@homerdog my DD19 did not have any connections in Wake sororities and she got a bid. Through out the fall semester she met sorority girls at parties, in classes, and club meetings and would then make “rush dates” typically a quick cup of coffee, or meal in the Pit, for one-on-one conversation. The girls in sororities are actively looking to meet freshman girls throughout the fall and have very casual conversations. Social networking I guess. That way once formal rush begins the week before spring classes start, she knew 1 or 2 girls in most but not all sororities. Rush at Wake is nothing like rush at typical southern schools like Clemson, Alabama etc. It’s much less intense. Wake rush seemed similar to rush at my DD’s friends‘ schools in the NE, Mid west.
That being said, rush at any school can be stressful. There are a lot of unknowns. My DD19 says many girls had favorite sororities they wanted to join in their mind before rush started, and ended up not getting invited back to that one, so they dropped rush all together. Some got bids from their 2nd or 3rd choice. (just like not getting into your first choice college). The key to sororities is network in the fall, prep ahead of time for formal rush (what will you talk about, what questions Will you ask, what questions might you get asked, like any “interview” etc) keep a very open mind thru formal rush in the spring.
This is from Wake:
“ The recruitment process is successful for the majority of women who participate. However, it is important to recognize that your student is exploring membership in organizations that are selective and looking for women they feel best fit their experience. In spring 2019, 471 women participated in sorority recruitment. Of those, 88% matched with a chapter, 9% withdrew themselves from the process (although they were still receiving invitations from one or more sororities) and 3% did not match
with a chapter. While we are very successful at placing women in recruitment, it is important to keep in mind that not all women join their first choice chapter. It also means that the process is that much more difficult for those women who did not have a successful recruitment process.
The recruitment process can be an exciting, yet emotional time for many women. We urge every participant to keep an open mind throughout the process, and we appreciate the emotional support and stability you can provide as a family member. Some of the women that withdraw from sorority recruitment midstream later regret their decision. You can help us by encouraging your student to see the process to
completion. Not every woman will be invited back to her top sororities, but that doesn’t mean she cannot find great friends and sisterhood in the remaining groups. We often hear students that withdrew from the process reflect that they wished they had been more open-minded to the options available to them.”
That sounds pretty inclusive with regard to Wake if 88% get a bid. Any idea what % actually accept the bid? And also seems like a sizable number never enter the process
My S is a strong Christian male, who is a 3-sport varsity athlete. He’s not into the party scene, and has a variety of groups of friends in high school. He’s got his nerdy friends (his words, not mine), his Varsity athlete friends, and his church-going Christian friends. He doesn’t want to rush - so will he feel “left out?” Are there strong Christian groups on campus, with cool kids involved?
@ArbonneMom: I have read your other posts. You son has outstanding qualifications, but my impression is that he is a better match with Furman University than with WFU if he is not into the party scene & is a strong, Christian male.
@ArbonneMom my son is a student at WF and he has many friends that are strong Christians. There is a good size Christian population on campus and you can read about it here https://chaplain.wfu.edu/religious-spiritual-life/christian-life/ . There are many on campus groups as well. The party scene is prominent at Wake but there are also plenty of kids that don’t party and he would find his people.
@ArbonneMom, DD spends more time with her church group than her sorority. There are lots of cool kids involved and they take regular trips to the mountains, beach and do public service projects. DS headed there next year, will try out for club basketball and will also be involved with DD’s church group.
There’s a big tent at Wake, lots of ways to get involved. Fraternities are not as popular as sororities, so I wouldn’t give that part too much thought.
He can get a good feel for the school on one of the admitted students days. I’ve read your posts and think he would fit in well. He seems very similar to DS.
One went to Wake and one graduating from Furman. Little difference at all in academic rigor and I might give Furman the edge on being tougher. On topic, Wake is a great school and it has a really big tent so if you work at meeting people and groups early on, you probably will find a comfortable fit. Greek life is huge but independents find their place. It definitely fits the study hard/party hard.
Interesting. May have been the first time I’ve heard Furman being tougher than Wake. That being said, I’m not sure I’d put it in the same category as Liberty.
@rickle1 your son’s experience is a lucky one. The business frat (which is a co-ed fraternity that many kids turn to after Greek denial) had about 100+ kids show up for about 25 spots–it’s very competitive to get into and has a lengthy and very busy week of events and a heavy application to submit (think about all those Wake supplements–kind of similar). Most things to get involved in on this campus are over-attended for far too few available spots. It’s either feast or famine here. Even jobs on campus receive about 100 applications for 1 or 2 spots. It’s very hard to get into anything when all the kids are so similar and exceptional at everything. I feel the sting of rejection almost every day here. There is still very little to do on campus if not one of the lucky ones to find a good fit in a greek organization. I saw that some girls were holding events for those who didn’t take sorority bids or dropped out of rush, but nada here for the guys. Maybe it’s communication that this is the wrong place for me but in any case, the sting of rejection is not fun and hoping none of your kids will have to feel it.
@CCTANKCC Sorry you’re not having a good experience and I suppose that happens for some at every college. All I can tell you is the people we know at Wake are doing well and greatly enjoying college life.
Re the business fraternity, it is competitive and it’s that way for business frats on most college campuses. If you stay at Wake and are still interested, I suggest you rush again next semester (easier fall admission) or certainly next spring. S rushed with several friends and was the only one accepted his freshmen yr. That forced him to branch out as it is a busy fraternity (meeting every week, activities). He then was able to help his friends have a better result the next semester by giving them pointers in networking, interviewing, resume, etc. So if you want to be in that group, stay in contact with members and you may have a better result next time. That is quite common.
Can anyone speak to the availability of research opportunities? Sounds like classes, social organizations, and on-campus employment are all fairly competitive – is this true for research?
Sorry about the adjustment experience. Maybe you should gather a few guys and emulate what the women on campus or doing. Takes somebody to start it! You could reach out to those women for ideas. Or even start something coed. Or any club that interests you.
Someone asked a question about research opportunities at Wake. Our D was a psychology major and found that there were ample research opportunities when she wanted to get involved and do some resume-building. Unfortunately, psychology grad schools all appear to require a minimum GPA of 3.75 which is hard to attain at Wake. At any rate, she is happily employed and doing well so I think she dodged a bullet with the grad school option.
Also, the comment from CCTANKCC above is heartbreaking: “the sting of rejection is not fun…” I hope your Wake experience improved after your fraternity disappointment. It can be a tough place.
My daughter and I toured Wake Forest on March 14, 2022. We noticed the same thing as mentioned in the quote. (We did not notice any African American students but did notice and speak to AA administrators who were extremely friendly and engaging.)
I would add that all the admissions/administration personnel we met (and we met at least six including a chance meeting with President Wente) were remarkably nice, engaging, aware of Wake’s identity (ie, strengths and weaknesses), and very enthusiastic about being part of Wake Forest. They all offered their contact information and one even gave us an impromptu guided tour despite our having a regular student led guided tour scheduled for later that morning.
Or any club that interests you.