I know there is a thread on this topic from about 5 years ago, but I was curious as to how people perceive diversity at Wake today? Many people having been telling me to apply ED II to Wake after being rejected from Duke ED, yet my only qualm is that on the surface, Wake seems to lack diversity. No, I’m not of ethnic background. I do, however, go to an extremely diverse school in NYC, so having some diversity is important to me. Any insight on diversity at Wake?
Well, statistically their diversity is not all too hot, but they definitely value diversity a lot!
There’s a site called theforestfolk.■■■■■■■■■■ that is run by a student, I assume, who takes photos of all the “diverse” students and such. I like it because it shows diversity in race, gender… but also personality in a way.
That being said, it all depends on what you value as diversity. WF has been improving their statistical diversity for the last few years, but it’s definitely improving.
(Btw, I don’t go to Wake, just applying there.)
I am a current student, and I am Asian American. From this perspective, I can say that Wake’s diversity is severely lacking. I remember entering the campus as a freshman being largely aware of my race for the first time, being triggered way more frequently than I had been in my entire life. That being said, this environment educated me in a way I didn’t know was possible. Before Wake, I didn’t think diversity mattered. I was pro-colorblindness, seeing people as people and not acknowledging our difference because I thought that was what made a united and content community. In fact, it was through Wake’s extracurricular programing opportunities that I was enlightened. Yes, Wake lacks diversity, and you will meet plenty of people that leave you speechless in a bad way. However, there are unbelievable resources and programming and big pockets of students that make this environment positive in ways I never realized. At Wake, you will learn how to thrive in an environment that in many ways mimics the “real world” and here you learn how to advocate and fight for changes you want to see. At Wake, you can choose to use your skills and talents to change the Wake Forest bubble. You can become a voice that people hear on such a small campus and find fulfillment in learning how to shape community culture. The trick, is learning how to find these opportunities. This is hard work, and definitely comes with its frustrations as well as its rewards. Wake is working on their diversity, it is a school is transition. So, there are pros and cons that come with this unique opportunity to fight for diversity at Wake.
I graduated from Wake when it was a mostly white campus (1977). The campus wasn’t even gated then and robberies, kidnappings, sexual assaults and shootings of students just never happened, and this during a time when the violent crime rate was much higher nationally. Likewise, student suicides were unheard of; no one could even recall one historically. I knew a few students who were “gay,” and perhaps I was a bisexual schizophrenic, but could you tell? As one of the most conservative liberal arts campuses in the country our first obligation was to our normative heritage. Whether by design or not, the women seemed smarter than the men and the few blacks on campus were smarter than whites. Furthermore, you’d have to go back to Wake Forest as a podunk Baptist school to find its greatest geniuses—Dixon, Cash and Ammons among them. Dare I say, those were the days of biodiversity at its best! President Hatch should dispense with the trendy platitudes and work to get back to it.
This is one of the most most articulate posts I’ve seen on this site, which often features hyperbole and biased views; thanks @honestfeedback. @cisforcookies, first I graduated Wake more than five years ago, but I can tell you that from a statistical perspective, Wake has truly invested in trying to attract and create opportunities for students who have not been its “traditional” student profile - schools have a hard time “making a diverse campus” even when they have “#s” so current students can give you better thoughts on what it feels like today. To give you context, when I enrolled there were less than 20 international students in my class while now I believe somewhere around 7% of students are international, which is a tremendous increase. While I also am caucasian and thus cannot and will not pretend to explain the pros and cons of attending Wake as a student of color, I grew up in an environment where my demographic made up single digits of the overall. Therefore, I experienced substantial culture shock (although I would say my culture shock was due to primarily socioeconomic rather than racial factors). As @honestfeedback eloquently stated, I felt that although yes, there were plenty of students with whom I disagreed and was surprised by negatively, I was richly supported by faculty and staff mentors, found a rich vein of both caucasian and students of colour with whom I felt similar in my philosophies. That said, when I compared my choices to other choices I considered, which included ivy league, technical schools, and other schools similar to WFU, what I think you’ll gain at WFU is the opportunity to discover yourself and perhaps how others perceive you more bluntly than in some academic environments, actually interact with people who are different from you in a challenging academic environment (more unusual than most think!). Now I have worked in numerous countries in an NGO, government, and education capacity and I am sadly shocked by the structural, individual and open “isms” I discovered in every place, which folks tend to share with me because as a white/straight/male/Christian, I guess I’m considered a “safe” person to confide such “isms”. In my opinion, WFU is a relatively safe place to explore how to own the challenge of relationship with the “other.” But again, I’m describing this based on my personal experience and it is increasingly dated so… hope you visit and ask hard questions! Good luck and #GoDeacs!
I’m a Wake parent fairly new to the school. The three previous replies seem on target to me. Most importantly, I think the fact that two alumni offer such honest, thoughtful, and nuanced responses speaks volumes about the quality of the student body and the community’s commitment to ensuring Wake is diverse and inclusive. We are all works in progress and the desire to be/do better is one of the most important attitudes to possess. Good luck with your college search. Wake is terrific, as are many other schools.
@CKDeac, @TTG, and @honestfeedback thank you all for your thoughtful responses, I really appreciate your insight!
^ Did you apply ED2?
@londondad Ultimately, I did not apply ED2 to Wake (although I still applied RD), as I there was another school I was more interested in for multiple reasons. Further, while I did get to speak to my adcon at a college fair, I wasn’t able to tour, speak with students, etc… which of course is important when making an ED decision. Diversity did not influence my decision to apply/not apply. Wake is a fantastic school and I think that as it continues to rise in the USWNR, it will meet and exceed the expectations/standards of its peer institutions.