Welcome to Wake Forest, P’28s: Important Dates and Details

Bottom Line, Up Front

  • The Early Decision website is live for your students, and the Incoming Families website is live for you. The newstudents.wfu.edu website for the Class of 2028 will launch May 1st and will include important information and action items for students and families. (Note that the New Students website is being updated as we speak, so the information and dates currently on the website are for last year’s Class of 2027.)
  • Move-In, Orientation, and Family Weekend dates are included in this message; we encourage families to make flexible travel arrangements so students can consider Pre-Orientation programs before move-in.
  • International families, please consult the information about international student arrivals.
  • Action item: We need each parent or guardian to log into our family record system, Wake Network, to verify your family record (if you have not already done so).
  • We encourage parents and families to familiarize yourself with resources such as parents.wfu.edu, the incoming families website, How We Communicate, the Daily Deac blog, and the Office of Family Engagement and Family Communications.

Dear parents and families of Early Decision students,

We are so thrilled your students will be joining us as members of the Class of 2028! Please allow us to introduce ourselves: we are Dr. Betsy Chapman (’92, MA ’94), Executive Director of Family Communications, and Dr. Cherise James, Director of Orientation, New Student and Transition Programs. In her role with family communications, Dr. Chapman will be sharing messages directly with parents and families from this point until your students graduate. And in her work with student Orientation programming, Dr. James will be in touch with your students throughout the spring and summer.

We wanted to send a co-authored email to all Early Decision families to bring a few items to your attention as you prepare for your students to join us in August.

Early Decision website and New Students website

We are excited to share our newly created Early Decision website (for students) and Incoming Families website (for you) to keep you informed prior to the May 1st launch of our official Class of 2028 New Students website. You should note that the New Students website is being updated as we speak, so the information and dates currently on the website are for the Class of 2027. Some new families have found it helpful to get a sense of what their student’s summer might look like as they prepare for their entry into the Wake Forest community. But please be aware that dates currently on that site are from last summer.

Move-In Dates

We also want to share some important tentative Move-In dates with you:

  • Wake Forest offers a variety of outstanding Pre-Orientation programs to our incoming students. These experiences are intended to provide small group interactions and will allow your students to connect with other new Deacs prior to the start of Orientation. Students participating in optional Pre-Orientation programs will move in on Friday, August 16th or Saturday, August 17th. Those students will receive move-in instructions (including their assigned date and time frame; students do not get to choose their date) in mid-July directly from the Office of Residence Life and Housing.
  • Information about all these Pre-Orientation experiences will be communicated to your student via their WFU email in the next 2-3 weeks.
  • ***We ask that you delay finalizing your travel plans until your student has considered Pre-Orientation experiences and has final communication from Residence Life and Housing about their approved move-in date.***
  • The Pre-Orientation registration process will launch on May 1st and will be available to students at newstudents.wfu.edu.
  • International students must arrive on Saturday, August 17 between 9 a.m.-4 p.m. EST See “Important Message for International Students” later in this message.
  • New and transfer students not participating in Pre-Orientation programs will move in Wednesday, August 21st. Check-In and Move-In Assistance will be available from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Note: All students must be moved in by 1 p.m.
  • Other students may be approved to move in earlier, such as student-athletes. If your student is approved for early move-in, instructions, including their move-in date, will be sent to your student later this summer from the Office of Residence Life and Housing.

Orientation Dates:

  • In person Orientation for all New and Transfer Students begins August 21st. Orientation for new and transfer students is mandatory.
  • There will also be a mandatory online Orientation for all incoming students to complete during the summer. Information about the online Orientation will be shared with students after July 1.
  • There will also be in-person Orientation events for students from August 21-26.
  • August 21-22: Orientation for Parents and Families. We will have some in-person Orientation activities for parents and families on the evening of Wednesday, August 21st through the evening of Thursday, August 22nd. Families should plan to depart late Thursday night or Friday morning, as students will be involved in their own Orientation programming. While parent and family Orientation sessions are not mandatory, we strongly encourage attendance if your family’s schedule allows. Information about all these sessions will be available closer to July.
  • August 26: First Day of Classes (i.e., FDOC)

Family Weekend — September 27-29:

  • Family Weekend will be held September 27-29. Family Weekend is planned and facilitated by the Division of Campus Life. The weekend is scheduled in conjunction with our football game against Louisiana; more information about Family Weekend will be available in early summer. Your family may wish to begin securing your lodging for Family Weekend now.

