<p>
I think a better question would be why even now it doesn’t have as many applicants as it should. Wake has solidified its place in the top 25 of the USNWR ranking, which many high school students treat as The Truth, and yet it has fewer applicants than any of the others, even the slightly smaller Rice. NC residents have long known Wake Forest to be an awesome school, but it is taking a while for word to trickle out elsewhere. </p>
<p>Wake was the clear standout in [this</a> thread](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1280344-did-you-ever-dump-college-your-list-because-type-number-essays.html]this”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1280344-did-you-ever-dump-college-your-list-because-type-number-essays.html); about a dozen people admitted they didn’t apply to Wake because of the numerous essays. </p>
<p>I think it might be useful for admissions to weigh the benefits of those self-selecting essays against a potentially much larger applicant pool. I for one would like to see Wake achieve more selectivity and respect. As much as I deplore truly aggressive marketing campaigns like Chicago has done recently, it has been unquestionably effective, and I think Wake Forest could/should do more to get its name out there.</p>