Just dropped S off for his sophomore yr. Obviously a different feel than a yr ago when he was both excited and anxious. This time just excited. We arrived on campus (after an 11 hour drive) just in time for the home opener of the Men’s Soccer team. He met up with his friends while my wife and I headed over to the game. The place was packed with happy students and local people out for a fun Friday night. There’s just something special about Wake Forest.
Perhaps the feeling was epitomized while we walked back to our car. It was dark, pretty good size crowd. We walked past a man with his family (young kids, so a local). As we passed, I heard a voice yell out my son’s name. We turned around and my son and the man greeted each other with a big hand shake. They exchanged pleasantries and we went on our way. I asked S who that was. Turns out it was a professor he had 1st semester freshmen yr (one of those freshmen seminars). Also happens to be the chief diversity officer on campus, so he has a full plate. He had remembered my son and was enthusiastic about saying hi, asking how he had been, what he did over the summer, etc. This stuff is the norm at Wake Forest and it is really special.
Had dinner in downtown Winston Salem. Son’s phone was blowing up the whole time. We were to check in to our hotel and move him in first thing in the morning. But… he couldn’t wait to get back with his buddies so we dropped him off on campus and he hung with his tribe, slept on the floor in someone’s room and we met him at 9 am to move in. Great friends, great professors / Administrators, Great School!
Fortunately the most important ones know; quality employers and grad schools.
You’d be challenged to find better academics or a more engaged faculty / staff. All that mixed together with a student body that’s full of pride and like to have fun.
@rickle1 I couldn’t agree more. My son is a freshman and I remember reading some of your posts last year. He is so, so happy at Wake. Granted, he has only been there 6 weeks, but he loves it. I visited last week and as we entered his dorm, he introduced me to so many people. The students have all been friendly and welcoming. Not everyone runs in the same group, but it seems most are kind to one another. He is already involved in quite a few things and is so busy, his biggest challenge is getting enough sleep between campus activities and studying. I have been SO impressed with the school itself, including the faculty and the programs that support parents and families (excellent communications that keep parents in the loop.) All in all, I feel very grateful that he is there.
@wakedeac2022 Great to hear he’s enjoying life in The Forest. We get a kick out of reading the Daily Deac email. There will be several speaker events that are “broadcast” live on Facebook. We watched a few last year and they were phenomenal (particularly enjoyed the interview with Senator Ben Sasse and the Provost). Lot of cool stuff going on there.
@rickle1 Yes - Love the Daily Deac! I did not know that speaker events were ever broadcast Live, so will have to look for that. Looking forward to the next four years!
Last yr they had Muhammad Yunus , Nobel Prize winner and founder of the Grameen bank (microlender that helped lift millions out of poverty in his county). His speech was amazing, so I bought his book to learn more. You can likely see it via youtube. Great they host these wonderful people and expose the students to those opportunities. It’s there for those who choose to engage.