A magical fox who surprises the campus with a day off and pancakes? That sounds wonderful!

For Three Quick Questions, I send the same three questions to admission representatives at colleges all over the country, and then I hope to hear back from them. The three questions are meant to probe some of the things that make a school unique but that aren’t easily captured as a stat to go in a book or web search.

Today’s response is from Frank Thomas, Senior Assistant Director of Admission at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.

What is a course, tradition, program or event that is unique to Rollins College?

Fox Day is an annual tradition established in 1956. Each spring, on a day deemed “too pretty to have class,” the president cancels all classes for the Colleges of Arts & Sciences and Professional Studies, providing undergraduate students with a surprise day off.

A statue of the Rollins fox is placed on Tars Plaza by the president early in the morning. The Chapel bell rings to alert students of the special occasion while the president hands out Fox Day proclamations and donuts to students who line up outside his office. A free pancake breakfast is offered in the morning, fun activities are planned throughout the day, and a family-style picnic is laid out on the Green, free for everyone in the Rollins community.

No one knows exactly when Fox Day will happen each year. But students are known to camp out on The Green eagerly awaiting the fox’s arrival during the weeks leading up to the highly anticipated day.

Naturally every college wants to recruit the perfect student--high grades, high test scores, involved in their community, leadership...everything. But what kinds of imperfect students tend to flourish at Rollins?

The overwhelming majority of Rollins College applicants are imperfect students! At Rollins, we aren’t looking for one reason to say no; we’re looking for lots of reasons to say yes. All students are going to face some setback or adversity in their high school careers, and the more interesting and instructive stories relate to how they faced and overcame those challenges. Any student who feels that part of their application is imperfect can make up for that with strengths in other areas of the application. For example, a lower level of rigor in course selection could be balanced by higher and more diverse involvement in internships, organizations, and service.

When people come to visit Winter Park, what's a place off campus that you recommend they check out while they're there?

The Rollins Admission office is at the intersection of Fairbanks Avenue and Park Avenue. Students walking north on Park Avenue from there will encounter charming downtown Winter Park, with blocks of local shops and restaurants, a park, and a light rail train station. On weekends, there is a wonderful local farmers’ market at the park, which is also the center of holiday celebrations and decorations. It is a great asset within short walking distance from campus.

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Photo by Angela Elisabeth. [The banner photo is not of Rollins. I use the same photo for all Meet the Class posts so you can spot them easily.]