Hi! I was JUST accepted off the waitlist for wake forest and so now I’m between Trinity University in San Antonio and Wake Forest. I really like trinity’s academic resources and close knit but it is very close to home and wake forest’s larger more traditional college experience and also access to med school program. What is the better option for pre-med/biology major?
The Greek life at Wake is so big that many who don’t get in have no social life so be aware of that. Also grade deflation is real there too and med school wants a very high GPA. Way more to do in San Antonio. Trinity alumni is strong so medical internships will be easier to get there. Also where you want to end up after college and after med school need to play into this decision. And of course, cost. Tuition and travel costs need to be factored in. Save for med school. If you live on campus and get really involved at Trinity, you will get the full away college experience. Avoid going home on weekends. Stay involved.
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So for pre-med purposes, I agree in cases like this cost is sometimes well worth considering, and then otherwise where you think you will most likely get top grades. That can be a complex subject, however, including because happy people tend to do better in school. So it can make sense to focus on a combination of being relatively well-prepared, but then also where you think you will be happiest overall.
I note the vast majority of people who start off thinking premed do not in fact go to med school, for one reason or another. The good news is if you choose a lower cost option where you expect being happy, that’s a good choice even if premed doesn’t end up your path.
As to which would be your best bet for overall happiness, that’s very personal. But it is true Wake offers a very traditional sort of college experience (including with a lot of Greek life). Trinity then offers the LAC experience combined with being in a large metropolitan area. Either could reasonably be more appealing for any given individual.
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Congrats! I don’t know anything about Trinty, but my kid is just finishing her first year at Wake and has had a very good experience. She did rush, and Greek life is at the center of campus social life, but she has friends who aren’t in Greek life and are happy.
On med school, Wake does have an “early assurance program” you can apply to as a Wake sophomore, where you are admitted early to their med school. I don’t know how hard it is – but two of my kid’s friends are considering it. Lots of students are pre-med, it seems, in my child’s friend group (tho my kid is not).
Also, I don’t think there is grade deflation. It’s not Harvard/Yale, with 80% of the grades A or A-, but a couple of years ago, the school redid the way they allocate graduation honors because grade inflation had led to many more than the historical 5%/next 10%/ next 15% getting summa.magna/cum. Now it’s percentage-based, and apparently, 30% of the class has a 3.797 or above average. See HERE.
FWIW, the thing that’s been nicest about my daughter’s first year at Wake is her really enjoying certain classes and rediscovering some academic passion she had lost by the end of high school. She is still a pragmatic, career-focused person, but it has been nice to see her so excited about some of her classes!
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Congratulations on the two acceptances! Have you visited both while school is in session? Also, as others have alluded to, how do you feel about Greek life? That’s a big difference between the likely experience at the two schools (and regardless of whether one pledges or not at Wake, the presence of Greek life still reflects a pretty big difference in the experience with Trinity).
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Very roughly half of Wake undergrads are in a fraternity or sorority, which means that the other half are not. That’s ~2750 other undergrads looking for things to do aside from Greek parties. You would very likely find your people there – it’s big enough.
What I would concentrate on more is making sure that if you don’t end up going into medicine and shift academic focus, which school has more options that you might enjoy? IE, check for the better Plan B/C academically.
I note according to US News, it is 28% of men in a fraternity, 65% of women in a sorority.
Yeah, I was basing the “roughly half” description on the very first search result, which was from the Wake site – they were reporting 30% of men and 60% of women participating, 5490 undergrads, and a 57/43 W/M split.
5490 undergrads, 57% female and 43% male. So there are 3129 women and 2361 men, if Wake’s percentage breakdown is accurate. 60% of 3129 women yields a total sorority participation of 1877. Likewise, 30% of 2361 men yields a fraternity membership of 708. So of the 5490 undergrads, about 2585 are in the Greek system, which is 47.1%, which is not far from 50%.
I surmise that, whether the OP wants to engage in Greek life or not, he or she will have approximately half of the campus from whom to choose her friends/acquaintances.
