Summer Advising FAQ

In your first semester, you should register for no fewer than 12 and no more than 17 credit hours. Depending on how many credit hours each course carries, this is normally 4-5 courses.

You must complete a First-Year Seminar (FYS 100) and a Writing Seminar (WRI 111 or WRI 109 & WRI 110) in your first year. FYS 100 and WRI 111 cannot be taken together; however, FYS 100 can be taken with WRI 109 or WRI 110. The OAA also recommends you consider taking HES 100 and starting to work on your Foreign Language requirement.

It’s truly up to you! Divisionals are a way to play in the intellectual field and explore programs of study while satisfying graduation requirements. You may play to your strengths or choose to study something new.

It depends! Courses taken to fulfill divisional requirements can typically also count towards major or minor requirements. For example, PSY 151 – Introduction to Psychology can satisfy one of the Division IV requirements and is a required course for the Psychology major and minor.

No, you are not allowed to exempt divisional core requirements through AP, IB, or CLEP.  Your credits will still count toward the 120 hours needed for graduation, can be used to count toward most majors and minors, and can be used as prerequisites.

The OAA does not recommend that you forfeit your hard-earned credits. Once forfeited, they cannot be reinstated. Keep in mind that earning AP/IB credit for a course does not guarantee a grade of “A” in that same course at Wake Forest, so thoughtfully consider your options before making a decision. If you wish to forfeit AP/IB credits, please complete this form.

You should take ECN 150 and MTH 111 during your first year. You may take these courses together or separately, depending on academic strengths and course availability.

If you are interested in the Decision Analytics major (a joint program between the School of Business & the Department of Statistical Sciences), the following courses are required:

• ECN 150
• MTH 112 by the end of sophomore fall (MTH 111 is a prerequisite) 
• STA 112 by the end of sophomore spring (STA 111 is a prerequisite) 

While AP/IB credit can be used for admission to the School of Business, it does not add value to your prerequisite GPA.

There are a variety of health professions, each of which plays a vital role in meeting healthcare needs here and throughout the world. The Pre-Health website contains information about what you should do as an undergraduate at Wake Forest to prepare for a career in any of these fields.

The Engineering curriculum is designed to promote the interdisciplinary nature of engineering. The following courses are highly recommended within the first year, and you should take 2-3 of these courses in your first semester: 

• EGR 111 (DIV V) 
• EGR 112
• MTH 111 (DIV V) 
• MTH 112 (DIV V; MTH 111 is a prerequisite) 
• PHY 113/L (DIV V; MTH 111 is a pre or corequisite) or PHY 123/L (DIV V; MTH 111 is a pre or corequisite)

There are no required prerequisites for law school; however, you are encouraged to take classes that support analogical reasoning, close reading, clarity of expression, and professional identity. Examples of courses that support these characteristics are below. A more comprehensive list may be found here.

• PHI 220 (DIV I) – Analogical Reasoning
• PHI 111 (DIV I) – Close Reading
• COM 102 or COM 110 (DIV IV) – Clarity of Expression
• HMN 272 (DIV II) – Professional Identity

As soon as you have completed the placement test, your placement result will appear on the screen. Your result will come in the form of a class placement (for example, “Spanish 153” or “French 111”). You will need this information when it is time to register, so you should take a screenshot of your placement for your records.

You should still take a placement test in any language studied in high school, even if you do not intend to continue with it. In the past, students have needed to return to a previously studied language. Taking a placement test is not a commitment to study that language. It is simply a matter of having a record, in case it is needed.

No, you should not take the placement test for a language you never studied. You should register for the elementary level course (e.g., JPN 101 or SPA 111, etc.) for the foreign language you plan to study at Wake Forest.

If English is your second language, you do not usually take a placement test in your first language but may do so for any third language you have studied.

If your primary language (the language of instruction in your prior schooling) is other than English, you may be exempted from the basic requirement in the foreign language and may have some restrictions on Division II choices. Please contact Ms. Margaret Clayton (claytom@wfu.edu) for more information.

If you have a 3 or higher on an AP exam or a 6 or higher on an IB higher-level foreign language test, you do not need to complete the placement test. To determine which foreign language course you should register for, view the information here.