Wake The Forest
Every academic year begins with possibility.
Wake The Forest is a six-week, campus-wide experience that brings together the people, programs, traditions, and opportunities that help students build community, discover purpose, and thrive from the very beginning of the semester.
Created through collaboration across the university, Wake The Forest connects students to meaningful experiences while providing a shared framework for faculty and staff to support a successful start to the academic year.
A connected beginning matters.
The opening weeks of the academic year shape how students experience Wake Forest. During this time, students are building relationships, establishing routines, discovering campus resources, and beginning to understand where they belong within The Forest.
Those experiences don’t happen in one office or through one program. They happen across residence halls, classrooms, student organizations, traditions, campus events and countless everyday interactions with faculty and staff.
Wake The Forest brings those experiences together into one intentional framework, helping students move from connection to confidence while celebrating the many ways our campus community supports student success. Residence Life and Housing is shifting from “suggested” move-in windows to a more structured appointment process this year.
Students/families will not be able to arrive before their selected time.
Wake the Forest: At a Glance
Who
New and returning students
When
The first six weeks of each academic year
Why
To foster belonging, wellbeing, engagement and student success
How
By connecting opportunities across the entire Wake Forest community
Explore Wake Forest
Over the course of the six-week experience, students explore four key themes through a range of engaging opportunities and activities.
How to College
Helping students navigate campus life through practical skills, wellbeing resources, time management, and support services.
Dear Old Wake Forest
Connecting students to Wake Forest traditions, institutional values, and the shared experience of being a Demon Deacon.
Student Success
Supporting academic achievement through goal setting, learning strategies, personal development, and campus resources.
Engagement and Belonging
Encouraging students to build community, develop meaningful relationships, and become active participants in campus life.
The Journey
Wake The Forest intentionally follows the natural rhythm of the first six weeks, helping students grow from initial connection to long-term engagement.
Weeks 1-2
Find Your Place.
- Meet people
- Explore campus
- Build community
- Develop a sense of belonging
Weeks 3-4
Find Your Rhythm.
- Establish routines
- Deepen your learning
- Navigate new responsibilities
- Develop confidence
Weeks 5-6
Find Your Way.
- Reflect on your experience
- Explore leadership
- Discover purpose
- Take ownership of your Wake Forest journey
Built by the Wake Forest community.
Every interaction, program, tradition, classroom, residence hall, and campus event contributes to a student’s experience. Together, those moments shape how students build relationships, discover opportunities, develop confidence, and find their place within The Forest.
Wake The Forest provides a shared framework that connects these experiences into one intentional journey during the first six weeks of the academic year. Rather than creating an entirely new slate of programming, it celebrates and amplifies the exceptional work already happening across campus while helping students experience a more connected beginning to their Wake Forest journey.
Whether you’re welcoming students to a residence hall, teaching in the classroom, advising a student organization, hosting a campus tradition, or providing support behind the scenes, your work is part of Wake The Forest.The opening weeks of the academic year shape how students experience Wake Forest. During this time, students are building relationships, establishing routines, discovering campus resources, and beginning to understand where they belong within The Forest.
Help shape the experience.
Campus partners are invited to submit programs, events, workshops, and initiatives that support students during the first six weeks of the semester.
The Wake The Forest Planning Form helps us identify opportunities to collaborate, coordinate communication, and build a comprehensive calendar of experiences that support student success.
Share your initiative and become part of the Wake The Forest experience.