Important Message for Families of International Students:

  • The Center for Immigration Services & Support (ISS) will host a required new international student orientation. All new international students are required to attend Connect@Wake from Saturday, August 17 through Tuesday, August 20. Connect@Wake is the mandatory orientation for new undergraduate international students with F-1 or J-1 visa status who are attending Wake Forest University for the first time. International students must arrive on Saturday, August 17 between 9 a.m.-4 p.m. EST.
  • ISS will communicate details regarding visa status and the Connect@Wake schedule of activities to new international students through their WFU email account. Additional information will be added to the Connect@Wake website throughout the spring semester. International students should reach out to ISS (iss@wfu.edu) regarding any questions, and should continue to monitor their ISSDeacs account for updates. For now, international students need to take action in the ISSDeacs system to request an I-20 or DS-2019. The ISS team looks forward to welcoming our new class of Demon Deacons to campus.

A few important announcements and resources to put on your radar:

  • ACTION ITEM FOR FAMILIES: So that we are certain we have correct contact information for your family (to reach you in an emergency, to send important Wake Forest news, or to send information about Wake Forest events in your home area), we need each parent or guardian to log into our family record system, Wake Network, to verify your family record. Your family can find instructions on how to do this here.
  • Action item for students: In March, once your student has their Wake Forest email address, they will be prompted to complete some of their new student onboarding steps through a platform called Workday. This is also the system they will use later in the summer to register for their fall courses.
  • New Student Receptions: This summer, a series of virtual and in-person receptions for new students and their families will be held across the country. We hope that every incoming family will join us at the virtual option (or watch the recording after the event) and that you’ll also register for a local reception should one be offered in your area. Please check the New Student Receptions page on May 1st for a list of events and to register. Note that events will be added throughout June, so check the website frequently for additions.
  • Web resources for families:
    • There is a comprehensive website for families parents.wfu.edu; we also have an incoming families website that shares information until the New Students site launches on May 1st.
    • Please read the How We Communicate website. This tells you how to sign up for Campus Safety Alerts, which is something you’ll want to do, and it also shares how we like to work with families, and when and how you might hear from Wake Forest.
    • We encourage you to sign up to receive the Daily Deac blog, which shares important news, offers advice about supporting your students, and covers a variety of WFU activities and events to help you get a sense of campus life. You can subscribe to the Daily Deac and have it sent to your inbox each weekday.
    • College has a lot of terms and acronyms, some of which have changed over the last 20+ years. Please use our A-Z of WFU as a resource to understand terms, departments, processes, and roles at the University.
    • Need to get in touch with someone on campus? We have a comprehensive Who to Contact For website; you can also contact the Office of Family Engagement or Family Communications or email us at parents@wfu.edu.
  • From the May 1 launch of the New Students website up to Move-In, families will be sent a weekly email from Dr. Chapman about due dates and action items for families, as well as general information we hope will be helpful. Your students will be receiving similar email communications from Dr. James about things they need to do over the summer. Please encourage your student to get in the habit of checking their WFU email regularly. All messages sent to students or families will be posted on the Parents & Families section of the New Students website. While the goal is for your student to be on top of deadlines, we want to make sure that you also have access to the information they receive.

Finally, a reminder about the calendar: Use a pencil, not a pen.

If we learned anything in the past several years, it’s been the importance of flexibility. Dates in emails and on websites are accurate at the time of publication, but the University will adjust them if needed. The New Students website (starting May 1st) will be your place for the most up-to-date information.

This is an exciting time for students and families alike, and we look forward to getting to know your family better during your students’ time at Wake Forest. If you have questions or need additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact our offices.

With best wishes,

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

Cherise James, Ph.D.
Director of Orientation, New Student and Transitions Programs

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 h

Recent Posts

Archives