Internships, Housing, and More (Oh, My!)

In this Issue:

• Does your college student need a paid summer internship?
• Senior housing intent message
• Notice of housing application open (currently-enrolled students) – and roommate group considerations

On this frigid Wednesday (the wind chill feels like 11 degrees), I have a few very practical tactical items related to housing and an internship possibility. But first:

We beat Carolina lastnight! The Joel was hopping, and it came down to the wire, but we got the W. I saw some post-game pics on social media of the Quad being rolled; by late morning, just the higher-up branches still had tp in them. Nothing could be finer than us beating Carolina…

Now onto the news. Take what you need, and tell your Deacs to stay warm!

Does your college student need a paid summer internship?

My friends at the Summer Immersion Program sent me the following info, which I hope might interest some of your Deacs:

“Wake Forest students could spend their summer earning valuable career experience while mentoring high school students at the Wake Forest Summer Immersion Program:

Students will work alongside Wake Forest professional staff and faculty members while building skills important to their professional development.

Details:

• Apply today on Handshake
• $500 weekly stipend
• On-campus housing and meals provided
• Dates: May 28 – July 25 (except for the week of June 30)

Available Positions:

• Teaching Assistant (#9445400): Assist Academic Leaders in fields like Medicine, Business, Law, Psychology, Sports Business and more; gain valuable career insights, and expand networking opportunities while supporting classroom instruction and activities.
• Student Engagement Intern (#9445417): Plan fun evening activities, mentor high school students on their residence hall floor, and develop leadership skills through meaningful interactions.
• Marketing Intern (#9444912): Help tell the Summer Immersion Program’s story through social media, photography, newsletters, and other creative channels.
• Operations Intern (#9444961): Support the program’s logistics by managing spreadsheets, organizing materials, and ensuring smooth day-to-day operations.
• Residence Life Coordinator (#9445437): Oversee residence life operations, providing guidance and mentorship to the Student Engagement Interns and high school students.

Working for the Summer Immersion Program is a meaningful way for students to give back to Wake Forest, serve as ambassadors, and gain valuable career experience while mentoring high school students.”

Senior housing intent message

The Office of Residence Life and Housing sent a senior housing intent message to current juniors to ask about their residential plans for their senior year of college (presumably 2025-26 academic year). It states in part:

“Those with (or expected to have) 6+ housing credits (typically seniors) must express their intent to live on or off campus for the 2025-2026 academic year. Your intent to live on or off campus must be submitted via the Housing Portal by Wednesday, February 26, 2025. 

Students who have fulfilled the residency requirement but do not express an interest in living on campus by the February 26 deadline will be assigned an off-campus application.”

If you have a current junior who will be a senior next year and who will have earned 6 housing credits, they will want to make sure they submit their intent to love on or off campus by the deadline.

Notice of Housing Application open (currently-enrolled students) – and roommate group considerations

In other Office of Residence Life and Housing news, they sent a message about the 25-26 Housing Application being open. (A note to our P’29 Early Decision families: when we say ‘currently-enrolled students,’ we mean the ones that are on campus now, Classes of 2025-28. Your ’29 students will get their housing assigned over the summer so this does not apply to you.)

As currently-enrolled students begin thinking about forming roommate groups for next year, I always like to offer a few general guidelines for hopefully-harmonious planning. So encourage your Deacs to do the following:

• Roommate groups need to have honest conversations with each other about what they would do if someone suddenly finds themself in a position to get a single, or pulled in to another group, etc. There is a domino effect when roommate groups change, so everyone ought to be on the same page about how they would handle that sort of thing.
• Know what is most important to you: is it living with this particular roommate? or do you want to be in a particular building (even if you are rooming with people you don’t know as well?)
• Have a plan A, B, C, and D in case there are no more blocks of rooms with your roommate group size when it comes time to select. In other words, if you had planned on a block of 11 and there are no 11s left, could you divide into a group of 5 and a group of 6, etc.?
• Understand that you might not get your first choice (or even second). We can’t all be first in line to choose rooms, and the one you wanted may not be open. That’s the luck of the draw, and sometimes we don’t get what we want. It isn’t personal. However, students can still make your room situation work if you are flexible and open to possibilities. (And sometimes NOT getting what you want is a blessing).
• Honor your word and your commitments to your roommate group. If you tell your roommate group you won’t bail on them, don’t do it.

As parents and family members supporting your students during the process, your best position is to listen with empathy and be supportive, but let your students work their housing out on their own. This will build skills they need (problem solving, resilience, imagining different possibilities, etc.)