Sorry if this was covered up thread - I lost track as the conversation has been threadjacked - does anyone know a somewhat social but non-fratty boy at Wake? Are they happy? My son is a people person but initially comes across as shy so likely is not the fraternity type. Is there a place for this type at Wake? Can non-greek boys go to parties? Or will he be bored on weekends?

Anonymous wrote:Wake consistently was ranked by USNWR in the 20s from 1997 until 2023.

Highest ranking was 23 in 2014, and was 25 in 1997, 2003 and 2011. That’s UVa and UNC level elite.

After 25 years of being a T30, the ranking of Wake dropped in the last 3 years when the methodology changed after 2023.

2026 #51
2025 #46
2024 #47
2023 #29

The drop is definitely notable. I’d argue that the school hasn’t changed much in 4 years, however.

Clearly the priorities of U.S. News changed. Perhaps the result of a cultural movement that peaked in the early 2020s?

Wake consistently was ranked by USNWR in the 20s from 1997 until 2023.

Highest ranking was 23 in 2014, and was 25 in 1997, 2003 and 2011. That’s UVa and UNC level elite.

After 25 years of being a T30, the ranking of Wake dropped in the last 3 years when the methodology changed after 2023.

2026 #51
2025 #46
2024 #47
2023 #29

The drop is definitely notable. I’d argue that the school hasn’t changed much in 4 years, however.

Duke alum here. Wake is a great school. Great fit for those who thrive in a smaller school environment. Great friends through athletics at Wake. Tuition no small matter, though.

Folks - when someone posts something that is nasty, derogatory, or just tasteless about a school, just report it. The management here seems to be very good about deleting. Don't waste your time responding to these idiots.

One can comment on thinking one school is "better" than another without being childishly negative towards the perceived lesser school. Unfortunately, doing this seems to make some people feel important and tough. So sad.

Anonymous wrote:What are the major strengths of Wake? Why is it in the shadow of Vandy, Duke, and Emory?

Not in same universe as Duke in terms of student body, profs, campus. Just because both on NC?

Anonymous wrote:The craziest thing about this whole thing is someone mentioning Rice and Wake in the same sentence. The two should never be in the same breath. Rice is and will continue to be the best university in the South. Rankings that cause people to lose their minds about colleges in America today mean nothing by the way.

It is not crazy!" My kid had both Rice and Wake on their college list. My kid wanted undergrad business (not econ) and preferred a private, med size university. Rice has a fairly new undergrad business major and Wake has an undergrad program as well. Other schools on my kid's list were WashU, Emory, Tulane, UMiami, Georgetown, USC (ca), Wharton, etc. My kid ended up at Wharton but they had a broad list of options. My kid liked Wake a lot! We focused on fit (academic/social) vs rankings which is why Rice was pretty low on my kid's ranked list.

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Anonymous wrote:Wake is for those who want the “south,” but can’t cut it at Vandy, Emory, Duke, UNC, and UVA. It is like Lehigh. Meh.

Why would anybody pick Emory over Wake? Yuck.

Because Wake yikes while Emory is a semi top college.

If emory is a semi top college, so is CMU, Washu, Rice , ND, Gtown, Umich, UCLa and Vandy right??

Of course. But the point is Wake isn’t in this league. It’s not even T50.

Wake is just below most of those, and there is no shame in that. I'm guessing that for most of those schools, a majority would choose the other ones over Wake, but there would be a critical mass who would choose Wake for a variety of reasons. I could make a compelling argument for choosing Wake over most of them, but they are very specific to certain kids (i.e. Wake would be a happier college experience than CMU, plus CMU is pretty specialized in its areas of excellence so if that's not your think, they are actually pretty close).

Just below is subjective. If By just below you mean if im paying full price for the Emory tier schools, ill only pay 40% for Wake tier schools then yes, its just below.

Emory and wake are the same tier. Wake actually wins cross admits.

24 vs 51 is not the same tier. Most students arent applying to both schools. In fact Wake doesn't get that many applications to begin with.

You’re WAY overestimating the precision of the rankings & the significance of small differences in those rankings. 24 vs 51 doesn’t put them on different planets.

Yes it does. The gap between the T25 and the schools after 30 is dramatic. What notable alumni does Wake have?

They don't have Steven Miller. Duke needs to own him.

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Anonymous wrote:Wake is for those who want the “south,” but can’t cut it at Vandy, Emory, Duke, UNC, and UVA. It is like Lehigh. Meh.

Why would anybody pick Emory over Wake? Yuck.

Because Wake yikes while Emory is a semi top college.

If emory is a semi top college, so is CMU, Washu, Rice , ND, Gtown, Umich, UCLa and Vandy right??

Of course. But the point is Wake isn’t in this league. It’s not even T50.

Wake is just below most of those, and there is no shame in that. I'm guessing that for most of those schools, a majority would choose the other ones over Wake, but there would be a critical mass who would choose Wake for a variety of reasons. I could make a compelling argument for choosing Wake over most of them, but they are very specific to certain kids (i.e. Wake would be a happier college experience than CMU, plus CMU is pretty specialized in its areas of excellence so if that's not your think, they are actually pretty close).

Just below is subjective. If By just below you mean if im paying full price for the Emory tier schools, ill only pay 40% for Wake tier schools then yes, its just below.

Emory and wake are the same tier. Wake actually wins cross admits.

24 vs 51 is not the same tier. Most students arent applying to both schools. In fact Wake doesn't get that many applications to begin with.

