Hey guys!

First of all, a HUGE congratulations for getting into Wake Forest! I’m so excited that you’re going to be joining our wonderful community.  Hopefully, you’re starting to get excited about coming here too. But maybe you’re a little nervous as well… maybe you’re not quite sure what to expect?  Moving in can be stressful, and orientation activities might feel rushed and crazy… making the whole college transition thing kind of daunting. But don’t worry! There’s so much to look forward to when you get here, despite all of the craziness!

5 Things to Get Excited About for Your First Days at Wake

1. Free food!  When you get to Wake, you’ll be surrounded by delicious opportunities for a free bite to eat.  Your new RAs and Hall Directors will be spoiling you with pizza at dorm meet-and-greets, and a ton of campus groups will have tempting treats ready for you while they introduce themselves.  There’s even an event that happens each year, “A Taste of Winston-Salem,” that showcases all of the best local food – with free samples!  The BSU will have an ice cream social right before the first week of classes – so stop by and enjoy some homemade ice cream with us.

 

2. Saying bye to mom and dad.  Sure, you’ll miss your family while you’re away… but there’s going to be so much fun stuff going on during your first few days at Wake, you won’t want to spend all your time worrying about them!  Spend some quality time with your parents, but don’t be afraid to let them go back home without you.  Enjoy your newfound freedom!

 

3. A bazillion orientation meetings.  The bad news about orientation meetings is this: there are a lot of them (hall meetings, health talks, Convocation…), and they’re not usually that exciting.  The good news is that all of those burning questions you have about Wake and college life in general will finally get answered, and you’ll meet a lot of new people while you do it! Think of the endless meetings as a rite of passage: your first time participating in one of Wake’s many unique traditions.

 

4. Introductions, introductions, introductions.  Get ready to answer the same three questions over and over again… what’s your name? Where are you from? and What’s your major? (Don’t worry if you don’t know the answer to that one yet.) You will learn all of this information about everyone you meet during your first week of Wake.  Try throwing in a few fun facts about yourself too, just to mix things up!

 

5. Lots of NEWs!  This is by far the best part of the first days of your freshman year. Make new friends, go new places, try new things… join us for BSU’s Welcome to Wake retreat and do all three at once! Wake and BSU will both provide you with a ton of new opportunities and new ways to learn, serve, expand yourself, and have fun. While all of this new stuff can be overwhelming at first, I hope that you will enjoy it and get everything out of it that you can!

 

These five exciting things (and many more that I haven’t listed) will definitely balance out all of the craziness that comes along with moving and settling into a new place.  So no worries, you’ll have a wonderful time.  Stop by a BSU event or check out our lounge (Kitchin Hall, underneath the Deacon Shop) so we can meet you!

 If you have any questions about Wake, BSU, or college life in general, I would love to hear from you! Shoot me an email at harrak7@wfu.edu and introduce yourself!

 Lots of love,

Anna