At a school with an average class size of 13, you’ll be more than just another speck in a sea of faces at the back of the lecture hall. If you were looking for a place with professors who would never learn your name, never call on you, and never talk to you outside of class, Hollins is not the place for you. Women at Hollins learn to discuss, engage in, and analyze the subject material, and they leave Hollins having strong relationships with their academic advisers and professors. There is one online computer class at Hollins, but other than that, the faculty members feel they can better teach students by engaging them in discussion.
The most popular major at Hollins is English. The strong creative writing program draws in students from all over the country. Next are by psychology, studio art, business, and biology. Hollins women are notoriously hard workers. Many students double major or choose one or two minors, even if that means taking workloads over the average 16 credits (four classes) every semester. Though Hollins professors are by no means easy graders, the small class size allows students to negotiate their grades more than they could at a large school; many professors allow students to rewrite bad papers or complete extra credit assignments.
Even general education classes are engaging because the requirements allow students to gain, for example, math credits in an art history or theater stage crafts class, and research credits in classics, history, or arts management classes. These requirements can sometimes be confusing, but most students appreciate the privilege of being able to choose gen-eds that interest them. Plus, they allow students to explore subjects outside of their majors, like gender and women’s studies, that in turn inform the work they’re doing in their main subject of interest.