Wake Forest University Top Questions

I loved having a first-year seminar. I had a really hard topic (gender and racial identity) and was mentally exhausted after every class, but it was very fulfilling. There are so many fascinating topics to choose from (a friend's a seminar was on pirates), and they are led by a number of cool professors. This is definitely a gem of wake's academic program, and i wish that i could take some of these seminars even as an upperclassman. Registration will make you want to set yourself on fire your freshman and sophomore year. It is really hard to get a spot in a lot of classes (e-mailing profs before registration and asking for a spot usually helps, though). Wake is great about encouraging students to study aboard. The school has some pretty amazing houses. I went with a non-wake program, and the international studies center was so helpful with recommending programs, guiding me through the process and answering all my questions. I had no problem receiving credit for the courses that i took while abroad.

I think the classes are incredibly difficult at Wake but I appreciate what I am learning in the classrooms. If I could though, I would like to change the divisional requirement classes. I think that testing in divisional credit classes should be standardized. It is amazing what a difference you see in your grade based on your teacher. You can work so hard in a class for a C while another person in the same class with a different teacher does nothing for an A. That is unfair and I think standardized testing would be a great way to change that.

Academic here at Wake are pretty tough. Professors know my name. I love the History department here, absolutely despise the Physics department. Students are fairly competitive. Education here is more geared to getting a job.

The academics at Wake are nothing to sneeze at. We take it very seriously. The profs know our names. We study all the time. Class participation is common, and people have things to say, esp. in their concentration/major. We do have intellectual conversations outside of class, but we don't over do it. We recognize how nerdy/dorky we are because we actually like learning, but we also take great pride in it. Students are competitive, but mostly against either the system or themselves. It's rare to find someone who tries to beat someone else's grade publicly. My department rocks. They are the best department because I love all of the professors. We're like a big family. It's awesome.

The classes are small enough so that professors know your name and are definitely available for help whenever you need it. There is a lot of work, and classes are hard, but if you keep up with the readings and assigned homeworks then you will be fine. I believe the most popular majors are business and communications, but there are certainly a great deal of pre-med students as well. Teachers encourage class participation and it is taken into account in grades for many classes. Students definitely study a great deal, but it's certainly a manageable workload if you allocate your time correctly.

I'd say about 1/2 my profs know me by name; my favorite class was Shakespeare with Valbeuno - that woman is one of the smartest people I've ever met, my worst class was chemistry; students study in the library, benson, and obscure places; class participation is common but always the same people; wake students have tons of intellectual conversations outside of class; students are very competitive; most unique class is psychopharmacology (and one of my favorites); psychology does not have advisers which is ridiculous I think but the English department does which makes like a lot easier (I'm a double major); I only spend time with my research methods teacher outside of the classroom to get extra help; Wake's requirements are fair but they should have a sample outline for possible majors to help them balance their schedules throughout their four years; I'm learning for the sake of learning but I feel that I am the minority

Every professor I've had knows my name. I've had 3 classes in my 3 years here with more than thirty students in them... the majority of my classes have under ten students (which sucks when you skip). The professors are beyond amazing and really passionate about teaching and making sure you learn. This semester, my favorite class is History of the German Language. Although it's fifty minutes long three times a week, it feels like five minutes and I'm so interested in the class discussions I often forget to take notes. The education here at Wake Forest is not about getting a job; it's about learning for the sake of learning and making the most of your time at college.

I like the small class size and the fact that most professors know your name and give you the opportunity to really participate, and they are willing to make time to help you and not just have some TA interact with you...Academics are extremely important to Wake students, mostly everyone seems to take school very seriously, but that is not to say too seriously...I like that Wake allows you time to take a broad range of courses with the divisional requirements before declaring your major sophomore year.

the one thing that sucks is no matter how hard you study, your grades usually arent as good as your friends at other schools. i have friends at shitty schools with 4.0s and they never go to class. most of my professors knew my name which was nice.

Professors know my name. People study a lot but it depends on the courses they are taking Students are competetitive but, unlike other schools, are willing to help others Unique: Feminist Fairytales

Professors definitely know your name. Some professors even invite their classes over for dinner. The classes are small which is great for discussion. The Business School has a lot of group projects, which are great to talk about during interviews. It seems that students in the Business School and pre-med have the most homework, but overall, there is a lot of studying going on. We work hard, play hard. Students are competitive, but more with themselves than each other. I have never had another student refuse to help me with something just so that they do better. Wake has a lot of academic requirements, but you do have options and it does broaden your horizons. No matter what you major if, you are going to learn a lot of valuable information for your future.

