<p>In some of the older college guide books I have, the typical Wake Forest student is described as white and extremely preppy. The books say the student body is homogeneous. Recently, however, *<strong><em>.com has been saying something different. I stumbled upon a *</em></strong> list that matches the student bodies of different colleges to clothing stores. According to this list, Wake forest is Lily Pulitzer with "the occasional hipster."</p>
<p><a href="http://www.*****.com/articles/fashion_trends_on_college_campuses/%5B/url%5D">http://www.*****.com/articles/fashion_trends_on_college_campuses/</a></p>
<p>In addition, the ***** article for Wake says that stereotype about the students is still accurate but is changing quickly.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.*****.com/wake_forest_university/%5B/url%5D">http://www.*****.com/wake_forest_university/</a></p>
<p>Recent grads, current students, and anyone in the know, is this change occurring at Wake Forest?</p>
<p>D, 2010 grad, has never owned a Lily Pulitzer dress in her life. Many “reports” on WFU also say that the women all dress up for class and are always in full make up. D did none of these – and no, she wasn’t a social outcast. Take the Wake stereotype for what it is – a stereotype. Are there schools that are more homogeneous and preppy that Wake? Yes. Are there schools that are less so? Yes. The real question is if Wake is a good fit for a student – or not.</p>
<p>My son is not a prep at all. But, he fits in just fine. He joined a fraternity, which has some “khakis + oxford shirt” habits for certain occassions. But, generally speaking, Son is still Mr. Tshirt and cargo shorts.</p>
<p>As with any stereotype, take it with many, many grains of salt. You need to see Wake to understand it best. Yeah, lots of people wear Lilly Pulitzer … and lots don’t. Wake is definitely a preppy school but the way to best fit in at Wake, as with any college, is to just be yourself and embrace your own sense of style. </p>
<p>I like wearing sweats to class (and didn’t know what Lilly Pulitzer was pre-freshman year). So I do. And I have friends here and enjoy my time here greatly.</p>
<p>I’ve never heard of Lily Pulitzer, but I’m also completely lost on fashion, so whatever.</p>
<p>Anyway, I left Wake Forest after a year for the very reasons you highlighted–the school is definitely preppy. Not to say there aren’t people who aren’t preppy, but it’s definitely not what I would call a diverse school. But, then again, the general homogeneity works for the school. People who go there generally really, really enjoy being there.</p>
<p>Take it from my roommate, who said to me last fall, “I love Wake. Everyone here is just like me!”</p>