Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to Wake, graduated about 20 years ago. I loved my time there, learned a lot, and made great friends. However, the money there was insane. I came from a private HS in DC so I was no stranger to privilege or money. But it was a different level at Wake.

I don't think it's a reason not to look or go there, but it's also something to be aware of. I wasn't going in, and I wish I had been.

Funny to think you were maybe an SES diversity admit at that point! There is always another "level." DC of close friends attended Wake briefly a few years ago - had been 1st choice school. Left because couldn't really handle other students getting picked up by their family jet.

Not been our experience at Wake but who needs first hand accounts when dcum posters are so free to offer second and third hand accounts.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just looked at the CDS and was surprised that only 24% of the first year class gets financial aid. It’s such an expensive school and over 75% are paying full price.

Also, it’s need aware.

This is an example of why Wake, Vanderbilt, Tulane, etc. dropped in the USNWR rankings. These schools don’t have a lot of poor, first generation kids taking out Pell grants. However, they do offer a great education with small class size, professors with PHDs, lots of really smart kids with high stats. You need to decide what is important to your family when researching schools.

Vanderbilt barely dropped...but Wake and Tulane tumbled. Seems like Vanderbilt is different from those two.

Vandy moved down six spots. The smaller the school, the larger the impact of losing factors like class size. Tufts, which was ranked similarly to Wake before, fell to 40.

Anonymous wrote:I went to Wake, graduated about 20 years ago. I loved my time there, learned a lot, and made great friends. However, the money there was insane. I came from a private HS in DC so I was no stranger to privilege or money. But it was a different level at Wake.

I don't think it's a reason not to look or go there, but it's also something to be aware of. I wasn't going in, and I wish I had been.

Funny to think you were maybe an SES diversity admit at that point! There is always another "level." DC of close friends attended Wake briefly a few years ago - had been 1st choice school. Left because couldn't really handle other students getting picked up by their family jet.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just looked at the CDS and was surprised that only 24% of the first year class gets financial aid. It’s such an expensive school and over 75% are paying full price.

Also, it’s need aware.

This is an example of why Wake, Vanderbilt, Tulane, etc. dropped in the USNWR rankings. These schools don’t have a lot of poor, first generation kids taking out Pell grants. However, they do offer a great education with small class size, professors with PHDs, lots of really smart kids with high stats. You need to decide what is important to your family when researching schools.

Vanderbilt barely dropped...but Wake and Tulane tumbled. Seems like Vanderbilt is different from those two.

Anonymous wrote:47th best school in the country, tied with Tech. But hey it’s your money to throw away.

Don't want my DC to be in a class with 200 others and end up transferring to a smaller school. To each its own!

Look, all colleges pay attention to need. Some do so directly, and thus are need-aware. Others refrain from transmitting the FAFSA, qualifying them as "need-blind". But those "need-blind" schools can make a real good guess as to an applicant's finances based on where they live, the school they attend, the extracurricular activities (or lack thereof), and what the recommenders say about them. Pay close attention to the essay as well, as this provides another opportunity to reinforce that your family will be able to pay full freight.

So these schools are "need-blind", but they're most certainly aware of who is applying and the resources they bring to bear. They may not get every kid right, but they get close enough to feel good about the revenue the class will bring in.

Anonymous wrote:I just looked at the CDS and was surprised that only 24% of the first year class gets financial aid. It’s such an expensive school and over 75% are paying full price.

Also, it’s need aware.

And there you have it…

Anonymous wrote:My freshman has one class of 50 (intro science class) and all the rest are less than 25. That’s the statistics that matter to me. Also, 98 percent of the class employed or in grad school within six months of graduation. Our student also got into Tech, but class size and ability to live on campus for several years important to us. Both great schools, so I don’t take the comparison as an insult as it was apparently intended.

Not meant as an insult to Tech. The point is that they’re the same rankings wise but one costs twice as much.

I went to Wake, graduated about 20 years ago. I loved my time there, learned a lot, and made great friends. However, the money there was insane. I came from a private HS in DC so I was no stranger to privilege or money. But it was a different level at Wake.

I don't think it's a reason not to look or go there, but it's also something to be aware of. I wasn't going in, and I wish I had been.

We’ve now reached the point where the crazies who have never stepped foot on Wake’s campus are offering their opinions. Frustrating how every useful thread ultimately gets derailed in this manner.

Unless you are rich White, run from it

My freshman has one class of 50 (intro science class) and all the rest are less than 25. That’s the statistics that matter to me. Also, 98 percent of the class employed or in grad school within six months of graduation. Our student also got into Tech, but class size and ability to live on campus for several years important to us. Both great schools, so I don’t take the comparison as an insult as it was apparently intended.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just looked at the CDS and was surprised that only 24% of the first year class gets financial aid. It’s such an expensive school and over 75% are paying full price.

Also, it’s need aware.

So 75% are paying $90K a year.


That's a lot of wealthy kids.

It is pretty shocking. One thing that concerns me is that although we can pay full price (combination of saving for college and inheritance) my child will be trying to keep up with very wealthy kids. She already has expensive taste!

Hahaha! Trust me, she will not see the wealthy once on campus.

No, you absolutely will. It comes out in big and subtle ways almost every single day.
I could write a book on this topic as my kids go to a $50K DC private and we're a fed and a teacher.

47th best school in the country, tied with Tech. But hey it’s your money to throw away.

Sounds like a school to avoid.