Registration Update for First Year Students

The following message was sent to first-year students

Dear Students and Parents of the Class of 2024,

We know that many of you are hard at work on your fall schedules and that you may have had difficulty finding courses to build or complete your schedules. Here at Wake Forest, like universities around the country, we endeavored to anticipate the numbers of first-year students who would be with us this fall and the breadth and depth of courses we would need to offer in multiple modalities to meet your needs. What we found is that the enthusiasm for Wake Forest was even deeper than we imagined and the demand for courses greater than we anticipated. This message is to notify you of the steps we are taking during registration to expand course offerings and will continue to take through the add/drop period this fall.

We have spent this week working with incoming students and concerned parents, noting where the greatest demand for courses is occurring, advising students about existing courses and requirements, and placing requests to our various departments and programs to increase seats and/or create new sections. Over the remaining days of registration, we believe you will see the impact of those new seats and sections on availability, continuing through our add/drop period.

Additionally, from August 3 to 7, the Office of Academic Advising (OAA) will meet with colleagues in the Office of the University Registrar (OUR) to review every first-year student’s schedule and help them reach at least the minimum number of hours, adding in courses all week. During add/drop, first-year students will be able to revisit their schedules, seek more advising, and make additional changes. They will also be eligible for waitlists as a general sorting out of courses and seats takes place across the College.

This is an unprecedented time in the nation, and institutions of higher education are no more insulated from the uncertainties than any other entity. There are no existing playbooks, historical markers, or professional commonplaces for what we are all experiencing. So, we can only respond by revising and expanding our portfolio of offerings of the Wake Forest academic experience. We ask for your ongoing patience and that you continue with the registration process to its conclusion in the fall. We will continue to expand offerings until the course needs of our students are met.

Sincerely,

Michele Gillespie, Dean of the College at Wake Forest
E. Ashley Hairston, Associate Dean for Academic Advising