<p>I cannot decide between these two schools! I'm worried that Hopkins might be a little too "study all the time" and difficult for me, because I definitely want to have fun at college and I've heard that students there are usually pretty serious. But I've always wanted to go to a prestigious college and I know that the Hopkins stereotype isn't true for all students. With Wake, I feel like I would definitely have fun there but I don't know if I should take the opportunity to go to a prestigious place like Hopkins, even if it does seem a little out of my comfort zone at first. </p>
<p>Any insight??? Particularly in these areas:
1. School spirit
2. Parties/nightlife
3. Workload
4. Student body (enthusiasm, friendliness, personality, looks)</p>
<p>Just for reference, I just committed to Wake a couple of days ago so hopefully I can answer some of your concerns. </p>
<p>To start off, if your main concern with Wake is the “prestige” of the school, I don’t know what’s holding you back. Wake Forest is ranked as a top 25 university in the country; if that’s not prestigious enough, I’m not really sure what is! Its school of business alone is ranked top 20 and has the highest Academic Quality Ranking out of any business school in the country. Wake Forest has a huge reputation for having such high academic merit.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>School spirit: Wake students really take pride in their school. The school spirit on campus is definitely noticeable, which is good, because it provides a really good sense of community among students and in Winson-Salem.</p></li>
<li><p>Parties/Nightlife: The party scene is mainly dominated by the Greek scene. Downtown Winston-Salem, from what I hear, has also been improving nearly every year. </p></li>
<li><p>Workload: This really all depends on your major. It’s a challenging school, so you shouldn’t expect to just get by on a minimal level.</p></li>
<li><p>Student Body: A very enthusiastic student body to say the least. I have only heard good things about the students about Wake. The only place where there can be improvement is diversity among Wake students. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Wake is a fine school, but I disagree with the above poster that you can’t possibly want more prestige than a usnews top 25. Johns Hopkins is ranked 13 on USNWR while Wake is ranked 25. As a math major, I can tell you: 25 is about twice as big of a number than 13. On ARWU ranking, a world ranking based on numbers (not the money that the school has) Johns Hopkins is ranked #18 in the WORLD. Wake? it’s somewhere in #300s. Clearly, Johns Hopkins is more prestigious. Wake is well known for biology-biotech-biophysics related area and spends 98% of its research funding in those areas. However, Johns Hopkins simply beats Wake in that same area. If Wake is one of the finest institutions for higher education in the country (perhaps), Johns Hopkins is one of the finest institutions in the world.</p>
<ol>
<li>School Spirit. Wake > JHU</li>
<li>Parties/Nightlife - if you are Greek, Wake > JHU. Otherwise, JHU = Wake</li>
<li>Wordload: expect to work hard at both schools!</li>
<li>Student Body: wake’s students might be nicer, and I know that Wake students are smart, but have you met any JHU students? They are super brilliant. Plus, Wake lacks diversity.</li>
</ol>
<p>Actually, in that ranking you are referring to (The London Times Top 200), Wake is ranked 90 in the world. As you mention in another post, you don’t trust USNWR rankings, why would you put any faith in the Times ranking of Wake or any other institution? For my part, I think “prestige” is the least useful method of choosing any college.</p>
<p>As for lack of diversity, many students at Hopkins argue the same: it is not diverse enough. Hopkins does have large Asian and Indian populations (20%+), but fairly small African American or Hispanic populations (about 7% each I think). A lot of students find the JHU campus very self-segregating. Wake is certainly making an effort in the area of diversity, but they have a ways to go. I think the fair thing to say is that both institutions are trying and neither are where they need to be just yet.</p>
<p>From reading your posts, Hucmenzu, it strikes me that for whatever reasons, you have a bit of an axe to grind re: Wake. I think your comments are useful only as far as your own personal experience goes. And I know from speaking to a variety of Wake students, many others feel differently about their time there and about the quality of the school. </p>
<p>I certainly take your broader assessments with a very large grain of salt.</p>
<p>JHU is a prestigious university on a global scale. International students around the world know it, whereas they don’t know Wake. Part of this reason is because of JHU’s outstanding graduate programs. </p>
<p>As far as student body goes, Wake has a more white/southern student body. JHU draws a sizable Asian/northeast population. Wake is more of a “work hard/party hard” school, whereas JHU attracts more of a nerdy type of student that is not likely to party as hard as WFU students–yes these are all generalizations but still.</p>
<p>I suspect workload is similar at both schools–very difficult. JHU, from friends’ reports, appears to be more competitive among the student body. JHU’s only D1 sport is Lacrosse which they are great at. WFU wins in the school spirit category though. </p>
<p>As was said before, most of Wake parties are frat parties, though as an upperclassmen I’ve noticed this trend shifting as students get older and as the years have passed. Also, Winston’s downtown is far better than I ever expected it to be. It’s nothing to brag about, but it’s not horrendous and there are some decent bars to go to.</p>
<p>First, I was not talking about the Times ranking, but ARWU Ranking ( see the link - [Academic</a> Ranking of World Universities - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_Ranking_of_World_Universities]Academic”>Academic Ranking of World Universities - Wikipedia)). Nevertheless, even according to the London Times, I see that JHU is ranked higher. I don’t trust USNWR rankings standing by itself, and I think since many rankings have different priorities and criteria, it would make more sense to look at other rankings as well. I agree with you and other CCers above that prestige is not the most important thing, and WFU has a disadvantage because of its small graduate school when it comes to world rankings. But it is just your opinion that prestige has little or nothing to do with choosing a college, and you cannot expect everyone to have the same list when choosing colleges. The OP obviously cares about JHU’s prestige, and my response was based on the OP’s first post.</p>
<p>Secondly, I appreciate that you are taking my assessments with a grain of salt. Each of us probably experiences different things even if we go to the same school at the same time, so it is always important to gauge the validity of the comments that are being posted on CC. On the other hand, it is not fair for you to blame me for sharing my opinions on this university based on my experience just because you have encountered many others who have had different experiences. Isn’t the purpose of asking on CC to obtain some inside information on what the actual experience is like? Wake is not a perfect place, as you have mentioned, and for that reason, you cannot expect every singe Wake student to be perfectly happy about the way things work at this school.</p>
<p>Thirdly, I do not think I have been unfair or inappropriate in discussing some negative aspects regarding Wake Forest. I never said that Wake was a terrible school and that everyone should avoid. I have provided some factual information as well as things that come from my own experience. If you would ask me, I certainly have enjoyed some aspects of my time at Wake, and I have shared about those positive things about Wake on CC as well (I have been generally positive about the physics department, and the small class size, professional schools, and pre-med tracks, friends, career related service, counseling department, etc). So if you must judge me, judge me fairly or judge me not.</p>