Just want to offer some perspective regarding @CCTANKCC 's comments. I assume he is a student and I am just a parent, but I’ve watched my S have a very different experience than the one described above.
A little background. S is a junior at Wake and is non-Greek. He has a large group of friends, both Greek and Non-Greek, although admittedly socailizes primarily with non-Greek males and a mixture of Greek and Non-Greek females (frequently attends sorority date night functions with 3 or 4 sororities).
He came to Wake predisposed to not rushing. I would classify him as a quieter guy who likes to party but moreso with a smaller or more intimate group of friends. Not a loud knee slapper by any stretch. Like many freshmen Wake men, he got on all the lists and attended lots of open parties fall semester. His floor was very social yet divided by those who would rush and those who wouldn’t. About mid semester, he informed us he and his close knit group thought they would rush because they were concerned about not having access to parties and social gatherings in the spring. Several of them ultimately backed out (which I told him would happen - as they weren’t really committed). He was waivering, and long story short, decided not to join a frat (actually rushed and received the bid, just wasn’t for him).
So spring freshmen yr had a different feel as the frat kids were all busy pledging (basically all the time) and frat parties were definitely no longer open to everyone. However, he joined a business fraternity that had lots of social outlets, club baseball, intramural sports teams, etc. His close knit group of non-greeks grew and they found it was quite easy to have lots of fun without going to the frat parties. Kind of formed their own brotherhood if you will. They hold parties in their dorm, off campus apartments (Wake’s the kind of place where, even as a freshmen, you meet sophomores, juniors and seniors. Very campus community oriented), etc.
Fast forward to second semester junior yr - lots of friends and different groups of friends, lots of activities (going skiing next weekend with Outdoor Pursuits, Baseball schedule starts in Feb. Business Frat convention in Atlanta, sorority date nights, hanging out nights). It’s a full and fun life. He loves it.
Now I would agree it has a different feel than the Greek experience at Wake. Instead of forming a group and bouncing around to other groups, he would have had a built in group. That’s both a positive and negative in my opinion. He definitely doesn’t have access to the big frat party scene. If that’s what you want, then you really need to go Greek. He’s also found that, even for Greeks, that becomes a lot less important after sophomore yr. He’s actually had two greek roomates that he’s good friends with (his freshmen roomate - doesn’t hang with him because he’s not in the frat but they grab lunch every now and then and another kid that was randomly put in S’ room upon returning from abroad. They got along great and the kid hung out with S and his suitemates as much as he did with his frat - he was growing tired of it).
I agree that Greek life has a large presence at Wake. It’s not for everyone. It’s very possible and easy, if you make the effort (like anything else) to have a great Non- Greek experience there. I actually asked S about this over winter break as we were reflecting on his college experience. He thought it would be tough for a kid who was Non-Greek and not social (not over the top social, but willing to join clubs and be active). He has a few friends that fall into that category and mentioned “if we didn’t draw them in, not sure they’d be that happy…” I imagine that would be the case anywhere for the more introverted kids. They’d have to find there own things.
In summary I would suggest that if the idea of Greek life bothers you, don’t go to Wake, as it’s quite visible. However, if you can take it or leave it, it’s easy to have a very rewarding experience at Wake Forest. I would think the worst experience is for those who really want Greek life and unfortunately don’t receive the bid(s) they desire. For those I would just suggest as you mature through college and life, your fraternity doesn’t define you. Lots of people out there to meet.
Sorry for the long post.