My daughter 17 is going to WF this fall. She is a little shy. Would prefer a single dorm, but I am not sure if it’s worth the extra 2,000 per year.
Is there any building to avoid, due to problems, too old, etc?
is there any dorm with private bathroom?
Thanks!
Hello, second semester freshman and future freshman RA here. Congrats on your daughter’s acceptance to Wake.
Dorms and roommates are randomly assigned to incoming freshmen. You fill out a 5 or 6 question questionnaire in the summer that dictates your cleanliness, sleeping habits, and what you want your experience in the room to be (a social area or strictly studying). Then they “try their best” to match you with someone who you will be able to live easily with.
Wake Forest’s building plans for the south campus (freshmen) dorms are online. And you are not guaranteed a single, even if you request it. You will not have to pay a single’s price for a double, but you may end up getting a double, or, if you’re really frugal, a triple.
If your child absolutely hates it, they are given an opportunity to change rooms/roommates a month into first semester, then again in second semester.
Doubles aren’t that bad I don’t think. You don’t have to communicate with your roommate if you don’t want to. All my friends are friends with theirs. I don’t speak to mine, but we live together almost perfectly and stay out of one another’s hair.
The south campus array is on both extremes. One dorm smells like mustard, doesn’t have an elevator, and has a mold problem every year. Another is the newest on all of campus and, well, everything is new! I have lived in two dorms, Luter (co-ed, suite style bathrooms) and Babock (traditional gendered floors). My friends live in either Bostwick,( the oldest,) or Angelou, (the newest). Some are social, most of the older dorms were designed that way. Others, the newer ones in particular, are more like… hotels.
I would do some independent research with the floor plans online, but you can’t request a certain dorm, as they’re random. Some have private bathrooms for singles (Angelou i know for sure) and others still share a common one.
Hope this helped.
Welcome to the Forest!! My son is a current freshman at Wake and is also on the shy side. Wake assigns the kids to dorms and roommates. She will fill out a form with preferences and get matched. There is no way to request a specific dorm it is luck of the draw. Their are no dorms with a private bathroom for freshman unless maybe their is a medical need. I’m not sure what the chances are of getting a single since there aren’t as many? To be honest, I don’t know if I would recommend a single for someone who is quiet and might retreat to their room. My son got matched with a really nice kid. They have not become best friends but co-exist well and respect each other. I was a little concerned about my son meeting people but he has met so many nice people. Everyone is new and wants to make friends so they are all really friendly. If she does get a single I would recommend she leaves her door open which will invite other kids in to connect. I’m happy to answer any other questions you might have. Go Deacs!!
@CarriesBakers Thank you so much for the detailed explanation! It helps tremendously! Based on what you say dorms and roommates are randomly assigned. Same with buildings? Or at least can students request that? One last question if you dont mind, how good is transportation to downtown? Thanks again!
@CarriesBakers you are going to be an awesome RA!!
@ibf thank you so much ! Your answer helps a lot!!
If you don’t mind , could you share about your son’s move in experience? any tips to make it smoother? anything in particular to consider?
Do you think it would be a good idea to plan to stay a few days after move in day? or are kids usually busy all day with orientations ? We would like to plan on how many days would be necessary for us to stay in the area (before and after moving day).
Thanks again!!
@rossie03 Nope, can’t request anything. You put your room preference (single, double, triple, it’s on a slid-able scale if i remember correctly), your typical living habits, and everything else is up to chance. Buildings, rooms, floors are all randomly matched UNLESS you have a disability and the school is aware. For instance, in my current dorm, there are handicap showers and a handicap stall on my floor, but not the one above me. If a person with a disability were to live on the floor above, they would not have a good quality of life. So making that clear to the school is crucial. They give you ample space and time to do so if one wished.
Downtown is not walking distance. The town recently put a parkway from Wake Forest to Downtown Winston called University Parkway that cut down considerably on travel time for students. There is a shuttle that runs every 10 or 15 minutes on the weekdays because people have classes at Wake Downtown. it is reliable and nearly always on time. You can also track it with an app that they introduce you to during orientation. You can also just go downtown to hang out/study/shop/explore.
It’s much more fickle on the weekend, when the shuttle usage is more towards Hanes Mall and Target. Uber is pretty popular here, but since the ride is almost guaranteed on a (free) shuttle, most just ride the school-operated bus.
And ibf makes a good point about retreating into a single. It may seem like a good idea in the beginning of freshman year, but over the entire year, having the company of someone works better in the long run. I do understand that the loss of privacy and alone time isn’t an equal tradeoff for everyone, but I would speak to her about it, likely live with the fact she may get a double, and let her know that there is the option to change to a single if she despises it.
@rossie03 if you can, plan to arrive a day early, visit Reynolda House and Old Salem, have a nice dinner, and become familiar with the area, but IMO parents should clear out immediately after move-in so students can focus on orientation activities and making friends.
