May 23 Weekly Update for Incoming Families

NOTE: we will be emailing this to families on May 24th due to a technical glitch; thank you for your patience

Bottom Line, Up Front

• Sign up for a virtual New Student Reception (June 27 or July 17)
• Upcoming tasks/deadlines for families
• Academic Advising call and how your students should prepare
• Your student’s email and login
• Make a plan for your student to have a laptop (consider WakeWare!)
• Required health and immunization forms – very important info!
• Housing and Dining Accommodations form

Dear parents and families of incoming students,

We’re bringing you the weekly email with FYIs, due dates, and other considerations for you as your student gets ever closer to beginning their Wake Forest experience. (In case you missed last week’s message, it is archived here).

Here’s what you should know this week.

Sign up for a virtual New Student Reception (June 27 or July 17)

We encourage every family to join us for one of our two virtual New Student Receptions on June 27 or July 17 (you do not need to attend both). You’ll hear from Wake Forest administrators and current students who will share their wisdom about how your students can get their best start at Wake, and how families can best support their students. You won’t want to miss it. At the end of the June 27 virtual reception, we will have special information for international students and families.

If you are not able to attend, know that these sessions will be recorded and posted in the days following the events.

Upcoming tasks/deadlines for families

• If you have not yet done so, please be sure to verify your family record in Wake Network (due June 1). This will ensure that we have correct contact information for your family in our alumni and family record system. It is critically important to have correct contact information for every family. Once we have your mailing address, we can also begin including you in local Wake Forest events happening in your area, including New Student Receptions if applicable. Learn more about our regional WAKE Communities. 

June Advising Sessions and How to Prepare 

A June Advising session with the Office of Academic Advising is available to every incoming student as a way to prepare for registration in July and talk through their potential Fall 2023 schedule. Please encourage your student to take advantage of this opportunity. Before they call in, they should have thoroughly reviewed the Curriculum Requirements and Planning for Registration pages of the New Students Website and spent some time thinking about classes they may wish to take, if they have a major in mind already, etc.

Some academic programs at Wake Forest – such as biochemistry & molecular biology, business, and engineering – require early and strategic planning. The same can be said of pre-health professions, law school, and even certain graduate programs. Regardless of the program(s) your student may be considering, advisers, course recommendations, and opportunities for involvement may be found on the pre-professional & pre-graduate school advising website.

Your Student’s WFU Email

Ensure your student has set up their WFU email address and enrolls in Google 2 Step verification. We will be sending emails to them at their WFU email account, and if they are not set up within 30 days, they will get locked out of their account. Students can visit this page for more information.

• Students will find their username during the account activation process. Students get an email to their personal email address (the one they used on their admissions application) with instructions on how to activate their WFU account. Once they activate the account, students will see their username and will be prompted to create their password. 
• Important note: students’ logins and passwords should not be shared with anyone, including their parents/family members. 

Make a Plan for Your Student to Have a Laptop (Consider WakeWare!)

Ensure your student has a plan to have a laptop, as they are required. Visit WakeWare, the student laptop program, to order a laptop. WakeWare is a robust student computing program that recommends highly configured, insured, and supported personal computing devices at a negotiated price for our undergraduate students. 

There are some distinct benefits to a WakeWare laptop that new families should be aware of:

• WakeWare computers are insured for four years with an extended warranty and accidental damage protection. Students can call, email, chat, or stop by to work with one of our Service Desk Analysts.
• If your student’s WakeWare laptop is ever in need of repair, they can drop off their laptop at the Service Desk, conveniently located in the atrium of the ZSR Library, and one of our licensed technicians will handle their repair. 
• Students will be issued a loaner laptop for the duration their WakeWare laptop is being repaired.

You can also see what the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) requirements are if your student has a laptop they are considering bringing to campus. 

Technology Grants are awarded to incoming undergraduate students who receive need-based, merit, or athletic scholarship funds from Wake Forest during their first two years of enrollment. Students are notified of their eligibility to redeem a Technology Grant from the WakeWare Program Manager in late May

Required health and immunization documentation – very important!

Be sure your student is on track to get all needed vaccines and getting access to their immunization records:

Wake Forest University, per North Carolina state law, requires documentation of certain immunizations for students attending college. Forms must be completed inside the student health portal and all documentation uploaded there by July 1.

What your students need to complete these required forms:

• Their immunization records, including names of vaccines, dates given, healthcare provider signature, clinic’s address, phone number, and facility stamp (or official government stamp).
• Your student must save a copy of their official immunization records as a PDF (they will need to upload it).

It is very important that they complete the required forms in the Student Health Portal on time.

Housing and Dining Accommodations Form

Important note: if your student has a documented disability, be sure they complete the housing and dining accommodations request form in the housing portal. Our ability to meet a student’s needs is much more limited after housing assignments have been made, so we strongly encourage students to request housing and dining accommodations by the July 1 deadline. More information is available here.

Parting thoughts

We will continue sending weekly messages to our new P’27and transfer families throughout the summer. In case you missed last week’s message, you can view our archive here.

With best wishes,

Betsy Chapman, Ph.D. (‘92, MA ‘94)
Executive Director of Family Communications