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Can you afford both plus $400k for med school? If not or loans are involved, choose the cheapest.
Wake likes rich kids - I’m assuming you are full pay and have merit at Trinity ?
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I actually got enough financial aid at wake forest for both trinity and wake undergrade estimates to be around the same amount four four years! but yes money is a big part of my decision
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that is so great!! thank you so much!! do your daughters pre med friends find it possible to get a high GPA for med school? I keep hearing scary rumors of the grade deflation at wake forest and I’m worried about how it can affect my chances at med school. I’m very driven and I have always gotten good grades and high AP scores but still a little worried!
Yes!! When I was at Trinity they were telling me about the freedom and flexibility of their majors and students were able to double major and minor, is that kind of freedom available at wake forest? I’m pretty set in doing something STEM/ public health related but it is nice to know I have the advantage of exploring my options!
All these schools kids worry about grade deflation seem to put kids into med school.
Both schools determine who has a chance at med school as both appear to give committee letters.
My kid is just finishing her first year so I don’t have firsthand knowledge other than knowing a lot of kids are pre-med; I don’t know everyone’s grades or eventual med school admissions rates. I think you could reach out to Wake’s pre-health program and ask those questions.
Wake is expanding their med school by 100 kids in a new Charlotte campus. I don’t know if they will similarly expand their early acceptance program for Wake undergrads.
There is a lot of freedom at Wake to double major and minor. It almost seems more unusual to not double major or have at least one minor.
Yes, as another poster also explained, Wake has a very flexible curriculum structure and is good for exploring/combining interests. I would suggest this is a shared strength of these two options.
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I have visited both campuses. As one poster said; wake is very “Rich kid”. Like you’re walking around a country club. Would you feel comfortable there? Trinity is much more down to earth.
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I’m not sure how much of a draw the Early Assurance option should be in this case. There’s a reason that so many TX residents remain in-state for med school - the options are excellent and highly affordable. (I have even seen knowledgeable posters here state that TX students are at a disadvantage for OOS med school admissions because schools know to expect low yield from TX admits.)
These are both great schools, and it sounds like there isn’t a big cost difference. If you genuinely prefer Wake, go for it! But if it’s just a “familiarity breeds contempt” issue (or the psychological effect of a school’s “playing hard to get” and then coming through with a waitlist offer), I’d encourage you not to undervalue Trinity. It’s a terrific school that offers an excellent student experience and can help you meet your goals just as well as WF can. Your opportunities will hinge on you and what you do during these four years of college, not on which school you choose. Pick the school where think you can best fit in and feel supported and fulfilled; the better your needs are met, the more you can accomplish.
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First off, congratulations, both of those are great schools. You need to consider so many things when making a life decision, like college. At the basic level, you need to understand the costs associated with your choice. Once you are done with undergrad, you will be looking into med/PhD programs, which are very costly. You could be looking at an additional 400,000 in costs. So, just practically, which is the better financial decision of the two? Understand there are additional costs like insurance, travel/flight expenses, clubs/sorority/ fees, which all add up. Can you afford these without burdening yourself and your family?
Some of the biggest factors for getting into a med program are MCAT scores, GPA, letters of recommendation, research opportunities, and close connections with mentors and advisors. Which program will have fewer barriers to achieving these?
What will your networking opportunities be like while in and out of each of these schools? What are their career services, pre-med advising, and study abroad programs like? Ask yourself honestly where you think you will fit in best and which matches your core personality traits. Your decision will come from within, but this was from AI, when asked to generally define the students at the schools.
Wake Forest: “I know what I want — to build connections, be active, and move toward a clear professional path.”
Trinity: “I want to understand things deeply—explore ideas, be authentic, and figure out my path on my own terms.”
These are tendencies, not boxes. You’ll find introverts at Wake and socially active students at Trinity. The difference is what the average student rewards socially:
At Wake → social fluency + ambition gets reinforced
At Trinity → intellectual depth + individuality gets reinforced
Best of luck on your journey
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I love this, simple and accurate.
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