<p>@LookingNorth: There is a long built-in desk under the window. We put our TV in the middle of the desk - it sort of divided it up so we each had our own space too, so that was nice. There are also built-in dresser/vanity areas, and I’ve seen people put their TVs there too (but your TV would have to be on the smaller side for it to fit, IIRC).</p>
<p>@CollegeAccept: I had Bio AP credit and used it to get credit for Bio 111 and started with Bio 112 (physiology). My understanding is that 111 (intro) is considered more of a “bio for non-majors” course for people that are just looking to fulfill a divisional requirement, and actually doesn’t even count for bio major credit. The 4 bio classes you need for med school are 112, 113, 213, 214.
Most premeds volunteer at WFU Baptist hospital, and you should be able to get that set up after you arrive. I think there is a meeting about volunteering at some point, but here’s info from WFUBMC’s site: [College</a> Student Volunteer Program - Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center](<a href=“http://www.wfubmc.edu/volunteer/college.htm]College”>http://www.wfubmc.edu/volunteer/college.htm)
Additonally, there should be a premed meeting during orientation which will get you on the email listserv and let you know about pertinent premed events/meetings.</p>
<p>juba2jive:
Thanks for the info on TV placement in Luter. I know it’s not the most critical question, but since my D at another school used their dresser or refrigerator to hold the TV, it seemed weird that there’s really no place other than the desk to put a TV. The desks don’t look that big, so you still probably need a smaller TV so as not to take up too much desk space either.
While I’ve heard Luter is one of the better freshman dorms (before South was built), it seems somewhat limited in terms of how rooms are arranged/used due to the built-in furniture. What’s so great about it? It even seems like the rooms are smaller than other dorms, and the bathroom looked tiny on a YouTube video that’s posted. I don’t get it?!</p>
<p>My frosh roommate brought a huuuuge old-school tube TV that was probably 27" (this was just before flat-screens were really popular), and we still had enough room to work at our desks.</p>
<p>The good things about Luter were:
suite-style bathroom. Yes, it is small and only one person can be in there at a time, but it is functional. It is very nice to not have to walk down the hall to use the bathroom/take a shower, and there’s a sink in your room. I lived in some of the other freshman halls later on and I kind of missed that about Luter.
big closets, and each person gets their own closet and built-in dresser.
I really didn’t think the rooms were too much smaller than other dorms. If you keep the beds bunked, there is a lot of room, IMO. My roommate and I did not really get along - she moved in before I did and had unbunked the beds, and refused to rebunk them even when I offered to take the top bed. The room would have been much bigger if not for this.</p>
<p>juba2jive –
That’s helpful information. It’s hard to imagine the setup, but I guess we’ll figure it out soon enough.
On an unrelated note, what’s the word on the pre-orientation programs. My son is doing SPARC and we don’t know anyone who has done it before. What should he expect, other than the opportunity to move into his dorm room earlier?</p>
<p>Here’s a hastily made picture in Paint of the Luter layout. We had room to put one of the beds in the space between the end of the desk and the wall on the left, then the microfridge was at the foot of that bed and the other bed was perpendicular to the left wall. As big as the closets are and considering you have a boy (I’m guessing he may not be a clothes horse who needs ALL the space in his closet :)) you can probably put the microfridge in his or his roomie’s closet. Again, it would have been much bigger had the beds been bunked.</p>
<p>I always moved in earlier due to various programs I was involved with and really appreciated it. It’s nice as a freshman to a) not have to fight the big crowds on normal move-in day and b) already know where everything is by the time everyone else gets there! I don’t know much about SPARC but just read about it on the Web site and it seems interesting.</p>
<p>D did SPARC as a freshman (4 years ago!!!) and then returned as a SPARC counselor as both a junior and senior. As the description says, SPARC is a community service based pre-orientation program. Students are put in smaller groups with a counselor. Groups go to various organizations in W-S to work/help out. The specific activities change year to year, based on what opportunities the organizations have available/what the SPARC directors have set up. There are also quite a few bonding/fun activities such as a W-S scavenger hunt, bowling, etc. D was very pleased she signed up for SPARC as an incoming freshman – she got to meet a number of other freshman in a smaller group setting before the chaos of regular Orientation, plus she met several upper classmen. There was also the added bonus of avoiding the total craziness of move-in day.</p>
<p>Re: professors – try the “Rate My Professor” website.</p>
<p>CBBBlinker – thanks for the info on your D’s experience with SPARC. My S has done some community service here in Florida, so that was part of the draw for him so he could get to know the W-S area. Most of the draw was getting into his dorm room earlier and getting comfortable on campus before the freshman craziness starts. My older D goes to college in VA and he saw her move-in process and wanted to avoid it at all costs! Anyway, it sounds like a good pre-orientation program to choose under the circumstances. Thanks!</p>
<p>Pinkcupcake14 – do you have any insights into the frat scene for guys coming to campus? My S isn’t really into the idea of joining a frat, but he’s heard that if you’re not in a frat you’re kind of excluded from the campus scene. I’ve heard it’s less an issue for girls who don’t join sororities, because they still get invited to frat parties … but guys who aren’t in frats are left out. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>LookingNorth, my son just graduated from Wake, and I can honestly say that joining a fraternity was never an issue. He did not join, and had friends both in an out of them. He was not much of a party guy, so I am not sure if that would have made a difference. If you search the Wake forum, there have been discussions on this before. Good luck.</p>
