Residential Communities and student development
In this Issue: today we share a little bit of inside baseball on how students progress through our residential communities during their time at Wake Forest
I am out of the office today (picking up my ’27 after their short term study abroad in Japan!) so this is a pre-post.
Many moons ago, I was in a meeting with campus colleagues from Residence Life and Housing. They were discussing the intentionality of our campus design and the fact that our residential communities correlate closely with students’ developmental stages. I wanted to share that with our families.
The Forest: Your Home and Community at Wake Forest
Students at Wake Forest are part of The Forest, a residential model designed to provide comprehensive support, encouragement, and guidance from the moment you arrive.
This unique residential commons model embodies Wake Forest’s multifaceted approach to education. The Forest places students at the center of an integrated collegiate experience, seamlessly blending intellectual engagement, residential life, personal mentoring, robust student support, and active community involvement.
From day one, every new student automatically belongs to a residential community within The Forest. Within these communities, students receive ample academic and personal support. Year-round programming connects them to a vital network of RAs, community staff, academic advisors, and Faculty Fellows, all ready to assist as they navigate their new university.
First-Year Living: Building Community in The Forest
Our first-year residential communities are thoughtfully designed to foster a strong sense of belonging and connection. Most feature long hallways with many students per hall, shared bathrooms, and welcoming common lounges. This design encourages students to live as part of a vibrant community that extends beyond their individual bedrooms. Having students share these spaces provides opportunities for the students to get to know each other, build friendships, and quickly begin to feel at home.
Sophomore Year and Beyond: Your Housing Choices
Starting sophomore year, students gain the exciting opportunity to personalize their living experience. They can choose their own roommate(s) and select a residential community based on availability during their housing selection time. This selection time is based on the average number of housing credits within their roommate group.
While specific availability can vary each year, here’s what students could generally expect based on last year’s housing selection process:
- Preparing for Selection: It is impossible to predict precisely, and there are no guarantees. We strongly recommend that students review the availability list at various intervals leading up to their selection time. Using this information, it’s a great idea to have a Plan A, B, and C ready, allowing them to pivot smoothly should an option not be available.
- What to Expect Based on Housing Credits:
- 1-2 Housing Credits: Students should expect the majority of their options to be on the Quad (Davis, Kitchin, Poteat, Taylor)
- 3-4 Housing Credits: Students should expect slightly expanded options that might include Dogwood, Magnolia, or North Campus Apartments. Generally, students should NOT expect access to Polo, Student Apartments, or Deacon Place.
- 5-6 Housing Credits: Students with this many credits should expect the widest range of options.
Thus, many sophomore students move to a community on the main Quad (Hearn Plaza). Most of the Quad communities offer a suite-style living arrangement, where 5-9 students share a common hall and bathroom. There are a couple of hall-style residences on the Quad. Developmentally, by sophomore year, students are at the point where they have found their niche on campus and have elected to live with other friends who share their values, living styles, and/or are part of their ‘core group’ on campus. These smaller living spaces help them form closer bonds and strengthen valued friendships.
Upperclass Living: Preparing for Life After Wake Forest
As students progress to their junior and senior years, they typically have the exciting option of moving into more apartment-style or suite-style residential communities. Their living choices mimic what they will find once they graduate and move into the “real world.”
Many of our North Campus residential communities, like Polo, Magnolia, Dogwood, North Campus and Student Apartments, and Deacon Place [yes, Deacon Place apartments are considered on-campus housing] offer more amenities like more singles, some have kitchenettes or full kitchens, and dedicated living rooms, etc. These features help our students begin to transition into a post-graduate lifestyle, preparing them to live more independently.
Important considerations students should begin thinking about
While the above is about the operations of the housing selection process, it’s not too early to plant the seed in students’ minds that they should think carefully about who they want to live with from sophomore year through senior year. Many students think they should live with their best friend(s) – and sometimes that works. However, the happiest roommate/suite pairings have more to do with compatible living habits – things like how late people stay up/early they wake up, if they want to use the room primarily as a study space vs. social space, how neat they want to keep their room. So encourage your Deacs to be thinking not just about the friends they like the most, but whose habits will be compatible with their own.
So there is a lot more method to the madness of how and where our students live. Our great team in Residence Life and Housing will be sure to share more with your Deac and you as they progress on their journey here in The Forest.
That’s your fun fact for the day!