Wake Forest University | Student Reviews | Best College

Student Profile

Jillian

Class: Junior
Major: English
Gender: F

High School: The Stony Brook School
Transfer Student: N

Big Picture

Wake's size is just right. You'll always see someone who know walking across campus but you'll always see someone new too. Wake hasn't really gotten its name fully recognized in a lot of places in the North, and I know what that's like. But it's name is really growing across the country and employers are definitely impressed by it. A lot of the time Wake is thought of as a business/pre-med only school but the liberal arts flourish on campus and we have some of the greatest professors out there. Wake could definitely use some more social spaces on campus. Winston-Salem isn't as bad as it may seem. Sure its sort of weird that basically everything in the area is funded by tobacco money but there's a great art district of town that is growing and plenty of places to eat in the area. Wake may be its weirdest in tailgates. I know some other schools do it too but seeing guys in ties and girls in dresses at a football game is just weird. I was abroad in the fall and I couldn't wait to get back. Wake really becomes a home. As much it may seem like a bubble sometimes (and it is), it's a really great place that I can't wait to get back to when I'm gone.

Academic Life

Wake's academics are definitely demanding. You can't float through and expect to do well. Wake kids are really dedicated to their work and the library is always packed. On the same token though, Wake kids still find time to go out! Intellectual conversations may happen out of class, but I think because we are so overloaded during the week, when we get the chance to hang out it is the last thing we'd want to talk about. Students are competitive but usually you have friends in other departments because of the liberal arts curriculum, so I think that eases competition a bit. I am an English major and I really love the department. The teachers are friendly and brilliant. They always know your name. The department also hosts some great events. I am a Journalism minor, which falls in the English department, and there is a lot to be desired in the department. We have some great professors but not many classes are offered each semester. Professors are extremely available. Office hours are constant and they usually have no problem making an appointment outside of office hours. Many in the English department are willing to go over papers with you and work through your rewrites in order to help you become a better writer. Relationships last past one semester--I am still in contact with professors I had over a year ago. I think the business program at Wake is overly geared toward getting a job that it really detracts students from enjoying their education. The liberal arts are much more geared toward the process of learning as a whole. Wake really needs to improve on its career services department, since it mostly helps out only business students.

Student Body

Alternative lifestyles are not very well represented, nor are minorities, though that is getting better. Students don't really wear sweatpants, etc., to class. They are usually dressed nicely, and students tend to be pretty fashionable. Most students wear designer jeans and tote around designer handbags. For the most part, students have a lot of money. Just look at the parking lot--Hummers, BMWs, Mercedes. What is really nice about Wake is that only 30% of the student body comes from North Carolina. There is a really large percentage of Northerners here, so its not as overwhelmingly Southern as it could be. Students are definitely politically aware, and I'd say it is split between conservative and liberal. There is definitely a larger conservative contingent here than there is at most universities.