Hi @Glow271 - thank you for the assessment! Our school is very rigorous, a top public school in NJ (which is the #1 state for public schools) and she’s roughly top 12-15% in her school so that’s a plus. The ECs are really what make her - she’s so lovely and presentable.
One more thing - we got an email asking to confirm our financial aid choice, that we will not request or require any institutional financial aid. I was a little surprised only because I figured they would decide to admit a kid and then worry about financial aid, no? She sent her app in the minute she got rejected ED from NYU, the same night (long story lol) so approx a week ago. Any thoughts on that? Appreciate your insight!
The financial aid question is sent out to all who didn’t apply for any financial aid. It was sent to us as well. They want to confirm that all deadlines are met if you need aid.
DUH! Thank you - I hadn’t seen that. She just applied last week so I’m a little behind. That’s great to know, my daughter is also Top 10-15% of her class, so knowing they took Top 20% is a little comforting.
My DD is switching her WF application to ED2. Unfortunately, she did not see the video email when she first submitted her application in November (it went to her spam folder). Does anyone think that will be held against her? She is calling the admissions office today to discuss. Here are her stats otherwise:
34 ACT
4.5 W GPA
11 AP courses, high honors otherwise
Top 10% of her class, highly ranked NJ public high school
National Hispanic Scholarship
Varsity lacrosse/scholar athlete
Diversity club
SWENEXT
Columbia U summer program
Part time jobs
Tons of other EC and volunteer
Yep - She did the video and talked about the Wake Forest v Rutgers game we went to where she met the coach and some of the players and took pictures. It was awesome - and they are really trying to build school spirit in their D1 sports.
@Lougar you certainly fit the profile of a Wake Forest student. I think diversity representation will also be in your favor. There are others that have gotten in without an interview or video. Good luck!
I’m a current freshman at Wake in the class of 2026. Your DD certainly has a high chance of getting in through ED. Her stats alone will greatly benefit her application, but they will most likely compare her stats to other students in her school which might make it a little more difficult. I wont bore you with my stats that got me in, but I can tell you with the utmost confidence that your DD has much better stats than I did when I was applying so I would not worry about that sector.
Instead, focus on the essays. My stats were fairly average so I think that is what got me in. I also did not have stellar extracurriculars like your DD. My essays were, in my opinion, unique. In my common app essay I talked about my love for coffee and how that translated into the creation of who I am today. Furthermore, in the Wake-specific essays, I talked about how Hillbilly Elegy (one of the books I listed/read), gave me an insight into post-industrial decline in rural Appalachia. I can send you any essay, if you are interested. Just let me know!
Also, I don’t think anything will be held against her. If the admissions office does not let her, I doubt it will change the decision of admissions. Her stats and multi-faceted extracurricular portfolio will almost certainly get her in. P.S. I am also Hispanic and from NJ and I did not do the video, interview, or a visit and she has a MUCH better application than I did. I hope everything works out well.
Hi there. I am a current freshman in the class of 2026 at Wake. I’m from Elizabeth, NJ but I went to a small catholic school in a neighboring town that has about 400-500 students. My class had less than 100 students and only about 5 of us went to schools that were ranked in the top 100 in the latest US News college rankings.
Your DD has really good stats. Her SAT score fits within the average, but depending on her classmates at her high school, it could hurt her or help her. It all depends how many students apply to Wake. I am also not a college application expert to take everything I say with a grain of salt. I did not submit any standardized test scores (AP, SAT, ACT, etc.) because I didn’t think they represented me. I also took 7 AP’s and every other class was honors. How many APs does her school offer? How many honors? Her EC’s literally blow me away. That’s Ivy league worthy!! My EC’s were no where near that extensive. Has she thought of doing debate at Wake? I have a couple friends that are on near full scholarships for debate. She should email the Head of Debate for an interview. If you need me to, I can ask one of my friends for the head of debate’s contact information and I could forward it to you.
Yes!! Essays are the most important thing in today’s application process. If you want I could send you my essays as well.
Overall, I think she has a very good chance of getting in, but ultimately it all depends on the number of students that apply from her school.
Hello there!
Thank you so much for replying back to me - a fellow New Jerseyan
So far there have been 2 kids accepted ED to Wake from her school but I honestly don’t think there will be many who apply ED2. She has 1200 kids at her school, 300 from her grade, but it’s tight knit enough where everyone knows what everyone else is doing lol.
I think the school probably offers 12-13 AP classes, but you can only start taking them in junior year and not every class is offered in honors (some are honors or AP, so you can only do one at a time.) I would say that most kids - even the ones who get accepted to Top 10 universities or lib arts colleges have max 9-10 APs
You’re not a college app expert but you know what it takes to get into Wake and so that’s amazing intel for a mom like me!
I agree and THANK YOU - her ECs really are amazing, she works very hard at all of them! She included the link to her fundraising website and said in one of her essays that she would want to continue raising money for food banks in the Winston-Salem area. I think your thought about emailing the Head of Debate for an interview is a great one. She is definitely interested in hearing more about the Debate team at Wake - do you think that could help her cause? Above and beyond everything else?
Anything else you can think of that can help, please write here! Thank you thank you and happy holidays!
when i log into the wake forest admissions portal, it only allows me to see my portfolio with the video that i submitted and not the checklist of admissions materials that i have submitted. there is a continue button but when i press it nothing happens. did i do something incorrectly? i am pretty positive that my admissions materials have all been handed in but i am a nervous nelly and like to check multiple times.
