Wake Forest University
Hallmarks and Quirks
Things I'm Good At:
- My soccer teams are my pride and joy. They're contenders for national titles nearly every year.
- Attentive professors. I'm a small school. That means small classes, unlike Duke where you have to wave your hands frantically amidst a sea of other students just to ask a question.
- Gettin' down to business. My business program has been rated number one in academic excellence for six years straight.
- My motto isn't "Pro Humanitate" for nothing. My students are humanitarians through and through. Every year, they get together and donate items to be auctioned in an effort to raise money for places like The Special Children's School and Habitat for Humanity.
My Top 5 Must-Haves:
- Rain boots. You'll thank me for mentioning these. Our drainage problem is real. A five-minute rain shower produces some pesky puddles around campus.
- Personal mug. Our school's tree huggers will hunt you down if you don’t have one of these. If that's not incentive enough, our campus' coffee shops will give you a discount, as well.
- Demon Deacon. Yup, it's our mascot plush toy. Its creepy smile will keep you awake while you're trying to pull that all-nighter during finals week.
- A planner. You may not think you're one of those people, but you will be. As you start signing up for clubs, volunteering, meeting with professors, and tutoring, that little notebook (or app) will become your best friend.
- WFU shuttle. This is especially for the freshies. Getting sick of Pit food? Want to go to the mall? What about that hot nightclub? Oh wait, you don't have a car. No worries. I got a shuttle. And it runs on Saturday and Sunday so you can get that stash of ramen for your room.
Why You Might Have Heard of Me:
- I have a great medical school program; it's the fourth most selective in the nation.
- I was one of the first schools to become SAT-optional. Yeah, I like to select students based on their actual achievements rather than their test-taking abilities.
- Students in my Master of Science Accountancy (MSA) program have earned the highest ranking CPA exam scores for the twelfth time since 1997—more than any other university within the same time span.
On a regular Saturday night, you can find me...
I'm probably at a frat party. Greek life dominates this campus. Those who don't have a party to attend usually end up at the aptly-named bar, The Last Resort.
Favorite Hangouts:
- The Starbucks inside the library. It's a Godsend. Students study, sleep, and (obviously) get their caffeine fixes here. Yeah, you know what a Starbucks does.
- ZSR Library. We like to have fun during finals week.
- The Sundry. Your one-stop-shop for late-night candy, decadent Magnum ice cream, and any other snacks you'll need to get you through the night.
- The Student Union. My largest student-run organization on campus. They host some of the best activities like Awake All Night, a carnival-esque event for students.
Quirks:
- More than 60% of my students study abroad. Travelling through a WFU program means you'll get GPA credit for your classes. Hot diggity.
- Professors welcome undergrads to do research with them. Even if you're a freshman, just ask (and be persistent). You won't regret it.
- Getting tired from all that studying? Chill out in the ziesta room in the library. Sleeping is encouraged.
- Our Reynolda House Museum of American Art is ranked second out of nineteen attractions on tripadvisor. I'm not sure if this is commendable or not, considering Winston-Salem is a total snoozeville, but I'm proud that the Reynolda House website is considered to be the "Best of the Web" in the People's Choice category.
Famous Alumni:
- Arnold Palmer, Hall of Fame golfer
- Brian Piccolo, NFL running back and inspiration for the movie Brian's Song
- Tim Duncan, NBA all-star
- Chris Paul, pro basketball player
- Ricky Van Veen, co-founder of CollegeHumor