TCU vs Wake Forest

Hi! I’m a senior in HS and I applied EA to TCU and wanted to start this thread because I’m in a dilemma of whether I should apply ED2 or RD to Wake. I’m from the Midwest and my HS is around 700 ppl so I’m looking at mostly small/med-sized schools. I toured both TCU and Wake, and loved them both. I love that TCU is in Fort Worth, as I definitely want to be near a city. I feel like at Wake most stuff is on campus, and there wasn’t much going on in Winston-Salem, but I could be totally wrong! I feel like TCU might be too southern for me, but I also feel like Wake might be to hard? I also want to major in business, so having a reputable business school is definitely a focus. Just wondering if any alums/current students/prospective students have any thoughts on TCU vs Wake to help me sort out whether I should ED2 to Wake or just RD there? Thanks so much!

If you aren’t positive go RD.

that’s what i was thinking but if I want to go to wake I feel like doing ed2 would really help my chances of getting in?

You didn’t share stats, but is TCU a reach, match, or safety for you?

On important thing since you are looking at business…Wake’s business school is not direct admit, students apply when they are sophomores after taking certain pre-reqs. Acceptance rate is reportedly around 70%, which is high, but not risk free. TCU is direct admit, so more of a certain thing in that regard. What would you major in at WFU if business school didn’t work out?

Are both schools affordable per their net price calculators?

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Thanks for the reply! I’m pretty sure both business schools aren’t direct admit so I would have to re apply end of sophomore yr. If I didn’t get into the business school then I would most likely major in Econ. TCU is a target whereas wake is more of a reach

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Is SMU not in the mix? I feel like it combines the attributes you like about TCU and Wake. It’s in between the two in terms of both competitiveness and size. Especially strong for business. In Dallas. Did you visit when you visited TCU?

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yes i visited last yr! i applied ea to smu but I feel like i prefer tcu and wake over it, just out of personal preference

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If you want any realistic shot at getting an offer of admission from WFU, then you need to apply ED II, in my opinion. But, if you love TCU and it is affordable, then don’t apply ED.

P.S. “I feel like TCU might be too southern for me…” Hmmm. I hope you mean that in a good way. :slight_smile: Otherwise, I am tempted to say “bless your heart”.

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Our D went to Wake and is now in Dallas where there are a ton of TCU grads; one of her best friends from high school went to TCU. I get the sense that TCU is academically easier than Wake so if your heart is set on getting into an undergrad business school it will likely be easier to accomplish that at TCU than Wake. The pre-business weed-out classes at Wake are rigorous, our daughter took one of them by accident and it was rough for her as she wasn’t interested in the business school and had no aptitude for the material. Winston-Salem is actually a charming town with a surprising amount of nightlife and just seems to get better every year. It is a bit of a hike from the campus though. Social opportunities on campus are frequently said to be pretty Greek-centric.

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Wake Forest has mandated the booster shot. Likely will mandate the new ones in March based upon history…what is TCU’s status on that?

All the schools post on their websites. Just have to go look.

OP… just curious, what did you decide? And why?

I decided to apply ed 2 to tcu! I came to the realization it was the truly the place I wanted to be because I really like Fort Worth. I prefer the overall atmosphere of the school as well as their business program!

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Congrats! Good for you. TCU is a great school! I love Fort Worth as well. There is no place like it. My S23 had an amazing campus visit there last summer. Good luck!

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Thank you so much! I’m very excited! It seems like such a cool and upcoming place to be.

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i was already accepted into smu, so it wasn’t part of my ed2 dilemma! very pretty school!

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Wondering if you started at TCU fall 2023? How do you like it? My D23 has been accepted to TCU. She was going to apply to WF (deadline this week) but is loosing interest to complete the application now that she’s been accepted to enough great school with interest. Did you apply to WF and get accepted? We’re encouraging her to apply to WF just to keep options open when she narrows it down. Let us know how you’re liking where you are. Thanks!

OP hasn’t been active since January. Closing.