<p>"Those who are at Wake…can you recommend really good professors that you’ve had in the past and what subject they teach</p>
<p>thanks!"</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.wakeratings.com%5B/url%5D”>www.wakeratings.com</a>
Liking professors is subjective. I’ve had professors recommended to me who I didn’t like at all, and I took a controversial professor’s class and loved it.</p>
<p>I had MANY friends who did this. They all remained close with other people who participated in it, and alllllll recommend it highly. I didn’t do it, but it sounded like fun after the fact.</p>
<p>“Pinkcupcake14 – do you have any insights into the frat scene for guys coming to campus? My S isn’t really into the idea of joining a frat, but he’s heard that if you’re not in a frat you’re kind of excluded from the campus scene. I’ve heard it’s less an issue for girls who don’t join sororities, because they still get invited to frat parties … but guys who aren’t in frats are left out. Any thoughts?”</p>
<p>The way I see it is guys who don’t join frats are generally more left out of the frat scene, yet not entirely. This makes sense to me on a lot of levels. Frats tend to hang out mostly with their respective frats. If you have a bunch of friends in a frat, getting to a party is really not difficult in any respect. If you don’t have friends in a frat (or even ONE friend in a frat), yeah, this will be more difficult. This is how I see it: frats are throwing a party at THEIR house, paying for all the alcohol, getting you rides to the party … would you just show up at someone’s house where you know no one and drink their alcohol? Probably not. On the other hand, especially freshman year, parties are open and there isn’t an issue getting to them. After that, you tend to find people who you click with and party with them. </p>
<p>A lot of people I know aren’t in frats and they all have social lives, although they aren’t into the frat scene as much as people involved in sororities/fraternities are. I would tell your son to keep an open mind when it comes to fraternities, though. Many people who believe they don’t want to be in one find their niche in one unexpectedly I have posted on this a couple of times so I suggest looking back for more information, but I honestly think that not being involved in a greek organization isn’t a huge deal.</p>
<p>pinkcupcake14 – thanks for your thoughts on frats, and I know he’ll keep an open mind, as you’ve suggested. Sorry I didn’t read through the prior pages for your previous posts … a little lazy to read through the first 17 pages or so on my part, but I want you to know that it’s so helpful having someone like you take the time to try to answer all of our silly questions. It’s really nice of you to give your time for this!</p>
<p>Well, you don’t register for classes until about 2 days before classes start your first semester, so apart from picking them up at the bookstore, you’re limited in your options. There is a used bookstore off campus called Edward McKay that sells textbooks and <em>may</em> have some of your books, but they probably won’t have many of them (they usually have more textbooks available for the other colleges in town). Your best option apart from the bookstore is ordering them off half/amazon, but they obviously wouldn’t be there until a week or two into classes, which might be a problem if you had assignments due before then, unless you had a friend that would let you share.</p>
<p>Personally, I paid too much and bought mine through the WFU bookstore first semester then always ordered used books online after that.</p>
Same with D. That first semester of freshman year is a killer since there’s hardly any lead time to order books before classes start. One thing that may help incoming freshmen is Amazon is offering a 1 year FREE Prime membership to students. You get FREE 2 day shipping with no minimum order. You must be a student and you have to use your “.edu” email address to sign up. Check it out!</p>
Also, by the time you are a senior the basement-fraternity scene becomes pretty lame. All of my friends and I had a pretty balanced social life and most of us were not in fraternities. I was talking to a friend the other week about this who also wasn’t in a fraternity, and we both were glad in retrospect that we weren’t in one. They are for some people, and yes you may feel left out freshman year, but they aren’t for everyone. I feel like fraternities confine who you are interacting with (your frat brothers and girls from certain sororities) and you have to make the extra effort to hang out with others. Personally, I like having lots of different sorts of friends, so it wasn’t particularly geared towards a guy like me. So I would tell your son not to sweat it. It may be a little bit hard freshman year, but that is about it. Fraternities help you make a “friend group” more quickly and easily, but you will find all sorts of folks throughout your four years (some of my best friends I didn’t even hang out with much until senior year). However, if fraternity life is your bag, that is great too!</p>
<p>“pinkcupcake14 – thanks for your thoughts on frats, and I know he’ll keep an open mind, as you’ve suggested. Sorry I didn’t read through the prior pages for your previous posts … a little lazy to read through the first 17 pages or so on my part, but I want you to know that it’s so helpful having someone like you take the time to try to answer all of our silly questions. It’s really nice of you to give your time for this!”</p>
<p>No problem I just thought I’d let you know about the previous posts for information – many people don’t think to search for the information and I don’t mind re-answering questions; I’m just afraid that I forgot some information that I previously mentioned. </p>
<p>“What is the best way to buy books at WF? What other options exist outside the bookstore?”</p>
<p>If you can find out what they are and order them online quickly, that’s really the most cost-effective way to do it. I bought my books at the bookstore for both semesters.</p>
I have posted on this a couple of times so I suggest looking back for more information, but I honestly think that not being involved in a greek organization isn’t a huge deal.</p>![http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/4080/lutersetup.jpg[/url]](http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/4080/lutersetup.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
