I am really drawn to Wake Forest because of its location, campus, and academics. I also like that the university offers pre-orientation and so many student organizations and clubs. However, I understand that student life at Wake Forest is dominated by Greek life, and I am not sure if I want to join a sorority or not. Also, I do not drink. Will I be happy at Wake Forest?
I hate to say this because there are many, many things we love about Wake, but if you do not drink, you should really try to find some current students to talk to about the social life and see if it is right for you. My daughter does not drink, and has found that the social life on campus (Greek or not) does really seem to revolve around alcohol. She loves the academics, loves the campus and traditions, and is involved in several organizations, but if she had to do it all over again she would choose a different school based solely on the amount of partying. Of course there is drinking on any campus, but she feels that, compared to other campuses where her friends are, it is worse at Wake. I think this is compounded by the fact that the campus is pretty self-contained, so you can’t just walk off campus into town to find alternative fun (you have to drive or take a shuttle). If you do decide on Wake, consider substance-free housing so you can meet like-minded people, and also consider the Summit pre-orientation program. As for Greek life, don’t count that out. She, too, was ambivalent about sororities, but ended up going through rush and did find a group she really likes. I love that Wake’s rush is second semester, so you have time to get adjusted to campus and figure out where you might fit in before going through rush. Best of luck with your decision!
I summarize this at the end if you don’t want to read the whole thing. Also, feel free to message me directly if you have more questions. I’m currently a freshman at Wake Forest, and actually had very similar thoughts when I was applying. Before I give my two cents, I would like to remind you to take my opinion with a grain of salt. My experience here is one of many. There will always be people who have opposing views/opinions about things, so if someone tells you something about Wake that is completely different than what I do, don’t automatically assume one of us is lying. There are millions of paths to take at Wake Forest, and all of them foster different experiences even though they take place at the same University. However, I do think my experience will help you see Wake from the perspective of a new student with similar mindset as you. Will you be happy at Wake? I’m not sure. I think a better question is can you be happy at Wake? And my answer to that is most definitely yes. Coming into Wake Forest, I was told that the partying here is dominates social life, and that the everything social revolves around Greek, and I have found that to be only half of the truth. If you want your social life to revolve around Greek, then you can make it happen. There are many people here that drink, and party, but there are also many students who don’t. If you are among those who don’t (like me) there are a surplus of things going on outside greek parties. For instance, I have done a lot with the Outdoor Pursuits group. The OP group goes hiking, bouldering, surfing, camping, and many other things on the weekends. And there are many other groups that do stuff on weekends which don’t revolve around alcohol. The only way you can not have fun is if you don’t take the initiative to go out and get involved. Another thing that might make Wake Forest come off as a party school is the resent ranking given by the Princeton Review (14th party school in the nation). I have been to some of the parties, and that ranking might be misleading. The parties here are good. But in what context? They are good because they are inviting, play music that everyone dances to, and are not exclusive. Unlike many other schools, most of the Frats here let freshman and other non-greek members in, male and female. I originally thought that when someone said the parties here are great, they meant that everyone gets trashed out of their minds and drinks until the sun comes up, but that really is not the case. Obviously there are people here who do drink too much, but no more than at other universities. I personally don’t like parties because I am not into dancing. It’s not like you have to drink to fit in. Here, people really don’t care about your choice to drink or not. It’s a personal decision, and everyone respects that. I think the statistic for people that drink at Wake is around 60%, but that doesn’t meant 60% of the student body is drinks to get drunk. I, along with many others in this group, drink casually because it is our culture. Many international students grew up drinking wine or beer with their family, and do not see alcohol as a way of partying, but rather as a part of daily life. If you cannot tolerate being around people who drink, then you might have a problem here. Actually, you’d probably have a problem at every College and University. So, with that being said, if you are accepting of different cultures and world-views, you will be able to be happy here at Wake Forest.
Summary: If you take the initiative to leave your dorm room and get involved with groups/clubs, I think you will be happy. There are many students here who are super happy and do not drink or party. If you respect other people’s choice to drink, and accept their beliefs, they will respect yours. Not everyone that drinks gets plastered. The environment here at Wake Forest is amazing. There are people from many different backgrounds, and so far almost everyone I have met is kind, and respectful. There are sour apples, but don’t be oblivious to the silent majority. I hope that helped, and good luck on your college decision!