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ATP: Advice for an Incoming Freshman at Wake

PalmettoDeac19

PalmettoDeac19

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My younger cousin will be starting at Wake this fall and I'm having dinner with him tomorrow night. I graduated in 2009 and hope to advise him the best I can on making the most of his time at MSD. I want to ask you guys what advice you would give to someone about to enter Wake Forest?

If you had it to do over again what classes would you take (particularly classes open to freshmen)? What do you consider part of the full Wake Forest experience both on campus and around Winston-Salem? What's one thing you wish you had known going into school that you know now? Also, did anyone here play club hockey at Wake? My cousin has played all his life and pretty good player, but I don't know all that much about Wake's club team.

Thanks in advance for your input.
 
my biggest advice for a first semester freshman would be to not overestimate themselves. my high school started at 7:15, so i thought an 8:00 AM math class (so 4 days/week) would be totally do-able. high school is not like college. you will not go to bed at 10:00. schedule yourself realistically, at least for the first semester so that you can understand what your new life is like before adding in a lot of variables like super early classes.
 
If I had it to do over again I would have ended things with my hs gf immediately and been single all of college.

My roommate played club hockey. He was kind of fat and really out of shape, but had played his whole life and was decent compared to most of the team. One big problem he ran into was wear to keep his equipment- no way your roommate will allow that stinky shit in your room. He had to leave it in his car, which made his car smell HORRIBLE.
 
Just get involved. Don't narrow yourself into one little corner of people. It's a small enough campus you can be involved with lots of different people and activities, and still be "cool" (some people come in with a chip on their shoulder from high school, and it's just not the same environment at all).

study abroad.

Take at least one class that just seems really, really interesting on a personal level every semester.

I think they make you know, but live on campus at least 3 years. you get so much more community out of the campus that way.

study abroad.

Try as best as you can to be friends with your roommate.

I know a couple people who played hockey; I don't think they were very good, but the guys all seemed to have a great time with it. Club sports are awesome; some are more intense than others in terms of practice/commitment/etc. but a great way to get a solid friend group.

study abroad.
 
oh, another piece of advice that was given to me before my freshman year: when picking a freshman seminar, try to pick one that has a professor who might ultimately be able to help you in some way. i took one that an accounting professor taught, and it made a huge difference in a few opportunities that were available to me once i actually got into the business school. don't underestimate the importance of building good relationships with professors who teach small, discussion based classes.
 
bojanglefunk said:
If I had it to do over again I would have ended things with my hs gf immediately and been single all of college.

My roommate played club hockey. He was kind of fat and really out of shape, but had played his whole life and was decent compared to most of the team. One big problem he ran into was wear to keep his equipment- no way your roommate will allow that stinky shit in your room. He had to leave it in his car, which made his car smell HORRIBLE.
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LOL, yes. this whole paragraph is so, so true. between his hocky smells and our sweaty band uniforms, that car was like a mobile locker room on saturday mornings. the worst was getting into it when it was hot and things had just been baking. vomitous.
 
bojanglefunk said:
If I had it to do over again I would have ended things with my hs gf immediately and been single all of college.
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yeah if he has a girlfriend tell him to dump her right now. this is the best advice i would give.

also tell him to keep an open mind about what he wants to do and not shy away from difficult classes even though it is hard to get good grades at wake.
 
Talk to your professors outside of class. Play intramurals. Take classes that push you out of your comfort zone. Go to (some of) the talks/guest speakers/concerts/plays on campus. Try a new restaurant once a month (Grecian Corner and Prissy Polly's). BzzOut.
 
One thing I always wish I did a better job of was putting myself out there and making friends with people that weren't just like me. As a white kid from an upper-middle class home who had been involved in church my whole life, it was pretty easy to fall into the same patterns at a school like Wake. I didn't experience much personal growth from that standpoint til I left Wake. I neglected some once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for the sake of comfort.
 
OldGoldBeard said:
Talk to your professors outside of class. Play intramurals. Take classes that push you out of your comfort zone. Go to (some of) the talks/guest speakers/concerts/plays on campus. Try a new restaurant once a month (Grecian Corner and Prissy Polly's). BzzOut.
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Yes. Cultivate a relationship with 1-3 professors. It may not be your freshman year profs, but at least attempt to. I wish I did that more at Wake. Profs can be da bomd outside (and inside) of class.
 
Study abroad.

Ask around about professors before you choose their class. Not sure if a professor ratings site is still up but if you care about your grades, one of the greatest factors is who your professor is.

Think about what you want to do with your life before choosing your major.

Whether or not you are thinking about joining a fraternity, go through the rush process.
 
Definitely get rid of the HS girlfriend if he has one. Aside from the obvious reason of the fun of searching for some strange, it's pretty limiting if he tries to see her often enough because he'll be leaving on weekends when people are really having fun and bonding over various activities (this is especially true in the first semester).

Club and intramural sports are also a must. I was president and superstar baller of the club soccer team for 3 years and was a ref and superviser of intramural sports for all four years. I met a lot of great friends through both, and had a lot of fun.

Oh, and tell him to make sure that he doesn't turn into a complete douche. Some people just don't get that memo.
 
My biggest regrets:

-didn't study abroad (reason was because of the offering schedule of Comp Sci required classes, plus a shitty Conversational Spanish guy that turned me off)
-didn't take art class earlier
-thought I could handle an 8am class since I had previously gotten up at 6am for high school
-wasn't more involved in clubs/etc

I also want to second Traveling's suggestions - when you come across a prof you can relate well with, jump on that. I had two professors like that and both did a ton to help me personally and professionally. I actually work with one of them now.
 
AnonymousDeac said:
Study abroad.

Ask around about professors before you choose their class. Not sure if a professor ratings site is still up but if you care about your grades, one of the greatest factors is who your professor is.

Think about what you want to do with your life before choosing your major.

Whether or not you are thinking about joining a fraternity, go through the rush process.
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I would definitely agree with this as well. I never had any intention of joining a frat, but I still went though this and met a lot of people I probably wouldn't have otherwise who became friends for all 4 years.
 
Decide whether or not you want to go to grad school (for any major) early. It's a pain in the ass to try and pick your grades up once your a junior.

Plan on at least one session of summer school, and take a hard class that summer. I've had a dozen people tell me that Orgo, or Econ were all easier in the summer, and from experience I can say that's true about Psych courses as well.

Attend some other sports besides Football. I had some of the most fun at Wake going to Soccer games and Volleyball.
 
myDeaconmyhand said:
Decide whether or not you want to go to grad school (for any major) early. It's a pain in the ass to try and pick your grades up once your a junior.

Plan on at least one session of summer school, and take a hard class that summer. I've had a dozen people tell me that Orgo, or Econ were all easier in the summer, and from experience I can say that's true about Psych courses as well.

Attend some other sports besides Football. I had some of the most fun at Wake going to Soccer games and Volleyball.
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wake soccer games are awesome.
 
DeacHoops said:
wake soccer games are awesome.
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Especially for those that were at wake withing the last decade since the team is now really good. They were decent back in the late 90s, but not great. I would love to go to some of the games now.
 
Talk to your profs.

Abroad program.

No 8am classes if you can help it.

Pay attention to professor ratings.

Avoid Cheek for accounting.
 
Sunday: Pint night at Burke Street, hopefully Mike Fox is bartending
Monday: Open on the calendar. Prolly end up at Daytonas
Tuesday: $5 All you can drink at Daytonas
Wednesday: $5 All you can drink at Freddie Bs
Thursday: Burke St., Black Bear, Opera House, Gatsbys, etc
Friday: house party
Saturday: house party
 
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