Wake English Major

The two big stereotypes that I can think of are the tough academics, as demonstrated by the nickname "Work Forest", and the southern, preppy, conservative atmosphere.

To a degree, yes. I think that beyond our academics, we just have a lot of students that work hard. We're all here because we did well in high school and most are still as Type-A motivated as ever. It's a pretty competitive environment; that is, if you choose to compete. This reputation can also be attributed to Wake's rigorous divisional requirements. It's gotten less overwhelming in recent years, but don't count on being able to take Football Physics instead of Calculus. As well, the language requirement is notoriously grueling to get through. However, as the saying goes, Wake Forest students work hard during the day but at night they play hard too, and sometimes even harder.
Before coming to Wake, I was forewarned that my nose ring and laid back clothing style might not be well-received, due to Wake?s preppy reputation. I hate to admit this, but I bought at least five Ralph Lauren polo shirts to make sure I would fit in with the rest of the student population. On move in day, in my carefully selected green polo, I was pleasantly surprised to find my fellow students dressed in a variety of styles. Today, I?m proud to say that I only don my pastel polos for Golf Pros and Tennis Hoes theme parties. To class, there are students in everything from sweat pants to dresses and boots to yes, double-popped polos, but no one seems to feel out of place. While Wake is a southern school with a largely conservative student body, one might be surprised to find a huge number of students from the north, particularly New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York. And while the weekly newspaper is consistently sprinkled with anti-Democrat comic strips, there is still an open environment for liberals to have their voices heard.

Choosing to go to Wake Forest was one of the easiest choices I ever made because of how much it had to offer me. What makes my life at Wake Forest the easiest for me is the size. It’s a big enough school that I constantly have new experiences with new people, but it’s still small enough that if I don’t know of someone, at least one of my friends probably will. When I’m not in class, I do a lot on and off campus with my sorority. You’ve probably heard that Greek life is a big deal at Wake, and it is. Overall, 42% of all students are in a fraternity or a sorority, with 13 fraternities and 9 sororities. Although it’s a big part of my life here and my friends’ as well, many other students who don’t decide to “go Greek” find that they can form similar close bonds through athletic teams, religious groups, and clubs. That’s not to say that there isn’t tension between Greeks and non-Greeks, because at times there is. Independents, or GDIs, are known to Greeks as “geeds” or even “muggles”, which is Harry Potter-speak for non-magical people. It sucks, but it’s the social environment here. Other than that, I’m proud to go to be a sorority member here; it made it easier for me to be comfortable coming from an all-girls school and it helped me find my place here at Wake. As far as school pride goes, our fan base varies. I would categorize most of us as fair-weather fans, and fans of which sport varies from year to year. We used to be known for basketball, but in more recent years it’s been football. Members of the Greek community are less apt to throw on a black and gold tie-dye shirt and cheer at the game, instead attending the tailgates in button-downs and sundresses. Finally, the food on campus is generally considered pretty mediocre, but we really don’t have it so bad. We have a Subway on campus, Chikfila in Benson, and pit food. While the pit has been known to cause stomach issues, there is a fair amount of variety and provides a decent social atmosphere. It’s tough to complain since it’s a newer space and as they say, much improved.

Class size ranges, and obviously gets smaller as you delve deeper into your major requirements, but even my Psychology 101 class didn’t feel too large for me to feel uncomfortable asking questions. Just like everywhere else, your relationship with your professor is pretty much up to you. Most professors make a big effort to get to know names and they all encourage students to come by during office hours. If you’re struggling in a class or just displeased with a test grade, it is so easy and helpful to stop by the prof’s office to let him or her know you’re really trying. Class participation is usually a must, even in large lectures. Like I said, Wake is filled with a lot of driven people, and internships and job opportunities are a frequent topic of conversation. But let’s be honest, seeing as it is a school of mostly elites, these internships are generally gained through familial connections. Nevertheless, the stress level and the pressure to get work done are usually very high.

Wake is a largely white, conservative, Christian student population, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a place where others can’t fit in. Those with especially strong minority opinions might not feel comfortable here because the campus is pretty strongly swayed towards certain groups of people. For example, it only takes a quick glance around a room full of Tory Burch flats to understand that the majority of students are fairly well-off financially. Most African-American students are athletes, and at times campus can seem racially divided, especially in areas like the pit. Athletes’ presence at fraternity parties are also known to cause tension and even physical altercations. However, there are two historically black sororities and one fraternity. The rest of the Greek organizations have students of color, but never more than a handful per group.

One of the best things about going to school at Wake is that there’s almost always something fun to do. Sure, Winston-Salem doesn’t have much of a nightlife, but within the Wake bubble there’s always something planned for students. Some events many students look forward to include Shag on the Mag, a completely prepped-out night of South Carolina-style shag dancing on the quad, Project Pumpkin, a volunteer day where local kids trick-or-treat on campus, and Wake ‘n Shake, a newer fundraising 12-hour dance marathon for cancer research. Greek life aside, there are many clubs on campus that many students manage to get excited about. The Lilting Banshee’s, a comedy group on campus, perform for students every semester and are promoted during that time by ubiquitous yellow signs with hilarious sayings. In fact, one of the first things a new freshman might encounter could be a neon sign cautioning that “the Freshman 15 shouldn’t come out in 9 months with a name”. In addition, the extremely talented and numerous a capella groups always draw big crowds to their shows. We even have a secret society, called the Twenty-Threes, but the details about it are shrouded in secrecy. But for me, and many others on campus, Greek life dominates the social scene. If you want a party and can’t go to bars yet, you’ll have to find a fraternity house, hall, or lounge to go to. The party situation at Wake is complicated because, unlike many schools, we don’t have official frat houses. We do have halls and lounges in dorms, where sometimes the fraternities hold parties that almost always get busted. It’s easy though to get rides to off-campus parties, especially if you’re a freshman. For big parties, fraternity pledges will run shuttles and pick you up right at your door. The biggest party nights, besides the weekend, are Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesdays many fraternities rent out bars, where you shouldn’t have much trouble getting a drink, or house parties. Thursdays, however, are for the 21-and-up crowd at bars and sporting events with drink specials. On Saturdays, there’s almost always an opportunity to drink at a party during the day, which sounds like a recipe for disaster because it is. That being said, I’ve also had some of my craziest and most fun times at Wake during these day parties. Off-campus, a lot of students get involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters and mentor once a week with their little. I’ve gotten so much out of my time with my little, Cymone, who just started high school. I’ve enjoyed doing things with her that I often wished that I had an excuse to do, like put-put golfing, painting pottery, or just getting my nails done.

With such tough academics, it's essential to check out your professor before you sign up for a class. Students here rely on a website called virtualratings.com to screen teachers so they know what they're getting into. As always with anonymous services, everything is to be taken with a grain of salt.

Once you get to Wake, you're sure to hear about the campus underground tunnels. The entrances are mostly closed off, but a determined student can find a way. They're dark and a little damp, but worth it for students up for a little adventure.

Tribble Hall, a building on campus open 24 hours, is the site of countless hookups over the years. No one wants to graduate without being able to count this among their collegiate rebellions.