You’re WAY overestimating the precision of the rankings & the significance of small differences in those rankings. 24 vs 51 doesn’t put them on different planets.

USNWR forces an ordinal ranking even when point differentials are small and the rating criteria include significant components that may not be meaningful to a potential student (e.g. Pell Grant metrics).

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Anonymous wrote:Wake is for those who want the “south,” but can’t cut it at Vandy, Emory, Duke, UNC, and UVA. It is like Lehigh. Meh.

Why would anybody pick Emory over Wake? Yuck.

Because Wake yikes while Emory is a semi top college.

If emory is a semi top college, so is CMU, Washu, Rice , ND, Gtown, Umich, UCLa and Vandy right??

Of course. But the point is Wake isn’t in this league. It’s not even T50.

Wake is just below most of those, and there is no shame in that. I'm guessing that for most of those schools, a majority would choose the other ones over Wake, but there would be a critical mass who would choose Wake for a variety of reasons. I could make a compelling argument for choosing Wake over most of them, but they are very specific to certain kids (i.e. Wake would be a happier college experience than CMU, plus CMU is pretty specialized in its areas of excellence so if that's not your think, they are actually pretty close).

Just below is subjective. If By just below you mean if im paying full price for the Emory tier schools, ill only pay 40% for Wake tier schools then yes, its just below.

Emory and wake are the same tier. Wake actually wins cross admits.

24 vs 51 is not the same tier. Most students arent applying to both schools. In fact Wake doesn't get that many applications to begin with.

You’re WAY overestimating the precision of the rankings & the significance of small differences in those rankings. 24 vs 51 doesn’t put them on different planets.

Yes it does. The gap between the T25 and the schools after 30 is dramatic. What notable alumni does Wake have?

Anonymous wrote:The craziest thing about this whole thing is someone mentioning Rice and Wake in the same sentence. The two should never be in the same breath. Rice is and will continue to be the best university in the South. Rankings that cause people to lose their minds about colleges in America today mean nothing by the way.

Um Duke? Rice is honestly 4th best in you count the grad schools. For undergrad is probably 2nd.

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Anonymous wrote:Wake is for those who want the “south,” but can’t cut it at Vandy, Emory, Duke, UNC, and UVA. It is like Lehigh. Meh.

Why would anybody pick Emory over Wake? Yuck.

Because Wake yikes while Emory is a semi top college.

If emory is a semi top college, so is CMU, Washu, Rice , ND, Gtown, Umich, UCLa and Vandy right??

Of course. But the point is Wake isn’t in this league. It’s not even T50.

Wake is just below most of those, and there is no shame in that. I'm guessing that for most of those schools, a majority would choose the other ones over Wake, but there would be a critical mass who would choose Wake for a variety of reasons. I could make a compelling argument for choosing Wake over most of them, but they are very specific to certain kids (i.e. Wake would be a happier college experience than CMU, plus CMU is pretty specialized in its areas of excellence so if that's not your think, they are actually pretty close).

Just below is subjective. If By just below you mean if im paying full price for the Emory tier schools, ill only pay 40% for Wake tier schools then yes, its just below.

Emory and wake are the same tier. Wake actually wins cross admits.

24 vs 51 is not the same tier. Most students arent applying to both schools. In fact Wake doesn't get that many applications to begin with.

You’re WAY overestimating the precision of the rankings & the significance of small differences in those rankings. 24 vs 51 doesn’t put them on different planets.

+1

Fit matters more than this difference

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Anonymous wrote:Wake is for those who want the “south,” but can’t cut it at Vandy, Emory, Duke, UNC, and UVA. It is like Lehigh. Meh.

Why would anybody pick Emory over Wake? Yuck.

Because Wake yikes while Emory is a semi top college.

If emory is a semi top college, so is CMU, Washu, Rice , ND, Gtown, Umich, UCLa and Vandy right??

Of course. But the point is Wake isn’t in this league. It’s not even T50.

Wake is just below most of those, and there is no shame in that. I'm guessing that for most of those schools, a majority would choose the other ones over Wake, but there would be a critical mass who would choose Wake for a variety of reasons. I could make a compelling argument for choosing Wake over most of them, but they are very specific to certain kids (i.e. Wake would be a happier college experience than CMU, plus CMU is pretty specialized in its areas of excellence so if that's not your think, they are actually pretty close).

Just below is subjective. If By just below you mean if im paying full price for the Emory tier schools, ill only pay 40% for Wake tier schools then yes, its just below.

Emory and wake are the same tier. Wake actually wins cross admits.

24 vs 51 is not the same tier. Most students arent applying to both schools. In fact Wake doesn't get that many applications to begin with.

You’re WAY overestimating the precision of the rankings & the significance of small differences in those rankings. 24 vs 51 doesn’t put them on different planets.

Anonymous wrote:The craziest thing about this whole thing is someone mentioning Rice and Wake in the same sentence. The two should never be in the same breath. Rice is and will continue to be the best university in the South. Rankings that cause people to lose their minds about colleges in America today mean nothing by the way.

And how did this comment in any way add meaningfully to this thread?

Anonymous wrote:The craziest thing about this whole thing is someone mentioning Rice and Wake in the same sentence. The two should never be in the same breath. Rice is and will continue to be the best university in the South. Rankings that cause people to lose their minds about colleges in America today mean nothing by the way.

I always wonder what kind of person thinks this nasty type of boosterism is helpful or appropriate. It never reflects well on the school they are trying to promote.