<p>My impressions - having a car is not at all necessary - there are always others with cars available to provide rides - just chip in for gas. I believe there is some bus transportation to games.</p>
<p>I do not see it as overly preppy - that might describe some of the students, but not all. I believe about 1/3 of the freshman boys pledged a frat this past year - but that means 2/3 did not. It’s nice to have your niche - but that does not have to be Greek life.</p>
<p>I think that rockville mom nailed those answers.</p>
<p>I will just add that Wake Forest does have a couple of zipcars on campus as well, so your son can sign up through that program and have occasional access to a car.</p>
<p>[Zipcar</a> : Organizations : Wake Forest University](<a href=“http://www.zipcar.com/wfu/]Zipcar”>Wake Forest University | Zipcar)</p>
<p>$35 yearly fee
$8-9 hourly fee or $66-72 daily fee (but includes gas, insurance, and 180 miles per day)</p>
<p>when do we sign up for classes? and if we want to buy books earlier then on move in, do we email the teacher for ISBN numbers? and what other things do i need to do to prepare for wake in the fall, like any other things i need to fill out or sign up for… like dorm and dining plan sign ups?</p>
<p>Thanks very much for all your thoughts re: life at Wake. Nice to have that Zipcar option – usually rental cars won’t rent to those under 25.</p>
<p>So, not outrageously preppy and conservative, then, huh? With 1/3 of the boys in frats, I guess that still leaves the majority on their own. So, if you don’t get into one, you’re not ostracized, right? Just wondering how different a vibe it would be than BC (which son is also considering). Do the kids get all dressed-up for football games, etc.? We’re from Boston and kids here don’t dress-up at all for games, etc. Just wondering what the social differences would be between the two schools.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for any and all thoughts!</p>
<p>CA: class registration for incoming freshmen is on the Monday and Tuesday before classes start on Wednesday, if I recall correctly. There’s really no way to buy your books before moving in, since you don’t know for sure which classes you’ll be taking until after you register. I bought my books at the bookstore for the first semester and always bought them online after that. I suppose if you were ok with waiting a week or so into the semester before getting your books, you could order them online after registration, though…I was always too OCD about not having things I needed, so I preferred to get them well in advance.</p>
<p>Check the incoming students page on the WFU website for info about housing/dining…deadlines are probably in June sometime, I bet.</p>
<p>moao: Some kids get dressed up for football games (mainly the ones that are in fraternities/sororities…I get angry at the girls who would rather show off their new Lilly dress than wear school colors like girls at other schools do, but that’s just a pet peeve of mine). I don’t think you’re exactly ostracized if you’re not Greek; it may be more difficult to get into parties second semester and beyond if your son does not pledge, but it’s not really a big deal. Without having visited BC myself, I would guess that Wake is more preppy and conservative, and definitely has more of a Southern feel, than BC does (but it is not to an extreme). My understanding is that with the lifting of the SAT requirement, the student body is becoming much more diverse. I think you’d have to visit to feel the vibe for sure, and whether it would be right for your son. Good luck!</p>
<p>According to D, guys in fraternities dress for all football games. D was in a sorority, but only dressed up for Homecoming; otherwise she wore a Wake football jersey. So, although some dress for games, the majority do not. There’s tailgating in the student parking section before home games. Most of D’s guy friends were NOT in fraternities – definitely no ostracizing. I’m pretty sure there’s a shuttle from campus to the stadium. D only had a car this past year as a senior. She got along just fine without one for 3 years.</p>
<p>are Wake basketballs televised often?</p>
<p>Pretty much, if not all of, the ACC games are televised. Some of the nonconference games may not be televised.</p>
<p>Wake basketball gets great TV coverage (last season 90%+ were televised). College sports broadcasting is changing, and more games might be on ESPN3.com, but it also makes it more likely every game will be shown in some form.</p>
<p>“So, not outrageously preppy and conservative, then, huh? With 1/3 of the boys in frats, I guess that still leaves the majority on their own. So, if you don’t get into one, you’re not ostracized, right? Just wondering how different a vibe it would be than BC (which son is also considering). Do the kids get all dressed-up for football games, etc.? We’re from Boston and kids here don’t dress-up at all for games, etc. Just wondering what the social differences would be between the two schools.”</p>
<p>I applied to Wake & BC. Both are very preppy and, in my opinion, conservative, but Wake definiiiitely has more of a southern feel. I ended up not really liking BC because of its religious affiliation. Both campuses are very nice but I just never really got good vibes from BC yet felt very pressured to apply. A big difference would be Greek life. </p>