My son did a pre-orientation program which I highly recommend!! He got to move in early which was nice and he really felt like he got to meet a lot of kids before school started which settled him a bit. We live in CA so it is a whole day for us to travel to Wake. If memory serves move in is on a Wednesday, we flew Monday so we had Tuesday to go to bed bath and beyond, target etc to pick up the things we ordered. Because he moved in early it was a much easier process, the leaders of his pre orientation were there to help us bring his things up to the room and unpacking was easy because it was just us. The official move in day is really busy, my son wanted to be there when his roommate got there so he could help him unload the car and he waited for a bit in line. Wake does a good job of directing traffic and organizing things but it is hard to have 1300 people at the same time. I agree with @yauponredux leave as soon as the parent part of the program is over. It’s time to let them fly even if I was on the side of the road sobbing :((
He has never looked back and had a great freshman year!!
My fairly shy freshman daughter got a great roommate match last fall. They are very different in many ways, but have similar sleep and study habits and have become good friends. Based on our experience I would not recommend a single room for a shy student.
Wake will publish a freshman move-in itinerary soon. There will be events for students and/or parents for those two days, and finally the dreaded (and not so subtle) note on the schedule: “At this time events for parents end.”
Regarding hanging around, you will not be allowed to stay a couple of extra days; it is time to give them to Wake Forest for the next four years. After dinner on that dreaded day parents tearfully drop their also crying (or not) children off at the dorm and drive away. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. There will be nonstop activities for her from the time you leave until classes start the next week. She won’t have time to see you even if you are there. I mourned until about a week later when she called and told us how happy she was at Wake Forest.
@lbf, I agree on the pre-orientation programs. Mom drove with DD to Winston-Salem in her car, then flew back home. We returned with the rest of her possessions on move in day. Moving into the dorm early is a big plus, also DD made some of her best friends at camp.
Thank you everyone! Your comments are very helpful! . I went to college in another country, so this is a totally new experience, even for myself 
Calendar says Move in Day is Aug.23. What you guys are saying she could move in even before that particular day?
If she does a pre-orientation program you move in like 4 or 5 days early?? I was a little worried about him moving into the dorms early because his program was based from campus but their were lots of kids in the dorms doing other programs and athletes. Since we live in CA I actually just stayed in NC during the program (I didn’t see him) so I could participate in the orientation programs. Move in is actually the 22nd this year see the link for some information https://parents.wfu.edu/my-student-is/incoming/
I agree, you should look into pre-orientations! It’s a great way for your student to meet other students. I did one last summer, and met my dearest friends in it. I also got to move in early. There’s a lot to choose from, and they will be published soon, if not already online. You/your student should be getting emails about this shortly. I did BUILD, which was focused on social justice and Wake’s negative impact on Winston-Salem. I loved it.
And as for moving in, if you were to do a pre-orientation, I would actually recommend moving him in in full when he comes early. That way, instead of being in the way/trying to move stuff while a bunch of other families are, you and your child can explore campus together. I moved most of my things for my preorientation, my family brought the other items on move-in day, and we were clear out of the way for my first roommate to move in. I took them to all the places I had learned while being on campus, and got to get a lot of free stuff because the other people were too busy moving in to get! I started my free t-shirt collection because of that day. There’s also things for parents to attend on move-in day. Overall it’s a pretty smooth process. but the sooner you move in, the better.
Welcome to The Forest! She is going to love it!! My kid is kind of quiet, knew no one at Wake, didn’t do a Pre-Orientation program (although that’s a good idea), and absolutely loves it! Literally from the first night, he made good friends that he’s still quite close with. Orientation is full of social activities, and as everyone is in the same boat, they do a ton together. We were so happy (and relieved) when he told us he was out til 3 am his first night. His room mate and he are friends. They don’t do a lot of things together as they have different groups of friends, but they are very compatible and genuinely like each other. They sort of chat at night.
It will all work out. In the very odd chance she has issues with room mate or anything, there is a tremendous support staff at Wake to help work through issues. But really, she will have a blast. That’s the norm!
(my son has made a TON of friends - for him - and he would tell you he can’t think of one person who hasn’t enjoyed their freshmen yr.)
Thank you all!! The last few days have been a rollercoaster of emotions, but
after reading all your advice and comments I feel more empowered Go Deacs!
I would also not recommend a single for a shy student. My daughter is also shy and felt that at least if you have a roommate you have someone to start basic connections with and someone to eat with in the dining hall the first couple weeks. Shy kids can get very isolated in a new school especially if they are in a single room. She will need to develop some new social skills. My daughter met a few people at the pre-orientation camp before school started and that made all the difference. Those were the girls texting her and inviting her to lunch, going to the gym and attending football games with her as school started.
Also - my daughter has allergies to mold and dust so the doctor filled out the proper medical forms and they put her in a newer building.