First Year (’24)
Weekly messages for parents and families of incoming students in the Class of 2024 will be posted during the fall semester. We hope these will be a helpful resource for you as your student transitions to life at Wake Forest. Bookmark this site and check back each week for a new message. Families should also visit the Office of Personal and Career Development (OPCD) parents and families page for information about supporting your students.
As Finals Approach
November 30, 2020
Your Deac’s first set of college final exams is just around the corner. Finals run December 7-12.
A to-do list from a student studying for finals in years past. Click to enlarge.
There will be a lot of work in… [Read More]
Dos and Don'ts of Thanksgiving Break
November 23, 2020
Thanksgiving Break is likely the first time your Deacs will be home for an extended period of time. Here are a few Dos and Don’ts to consider for your reunited family.
DO
Ask them about their friends…. [Read More]
Prepping to Return Home
November 16, 2020
Your Deacs have another week or so on campus, then they will be coming home for an extended break (unless they petition to stay due to hardship). This means they need to begin thinking about what they need… [Read More]
Having Your Deacs Home for an Extended Time
November 9, 2020
Thanksgiving break is a couple of weeks away, and the vast majority of Wake Forest students will be headed home to finish classes and finals remotely, and will remain home for an… [Read More]
Panhellenic (sorority) recruitment
November 2, 2020
This week’s Weekly Message for First Year families offers some advice for parents/families of women who will be participating in the virtual Panhellenic recruitment process (what we called… [Read More]
Thoughts on Registration
October 26, 2020
Registration for spring semester classes begins the week of November 19th. Students will select up to 8 hours of classes in Round 1 (November 19-20), and then will select the remaining classes in Round 2… [Read More]
Health and Wellbeing
October 19, 2020
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. Absent Mom,… [Read More]
The Honor Code
October 12, 2020
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… [Read More]
Midterm Exams
October 5, 2020
Last week’s message was Grade Expectations, which provided advice on how to think about your student’s grades in a realistic and supportive way. This week, we will talk about midterms.
Midterms are exams… [Read More]
Grade Expectations
September 28, 2020
At this time each fall, I start to hear from first-year students who have gotten their first grade back on a test or on a paper – and they are panicking. The grade is not what they expected or hoped for, they… [Read More]
Navigating the Classroom and Professors
September 21, 2020
Classes are in full swing, and your students have been sorting through the syllabus for each of their classes, doing their homework and participating in class. They are probably also… [Read More]
Ups and Downs
September 14, 2020
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… [Read More]
Read Everything and What Is My Student Learning?
September 8, 2020
At the start of every semester, we ask parents and families to help us reinforce a message we want new students to hear (read everything) and a question we want families to ask… [Read More]
Bumps in the road
August 31, 2020
This week’s message for first-year families is about two common issues students face in their first few weeks of school: loneliness and homesickness.
Most of our students had grown… [Read More]
Welcome to Wake Forest and Winston-Salem
August 24, 2020
Your student has registered for classes, bought books, and college classes are about to start. This transition brings new dynamics into the relationship you have with your student…. [Read More]
Contact
To contact the Office of Family Engagement, please visit our contact page.
If Your Student Has a Problem
One of the best ways parents/families can help their students is to let them solve their own problems. Use the Stop, Drop, and Roll method when your student contacts you with a problem. The flyer also lists contact information for serious concerns where family intervention might be appropriate.
Orientation 2020 slide shows
Parent and family Orientation sessions are available online.
Parents & Families
The Office of Family Engagement provides information and support to Wake Forest parents, guardians, grandparents, and family members. Email is the primary vehicle of communication with families, so please keep your email up to date with Wake Forest. We encourage all families to subscribe to the Daily Deac blog, which gives a glimpse of campus life, plus important tips.