<p>I still don’t really like BC and one of my best friends from high school is transferring out of BC this semester. BC is definitely for some kids, but in my opinion, it is overrated. It is a good school nonetheless, and I’m sure that either school would provide your son with a great education and wonderful overall experience.</p>
<p>“are Wake basketballs televised often?”</p>
<p>Yes, indeed! They’re almost always televised in the South. They’re not always televised in New Jersey but you can follow online (I think if you have an ESPN account you can actually WATCH online. I had a big test and my friend and I studied while watching it on her laptop in the ZSR 
)</p>
<p>"According to D, guys in fraternities dress for all football games. D was in a sorority, but only dressed up for Homecoming; otherwise she wore a Wake football jersey. So, although some dress for games, the majority do not. There’s tailgating in the student parking section before home games. Most of D’s guy friends were NOT in fraternities – definitely no ostracizing. I’m pretty sure there’s a shuttle from campus to the stadium. D only had a car this past year as a senior. She got along just fine without one for 3 years. "</p>
<p>I dress up for games, but other people in my sorority don’t. Most frat boys dress up, but some don’t. There isn’t a huge pressure to do it; a lot of people just think they should because other people are. Not a big deal, though. Lots of my friends who didn’t dress up got bids to fraternities and sororities, and lots of my friends who did dress up didn’t even rush. Therefore, most certainly agreed =) As long as you’re an awesome person, no one cares.</p>
<p>“when do we sign up for classes? and if we want to buy books earlier then on move in, do we email the teacher for ISBN numbers? and what other things do i need to do to prepare for wake in the fall, like any other things i need to fill out or sign up for… like dorm and dining plan sign ups?”</p>
<p>You sign up for classes when you get to school. After you sign up, you go to the bookstore and the shelves of books are sorted by subject and then by teacher. You can get the ISBN numbers from there. At the end of your freshman year, you sign up for classes (for which you will buy the books for in August/September) so you can email them in that case. I recommend buying the books from Amazon instead of the book store, but this year I bought ALL of my books in the book store and they really weren’t that expensive (it depends what classes you’re taking and if you can buy a used version of the book or not). </p>
<p>You will be notified about the dorming/dining plan stuff over the summer.</p>
<p>I have a few random questions… </p>
<p>What are Wake Wednesdays? </p>
<p>What do people tend to use in classes (notebooks versus binder versus something else?) </p>
<p>What are the necessities and random things you would never think to bring when moving in?</p>
<p>Thanks :)</p>
<p>“What are Wake Wednesdays?”</p>
<p>:) Hi!</p>
<p>Wake Wednesday is a party day at Wake. Most schools (up here, at least) have Thirsty Thursday, but we really don’t. This is probably a plus for us because many people start Tuesday and Thursday classes later than Monday, Wednesday, & Friday ones. Lots of people don’t go out on Wednesdays, but some do. Fridays & Saturdays are much bigger, but there will always be somewhere to go on a Wednesday. </p>
<p>“What do people tend to use in classes (notebooks versus binder versus something else?)”</p>
<p>I used spiral notebooks and a “catch all” folder but some people use binders. It really doesn’t matter too much. </p>
<p>“What are the necessities and random things you would never think to bring when moving in?”</p>
<p>Hooks (and lots of 'em), fly swatters (not really a necessity but if you’re afraid of bugs like I am…), curtains (not a necessity but I like them!), delicate bags for laundry, Benadryl, THIN hangers (the closets are a decent size but I think wire hangers are better), nail scissors, flash drives, Tide to go … I don’t really know. Anything you forget ends up getting sent to your or bought in Winston (or someone else on your floor will have it).</p>
<p>Pink- is there a target or bed & bath store not too far away? It is going to be too hard to ship all of the bedding, etc., so we plan on just buying when we get there.</p>
<p>There is a Target just up University Parkway from WFU, and there is a Bed Bath & Beyond not too far away. I know quite few people who ordered all their bedding at BB&B and had it held for pick-up at the store closest to their school. It’s probably better to pre-order the things you want because there’s a good chance a lot of stuff would be out-of-stock if you wait until you get there.</p>
<p>“Pink- is there a target or bed & bath store not too far away? It is going to be too hard to ship all of the bedding, etc., so we plan on just buying when we get there”</p>
<p>I agree with CBBB. My mom ordered a rug through BB&B and we picked it up in Winston (very, VERY helpful since I’m from NJ and a rug wasn’t making the 9 hour drive with us).</p>
<p>Pink,</p>
<p>Do you know anything about club basketball?</p>
<p>Thanks for the great advice- we will place an order as soon as roommate selection is made, and they talk about who has what.</p>