<p>Hi!</p>
<p>I'm looking for info about Wake Forest. It's the newest addition to my college list (I add an get rid of something every day, it's ridiculous!) What kind of kids go to Wake, how is the social life and how are the academics? Thanks in advance!!</p>
<p>I can offer my perspective as a parent of an accepted student to the Class of '09. Wake Forest has the reputation of being very difficult academically with grade deflation. It was listed in US News as ranked 27th nationally and the average SAT for the incoming class is 1380 (I believe). The campus is beautiful, dorms very clean and nice in comparison to other we visited. Acceptance continues to get more difficult as it does at all nationally ranked schools. I'd be happy to put you in touch with my D once she starts for some feedback. She is extremely excited.</p>
<p>Southern, conservative, mid size...nice grounds....academics are solid. Big on basketball.</p>
<p>As an alum (twice over) who's married to an alum, I'd add that it's a fairly rare kind of place - a national research university with a prominent faculty and significant graduate and professional schools, but only 4000 undergrads (and only about 6000 total). If you were on the fence between opting for a small liberal arts college (like a Davidson?) or a mid-size major university (Duke?), Wake would combine some of the better features of both. Others in the same vein might be Dartmouth and Rice. On the other hand, its uniqueness tends to depress its national reputation - its not as high-powered a research university when compared to the elite mid-sized schools, nor as intensely personal and intimate when compared to elite LACs.</p>
<p>I'm class of 09 too. I'm not trying to overly stereotype everyone in the student body but I would say probably the majority is white, middle to upper class, and kind of preppy. Greek life is pretty big. Academics are definitely difficult, with the grade deflation.</p>
<p>I would add MarylandMom, that having grown up in the D.C. suburbs, I predict your daugter will love it. Her social assimilation will be much smoother however if she spends the next month listening to "Best of Beach Music" tapes. And if she doesn't know what beach music is (or thinks it has something to do with the Beach Boys), send me an emergency e-mail and I'll try to get her a crash course on '50s and '60s R&B.</p>
<p>LOL, thanks everyone for the replies. </p>
<p>It sounds pretty good. I plan on majoring in communications, and I heard it has a pretty reputable department. Certainly not as well known as Newhouse or Medill, but I like the sound of everything else. The kids seem really nice from what I've read, and the weather would be much better than it would be in upstate NY!</p>
<p>The only problem I see is the size. I'm afraid it'll be too small! Did any alums feel that? I'm applying to a mix of schools (mostly on the bigger side, this would probably be the smallest I'll apply to). I DON'T WANT IT TO BE ALL CLIQUE-Y!! I also don't want to feel like I know every single person on campus after 2 years. Anyone who has attended a school this size have any comments?! I really have no frame of reference of how big 4,000 kids is, because my senior class is about 300...which feels insanely small!</p>
<p>Also, how is the town? Never visited North Carolina, so I have no idea what to expect for the town. What airport is closest and what's the closest major city? Is it a very secluded campus, or much suburban-y? What do the kids do for fun (besides party of course...hehe!)</p>
<p>It is not small...you would not know even half the kids after 4 years. But it is not diverse. Check it out. Carolina is very nice.</p>
<p>You should definitely visit the campus. My S and husband visited and were very impressed. Wake was added to his college list after the visit. I agree with gadad and oldman. I think the size of the undergraduate school is
perfect - not too big, nor too small.</p>
<p>Wake has a beautiful campus, great academics, and lots of school spirit.
S was also impressed with the theater program and some of the other non academic offerings.</p>
<p>(S applied (class of 08') and was accepted.) We live "up north".</p>
<p>Winston-Salenm is about 170,000 in population; the campus is in a nice suburban setting about four miles north of the downtown. It's part of a tri-city metropolitan area (with Greensboro and High Point) that has about a million people. W-S has a small airport but Greensboro, 20 miles east, is the major airport. It's a nice town with Old Salem - the N.C. version of Williamsburg - on the south side. There are mountains nearby with skiing in the winter.</p>
<p>Of course, Wake is culturally Southern which involves a significant degree of clique-ishness. CEOs of businesses will send their sons and daughters there, and they'll have special status due to their family name or money. They'll aspire to be in the most prominent Greek organizations, just as their parents try to gain the most elite social clubs for their own visibility and networking. If egalitarianism and social activism are high on your list of values, you might be disappointed. But I would say that the same might be prevalent at other Southern schools like Vandy and W&L.</p>