Friday, April 11, 2014

Wake Forest University Visit

Today we spent the day on the campus of Wake Forest University.  Brittany is currently deciding between Wake Forest, Texas A&M and Baylor for college.  Today was Campus Day for admitted Wake Forest students.  It was a day full of events meant to give potential students a feel for what it would be like to go to school at Wake Forest.  

For those that are not aware - Wake Forest is in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  Wake Forest is a fairly small private school with undergraduate enrollment of about 4,800.  Wake Forest was ranked #23 by US News and World Report.  Wake Forest has one of the country's best student-faculty ratios at 11 to 1.  About 60% of students study abroad during their time at Wake Forest.

Wake's athletics teams are the Demon Deacons and are in the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) with Duke, University of North Carolina, Virginia, Syracuse, Miami, Florida State, Boston College and others.  Wake Forest has traditionally been strong in basketball.  NBA stars Chris Paul, Tim Duncan, Josh Howard, and Muggsy Bogues all played for Wake Forest.  Maybe the best golfer of all time - Arnold Palmer - also went to Wake.  While the basketball team has struggled over the last 4 years, they recently hired legendary KU player - Danny Manning as their next basketball coach.  

Wake Forest was founded by the North Carolina Baptist State Convention.  Dr. Samuel Wait, a Baptist minister, was the first President of Wake Forest.  Originally, Wake Forest's athletic teams were known as the Fighting Baptists. However, in 1923, after a football team win against rival Trinity (later renamed Duke University), a newspaper reporter wrote that the Deacons "fought like Demons", giving rise to the current name, the Demon Deacons.

The Wake Forest campus has a reputation for being very beautiful and we certainly experienced that beauty today.  Below are a few pictures from today.  You can also see some incredible pictures on their Tumblr photo blog.  

Brittany has a hard decision to make but Wake Forest is a terrific option.   


This is Wait Chapel in the center of campus.  

Here is a view of the campus from above (photo credit to Google search).

This was the scene outside Wait Chapel as parents and potential students streamed out today.

The Demon Deacon visited us in Wait Chapel.

Below is a picture of two students sleeping in a make shift hammock this afternoon.

Some students playing a huge game of Connect 4 on the quad.

I laughed a little at the pews in Wait Chapel.  See the wooden holders for the Baptist hymnals and small holes that would hold small communion cups.  Reminded me of Windsor First Baptist Church.  
I doubt these are used much these days.  :) 

Below is a picture of a tree swing on main campus.  

Many of the student organizations lined the quad today to tell prospective students about their group.  The DoRAK (Do Random Acts of Kindness) group made this Top 10 lists.  These are the top 10 reasons to attend Wake Forest.  Notice the line about chapel bells playing "Let It Go."  My kids would love that.

This is another picture from inside Wait Chapel.  Notice the school was founded in 1834.    

The welcome banner from today.

Below is the outside of the new building housing the business school.

This is the inside of the business building.  It is really nice.

This is the outside of the new football stadium.

Statue of the Demon Deacon outside the football stadium.

Another pics of the football stadium.

This is the sand volleyball court in between the freshman dorms.

Another beautiful view from campus.

Below is a screen shot of Wake Forest's US News and World report ranking.  



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