Starting August 28, 2023, and running through the fall semester, weekly messages for parents and families of students in the Class of 2027 will be posted here and shared in the opt-in Daily Deac blog. We hope these will be a helpful resource as your student transitions to life at Wake Forest.


Latest Messages

Having Your Deacs Home for an Extended Time

Finals week is almost here, which means Winter Break is right around the corner. When your Deac comes home for Winter Break, it’s not like they will be returning to what life was like in ...

As Finals Approach

We’re back from Thanksgiving break, and classes end on December 8th. That means your Deac’s first set of college final exams is just around the corner: finals run December 11-16 (see the Calendars page of ...

Traditions for the Holidays

The holidays are coming, and today I want to share a couple of holiday traditions that your first-year students can (and should!) partake in between now and final exams. The Lighting of the Quad will ...

Dos and Don'ts of Thanksgiving Break

Thanksgiving Break will soon here. This might be the first time you’ve had your student home since Move-In. Before your Deac comes home, it might be helpful to think about any expectations you have for ...

And I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Our Gen X families may recall the great U2 anthem I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For. For many first-year students, they are still actively going through the adjustment to college. They might not ...

The Honor Code

Honor is something we take very seriously at Wake Forest. We have an Honor Code that all students must abide by, and which guides the behavior of our campus. It is the University’s ethical standard and code ...

Thoughts on Registration

Registration for spring semester classes begins the week of November 6 (see the Academic Services calendar). Students have a wide range of resources to help them plan their classes: at minimum, they must meet with ...

Time Management and Overcommitment

A difficult challenge most students face their first semester is time management. Many Wake Forest students were used to juggling complicated schedules in high school – academics, extracurricular activities, perhaps a part time job or ...

Health and Wellbeing

If your student has never lived away from home before – and most Wake Forest students have not – being a college student means being fully responsible and autonomous for all aspects of daily life. ...

Grade Expectations

At this time each fall, I start to hear from first-year students who have gotten their first grade back on a test, paper, or their midterm grade – and they are panicking. Their grade is ...

Midterm Exams

This week, we will talk about midterms. Midterms are exams that happen about the middle of the semester. Not every class has a midterm exam, but for those who do, they are definitely on your students’ ...

If I do it, what is my student learning?

Your new Deacs are navigating a lot right now: their academics, their social lives, figuring out everything from when and where to eat, to how much studying they need to do, to how to live ...

The Frantic Phone Call/Text/FaceTime

One of the most challenging things for college parents and families is deciphering their student’s emotions. Instead of being at home across the kitchen table – where you can see every nuance of your student’s ...

Adjusting to the academic workload and homesickness

This week’s message for first-year families is about two common issues students face in their first few weeks of school: adjusting to the academic workload, and homesickness. In college, each class has a syllabus that ...

Navigating Residential Life

The school year has officially started, and your Deacs have a new home in their residence halls. Here are some tips on how your Deacs can make the most of their residential experience. Communication, diplomacy, ...

Contact

To contact the Office of Family Engagement or Family Communications, please visit our contact page.

 

For mental health assistance: 336-758-CARE (2273) is a service that ensures someone will always be available (i.e., 24/7 M-F, weekends and university holidays) to provide caring and thoughtful consultation services for Wake Forest students in need of mental health assistance or support.