It's called Work Forest for a reason, but you'll learn a lot and learn to manage your time really well.

All of my professors know my name, as well as how I'm doing in their class. If they feel as though I need a little extra help before a test, they will come to me to ask if I'd like to meet. I feel as though my teachers truly care about my success in their class. My favorite class is my english class. We have been able to choose between different books to read so that the class is always enjoying what we are reading. The class is also only about 11 students, so it is a very discussion based environment. The amount that students study varies from person to person. Some people are the type that seem to be naturally smart. They can read their notes over once and memorize it. Other students, such as myself, need to study at least 4 or 5 hours a day to keep up with my work. Students are very competetive here. In fraternities and sororities, everyone wants to keep the sorority's overall gpa up, so they tend to help each other out. Other than that, though, it's all about getting a better grade than the kid next to you so that you can be helped by the curve. The most unique class I have taken at Wake was my anthropology class. Most of my other divisional classes were ones that I had already taken in high school (math, science, english, foreign language). My anthropology class was so interesting because it pertained to cultures that I had never learned about before. Aside from office hours, students tend to stay separate from their professors. I think Wake's academic requirements are way too much. I will be taking divisional classes until I graduate because I don't have enough time to focus on both my major and my divisionals. There is also a great deal of grade deflation making it nearly impossible to get A's. Education at Wake is geared toward getting a job, by means of "weeding out" the students who can not achieve the highest grades.

grade deflation. seriously

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.

the professors know my name and are always very eager to help students (at least in my experience). wake students have intellectual conversations outside of class but i would like to see more. i feel like once we get out of class a lot of our energies are focused into studying so once we finally have downtime to actually have a conversation we don't want it to be intellectually focused.

Wake's classes are small and therefore more personal. It sucks though because with smaller classes it is harder to skip. There is absolutely no grade inflation at this school people work extremely hard to get good grades. Everyone works hard and wants to do well. The professors are good and personal your professor will know and say hello to you outside of class. The academic requirements are great at Wake. They have recently changed them to make it alot easier and the requirements are very doable now.

Academics here are excellent. My professors all know my name, even in my giant chemistry lectures (giant being about 50 people). In general I like my classes. Any class I've taken from a head of department has been excellent. A warning though: don't come here if you don't want to be challenged. We call this place Work Forest for a reason. For the science majors and premeds, though, there are abundant opportunities to do real research (not just washing glassware) for your professors and even up at the medical school. The summer research grants aren't that hard to get and most professors are receptive to having undergraduates work for them. Premeds do tend to be pretty cut throat, but not quite to the extent of pencil-kicking: the aggression stays passive. The main problem with a Wake Forest education is that, for such an large investment, I don't know if the return (i.e. your job after school) will be so lucrative. Most kids plan to go to graduate or professional school before the go to work. It's pretty funny when I tell them to travel abroad, though. A semester here costs more than all of college in Latin America, for example, and they ask, so what will you do when you get out? Will you make lots of money? And I say, ummmm....no, I kinda have to pay some more and go to school some more.

Every professor I've had at Wake knew my name. I've loved every single class in my department but some of the pre-recs have been a little iffy. My favorite class was most likely a class called "Gandhi" in which our final prohect was to enact Gandhian method somewhere to ignite some change anywhere in the world. My least favorite class was theater. Classes like theater definitely have been wastes of my time but other pre-recs like Astronomy can be pleasant surprises. This situation will improve though, as the school has drastically decreased pre-rec requirements. Classes are very much a give and take between students and professors and students are expected to provide insights regularly. Wake students are very intellectually involved and are constantly talking about thought provoking lectures, articles, or speakers. Wake doesn't feel competitive at all. In the political science department I am constantly shooting the breeze with professors outside of class and encountering them at community political events. The professors at Wake, despite their mind blowing resumes, are some of the most humble, kind people you will meet in your life. Sometimes other students are more worried about careers after school and less about intellectual exploration at Wake.

Yes, professors know my name, for the most part, because classes ( even the introductory, prerequisite courses are small). Least favorite class was Chemistry. Students often study late, and if possible, with a group of students in the same class. Yes, Wake students have intellectual conversations outside of class. Education and the curriculum is geared toward getting a job.