This weekend is Hollins’ annual Batten Weekend, a time when prospective students come visit Hollins’ campus in order to compete for the prestigious Batten scholarship. The Batten scholarship covers full tuition (but not room and board) for all four years a student is at Hollins. A different amount of Batten scholarships are awarded each year, but usually between 3 and 5 students will end up designated as Batten Scholars.
Other high school seniors who come to the competition will not walk away empty-handed–those who don’t become Batten Scholars are designated as Hollins Scholars, and with that, they too will earn an academic scholarship (albeit one that does not cover full tuition).
With a competition this important, people all over campus are preparing for the influx of students. Many current Hollins students have signed up to be hostesses this weekend, which means that a high school student will stay with them overnight, allowing the prospective student to get a good feel for college life. The Office of Admissions expects around forty girls to opt to stay on campus for the competition, although Hollins also has an arrangement with the Hotel Roanoke downtown, for those students who would rather stay with their parents.
For the prospective students, their time on campus will include tours, panels, and the all-important scholarship group interview. Those who have opted to stay on campus will also be bussed to a concert in downtown Roanoke tomorrow night.
All in all, the weekend will prove to be very busy for many people, including the prospective students, current students, and the Office of Admissions. Best of luck to all those competing for the scholarship.