Wake Forest University Top Questions

Is the stereotype of students at Wake Forest University accurate?

Elizabeth

Somewhat. I would only agree with the stereotypes to an extent. Obviously most of the students are smart due to who the admissions staff lets in the shcool. As for being preppy, yea a lot of people wear sun dresses to football games, but there are also a lot of people who don't. I would say for every preppy person there is someone the exact opposite. I am southern, but the majority of the friends I have made at Wake are from above the Mason-Dixon line.

Sasha

Partly

Kat

they are for some students but certainly not for others, not for the majority

Hannah

I would say some of them are accurate -- we're a pretty preppy group, but we're not all conservative, definitely not all Baptist, and although most of us are smart...the curriculum here kicks our butts.

Vanessa

Yes and No...Everyone at Wake is very well-rounded and involved. They also all seem to come from similar backgrounds - at least in the social circles I run in, which is mostly Greek and Athletic Teams. The kids come from all over the East Coast, but definitely hang out with people from similar places.

Jenny

I think that both of the stereotypes listed are accurate.

megan

it seemed that way coming into the school, but after being here for 3 years, and getting to know many people on a personal level, many of these stereotypes diminish. but, overall, yes i think they are accurate as a whole.

Hannah

Somewhat

Jamie

much less accurate than how they are perceived from the outside

Amanda

Somewhat; of course we're smart, but not everyone is fake or stuck up. Not everyone is rich, either. Those that are fake are just insecure. NOT EVERYONE IS SOUTHERN!

Mary

fairly, for the most part

Perry

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.

Matt

Wake is a very difficult institution, but there is plenty of time for students to have fun. As to the idea that all Wake students are rich preps, that's not true at all.

Mary

For the most part, yes

Tom

The majority of people here are preppy or try to make themselves look preppy to fit in; the student body is by no means all conservative, but the more vocal of the students are; the students here come from all different backgrounds, but if they are not rich, a good number try to make themselves seem as if they are; there are a huge number of people in Greek organizations compared with other schools

Susan

No