior) is considering both Elon and Rollins. Elon seems to have a more extensive study abroad program, which is very important to her. SweetTea, do you have any experience with study abroad at Rollins? Do many students have more than one study abroad experience at Rollins?</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<p>According to College Board:</p>

<p>Rollins: 1,730 undergrads</p>

<p>Elon: 4,900 undergrads</p>

<p>These are both beautiful, student engaged schools but to compare them in the same thread?..same proportion as comparing a school like Ohio State to Marquette (just as an example)…</p>

<p>just seems like apples and oranges IMO</p>

<p>I don’t know the numbers but study abroad is very popular at Rollins. For the masters level college ranking, Rollins is in the top ten. One of the cute banners I have seen says something like: Now that you are here, go away. (or something along those lines)</p>

<p>Anyway, since Rollins is smaller than Elon there are probably not as many listed but they do have a fair number of places (London, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Japan, Sydney, Spain Germany…) They also have affiliate and non-Rollins programs. Besides semester and summer programs they have field studies programs in the summer, winter and spring break. My S attended one program in Costa Rica before classes began in the fall with other incoming fresmen.</p>

<p>Besides encouraging students to study abroad, Rollins has been sending their professors to many programs abroad. I believe about 2/3rds of the faculty have atleast one experience abroad. Rollins wants these kinds of experiences brought back into the classroom. One mission is Global Citizenship.</p>

<p>As far as having more than one study abroad I would have to say it is feasible and my S has known some to do that but usually most students just take one semester and then maybe a couple field study programs. He is currently doing another field studies program this summer and will do one next spring break (Cuba if you can believe that).</p>

<p>Have your D look over the international programs offered at both colleges. Not sure if Elon has this but Rollins has student journals (domestic and international) highlighting their experiences. It is fun to read.</p>

<p>I go to Elon, and I can honestly say it’s been such an amazing experience. The campus is insanely gorgeous and they have a bunch of construction plans lined up to make it even better, if that’s possible. I feel like a have a pretty good grasp on both schools because i have two good friends that go to rollins and I’ve visited them there. While both schools are pretty similar in terms of level of education and great campuses, one of my friends actually ended up leaving Rollins because she felt that the school way just way too small for her and such a huge part of the population are “obnoxious rich white kids” (her words, not mine.) To be fair, the same can probably be said for Elon, but because we’re almost 3x the size of Rollins, it’s not nearly as apparent.</p>