Hollins University Reviews

"The low-residency program in Playwriting at Hollins University is a gift for those looking to pursue an M.F.A. while maintaining full-time employment. The program requires a six-week residency on campus every summer for four to five years, and puts students in contact with guest professors and artists from top universities and theatrical institutions around the country. While completing my M.F.A., I had the pleasure to work with professors from Yale, The Iowa Playwrights Workshop, and NYU, as well as theatre icons like Bob Moss, co-founder of Playwright's Horizons in New York City. This is a program worth investigating."

"Hollins does a great job of encouraging and enjoying women to be leaders and change agents within their communities. This is great but the lack of diversity and inclusively on campus creates a false sense of what the world community looks like and Hollins needs to change in that aspect."

"Hollins University was the worst college experience I have had. I got into several schools but chose Hollins because it was a small all girls school. Most of the professors aren't great. The only professor I had that seemed to really care was Professor Huish. The professor I was given to help me choose my classes intentionally set it up so I would have to attend Hollins an extra year. I had a problem with people bullying me. My tires were slashed, notes were left in my dorm room, and to this day I don't know why. The campus security, RA, and everyone else I told did nothing. It made me afraid. I know some people have had great experiences. But I didn't. And none of the staff have apologized despite me writing them. All they care about are payments. Unfortunately I know several girls who were bullied. This school is very clique oriented. Please, consider ALL your options carefully."

"I love my time at Hollins University. All of my professors were supportive and gave me great feedback on my work. My advisor was especially helpful in helping me keep on track with my course plan, and encouraged me to study abroad. I was an RA at this institution, and I must say that Hollins fosters great community and sisterhood. There are also many opportunities for community service, and I found my nest friends through specialty housing, and the Spiritual and Religious Life Association. Professors are personable with students and you will receive more support than if you go to a large research institution."

"Hollins University is a special place nestled in the mountains of Roanoke educating young women. Classes are small and relationships with your professors are strong because of this. There is immense opportunity to get involved and be a standout leader on campus through SGA, the Batten Leadership Institute, clubs, and athletics. Hollins professors shake up students to think about the world in ways they never did before, prioritizing social justice and world progress. Students are quirky, inquisitive, and passionate about world change and engaging with as many opportunities on campus to learn and practice their skills to advocate."

"Dedicated faculty who want to teach, a small and supportive campus. A great place to go to school! There is so much freedom to make your college experience unique to you and some great alumni connections = great internship opportunities!"

"It's a great university for writing, and the small campus size, and small class sizes, help make everything more close-knit."

"My experience at Hollins University, within my areas of study, prepared me for what I can do outside the university, and I'm really happy about that; my professors were great: they were knowledgeable, friendly, helpful, and actually interested in seeing me succeed, even when I crossed departments for advice. Food services and employee/faculty treatment could be better, and dormitory/apartment living has its issues."

"As far as the music department at Hollins goes, the professors are great in working with the students to help them find their passion for music. Many have open door policies, where you can just walk in and talk to them about your future career goals. If you are considering music and love the small university environment, then Hollins is the places for you!"

"Hollins has great professors that are willing to work with you and help you pursue any dream you'd like. They are very friendly and approachable."

"Hollins University is an all-girls private university located about 20 minutes north of Roanoke itself. It's a super small campus (You can literally walk around the whole campus in 33 minutes. Trust me, I've timed.) and at the eastern edge of the campus you'll find the theatre, where I got my bachelor of arts in - you can guess it - theatre! The theatre department is run by Ernie Zulia, a rather portly man with a fire for theatre. He is a rather... eccentric man, likes to pull you in for what seems like a 5 minute conversation, but turns out to be that 90 minutes flew by, and directs solid plays. I would send out a word of caution though, he tends to cast the same people in principle roles and rarely departs from them. Though, other than that he means well and happy-spirited. The technical director is John Forsman, He's extremely knowledgeable in all things technical theatre. You'll learn a lot from him if you're into all technical sides of theatre. The acting teachers are Melody Zobel and Shelbie Fouts. Melody is definitely a character. Really loud and jovial. You either love her or you don't. I personally haven't taken a class with Shelbie, so I can't form an opinion on her. But she performed a one-woman play for us, and she was a fabulous actress. As for the history of theatre classes, those are run by Todd Ristau, who is a really great teacher. (You'll get the three act structure drilled into your mind like a jackhammer on concrete... but less violently, of course!) He also runs a super late night theatre variety show called "No Shame". It's hosted wherever there is a stage and a light to illuminate it, and you can perform pieces up to 5 minutes long. Anything of your choosing! All for $5 a person. Pretty cool. The last of the theatre staff is Amanda Quivey. I personally LOVE this woman. She teaches all the costuming/makeup courses at the theatre. She always has a smile on her face and a very sweet demeanor, but don't let that fool you. She is tough as a professor and expects better from you if she knows you can do so. She will teach you how to sew, apply makeup, and look the part. She is a fabulous professor. So, onto the theatre specific courses, They are great as classes go. They challenge you, make you want to tear your hair out, but they will teach you all you want to know about the theatre. But if you're coming here specifically for acting, look elsewhere. Most of the stuff I learned about acting was on my own. I would choose Hollins if I wanted to learn technical aspects of theatre. But be careful, theatre WILL eat up your free time, especially if you're in a play. Good luck trying to get your soul back after you've sold it to Ernie for a semester. As for the campus itself, everything is close together, you can travel anywhere (from Tinker to the Library, the Library to Moody) within 10 minutes of each other. Tinker is the freshman dorm, and as such, it is the only dorm that has A/C. All of our dorms that were originally built in the Civil War era don't have A/C. They do have heaters though, which do have a tendency to make loud noises and clank. But in the winter, they are so nice to have. Moody is the dining hall. The food there is alright. It's edible. Just isn't great. But you do have an alternative - the Ratskeller, or the Rat - down in the basement of Moody, which offers fresh, hot meals for Hollins dollars ($100 per semester, or more, depending on your meal plan) You HAVE to participate in Moody's food plan, unless you have a severe food allergy/super restricted diet which you have to get a doctor's note to opt out of. I've heard of girls fighting tooth and nail to opt out of it. There's also Jazzman's, our version of Starbucks. I love Jazzman's. Nice coffee fix for a morning. Overall, Hollins is a solid institution of learning. We're most well known for our English Creative Writing curriculum. You know the children's book, "Good Night Moon"? Yeah, that was written by a Hollins Alumni. Just to give a perspective on that program here. We have small class sizes, really learned professors, and a caring environment. Hollins will lift your eyes up to the hills and beyond."

"Hollins is a beautiful, open-minded place that spawns creativity. The gender ratio is highly skewed, but it is a women's college. Although Hollins is expensive, there are many scholarship opportunities."

"I feel like the quality of education and the networking within the field is the best out there. My biggest con is the price of schooling. It is an expensive program with a limited amount of fellowship awards available to students. I guess you get what you pay for."

"The Hollins Screenwriting MFA is a summer program taught by industry professionals and faculty from UCLA and NYU. The Hollins campus is a beautiful and safe campus located in Roanoke, VA. Summer students are housed on campus and in nearby apartments. Social opportunities are plentiful and treated as important to develop networks in this field."

"A great private college with beautiful campus and wonderful teachers. A bit on the pricey side."