Wake Forest University is a school most known for its strong liberal arts and business program. If you want to have what it takes to get accepted, you’re going to need to approach the Wake Forest supplemental essays in a way that stands out from the rest of the smart kids.

Now, we get this question quite often: “how important are the Wake Forest supplemental essays?”

Well, let’s take a look at their data.

According to Wake Forest University’s Common Data Set, the application essays are very important –just like the Academic GPA and class rigor. Interestingly enough, recommendation letters are also important; but, not as much as grades and essays.

So, that answers that. But, to rub some extra salt in the wound, let’s take a look at their acceptance rates over time.

Oh, hey! That’s actually not too bad!

The acceptance rate starting from the 2009-10 admissions cycle to the 2021-22 admissions cycle decreased from 37.51% to

The acceptance rate starting from the 2009-10 admissions cycle to the 2021-22 admissions cycle decreased from 37.51% to 25.17%. Although that’s a massive difference in acceptance rate, that’s not too horrible considering the time frame!

Nonetheless, getting accepted into Wake Forest University back then was certainly not easy. Now, it’s even harder.

As such, you’re going to need stellar essays if you want to truly get accepted and stand out from the rest. You may have also seen from the school’s website that their essays are a bit… weird.

But, fear not. We’ll cover everything you need to know to write a strong set of competitive Wake Forest supplemental essays.

Table of Contents

1. How to Locate the Misplaced “Why Us” essay.
2. Why have you decided to apply to Wake Forest? Share with us anything that has made you interested in our institution. (limit: 150 words)
3. List five books you’ve read that have intrigued you.
4. Explain how a text you’ve read – fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or literature of any kind – has helped you to understand the world’s complexity (limit: 150 words).
5. What piques your intellectual curiosity, and why (limit: 150 words)?
6. Give us your Top Ten list. (The choice of theme is yours.) (limit: 100 characters per line)

How to Locate the Misplaced “Why Us” essay.

Wake Forest University has a Why Us essay.

But, it’s confusingly hidden in the Common Application. To locate it, open your Common App account. Then, add Wake Forest University to your college list and navigate to the left sidebar.

When you see Wake Forest University at the side, click it. In the dropdown menu, below the word “application”, click “Questions.”

Next, click the “Contacts” section.

Then, there you go! The Wake Forest University Why Us essay should be there underneath the Contacts section. It’s quite confusing, especially since it’s supposed to be in the writing section.

Why have you decided to apply to Wake Forest? Share with us anything that has made you interested in our institution. (limit: 150 words)

Now that we’ve found it, let’s actually answer the question.

This is the same question as any other “Why Us essay question.” Let’s take a look at some general rules of thumb for this essay prompt below.

1. Don’t write about superficial attributes such as the food, arbitrary traditions, or the coffee shops around the area. Most people apply to college because they have a very meaningful reason to attend the university.
2. Don’t talk about the ranking or the prestige of the school.
3. Writing this question around your general major and academic interests will make for a strong essay. Students attend university to learn; so, the academic fit of the school would be a great approach here.
4. Sometimes, writing about the school’s culture aligning with your interests and general pursuit of knowledge can also work wonderfully well. Remember: learning is not just done in the textbook sense. People attend university as a path toward self-discovery and maturation; so, learning through the school’s overall culture and community is fine.
5. In line with number three, you can also admit that you don’t really know what you want to pursue. However, because you’re open to multiple possibilities and willing to explore, Wake Forest is the right place for you to do such exploration of interests and fields. This would be a great approach for those who are still unsure of what they really want to say.

As an overall rule, be sure to demonstrate that you always have a plan. You can be unsure of what to major in; but, you need to know why Wake Forest would be a great place for you. Even those who are lost can still find value in pursuing a school with a wide breadth of exploratory potential!

Note that the Wake Forest supplemental essays are a chance to get to know you better as a candidate and as a fit for the school. So, the why us essay doesn’t demand you know how the research and projects will benefit your future career. You can admit that you need to do more exploration: so long as you have a plan of exploration at Wake Forest.

List five books you’ve read that have intrigued you.

When listing five books, you’ll need to list the book title, author, and whether the book was required reading for your school. Now, there’s a crucial and unusual rule with that last item: whether the book was required reading.

You should aim for all the books on your list not required reading for school. And, there’s a good reason for this. If you have a book that is required reading in your essay, it’s tough for admissions officers to distinguish you from the rest of the application pool.

So, there’s nothing wrong with having an interest in To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s a classic for a reason. However, it’s not helpful in this case because admissions officers won’t know if you’ve truly had the interest at heart or if you simply fished for a book in your school’s curriculum.

Other books that typically should not be on the list include anything considered “low-brow.” This rule is a bit shaky.

It’s not to say anything that isn’t considered “super serious” and “academic” should not be on this list. In fact, there are plenty of great books out there which are considered low-brow that say a lot about people. For instance: YA novels are typically considered low-brow and easily accessible for some students; yet, having a soft spot for the Redwall Series because it was the first book that truly got you interested in reading is a perfectly valid reason.

The main issue here is just how genuine you would like to be and how much you want to impress admissions officers.

Most students try to impress admissions officers as much as possible. So, they’ll try to choose the “smartest books.”

More often than not, trying to impress the admissions officers too much can backfire. This doesn’t just go for the Wake Forest supplemental essays. This rule applies to all schools.

Realistically, you just want to choose the books that demonstrate your personality or identity the most. This is most easily done by choosing books that agree with your general philosophy. So, George Orwell’s Road to Wigan Pier would be a fantastic book that shows a love yet careful criticism of the dangers of socialism when taken on an ideological route. Another example is Jerzy Kosiński’s The Painted Bird, which is a great book that shows the power of humanity’s will in the face of unending brutal adversity and horror.

However, there’s a catch. You may notice that more “deep and meaningful” books happen to be “dreary and depressing.” Even the two examples we showed above are like that. If that is the case, you may notice your book list is all rain and no sunshine. This can depict a rather pessimistic outlook on admissions officers. So, remember: keep everything in balance!

Explain how a text you’ve read – fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or literature of any kind – has helped you to understand the world’s complexity (limit: 150 words).

The part that says “world’s complexity” can be quite tricky.

This is because students may be deceived into thinking that their chosen text needs to help them understand a whole lot about the world. The truth is, you don’t really need to write about a text that changes how you see the whole world. “World’s complexity” doesn’t always equate to grand philosophy.

We highly recommend just being open about a book that changed one aspect of your life for the better. Or, you can choose a book that helped you look at one aspect of the world in a more sophisticated light.

Here are two examples.

1. Stoner by John Williams
2. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

These books both serve as commentary for the nature of society and also the self. However, you’re not required to put in books of this genre. They don’t have to be dark or gloomy like much of the famous works of Russian literature.

You’re free to select a book that influenced how you approach your personal philosophy. Just be sure to explain how the book was significant to you and how it changed the way you think; and, if you can fit it, you can also show how it changed your life for the better.

What piques your intellectual curiosity, and why (limit: 150 words)?

This is a rather straightforward question. Though, you may want to consider approaching this with a unique slant.

Most applicants will answer this question with a topic that makes them curious. For instance:

1. Video games.
2. Food
3. Culture
4. Books
5. Obscure hobbies
6. True Crime

These are topics, and they’re all valid. However, you may actually want to consider taking a step back to instead talk about the patterns of topics that make you interested or pique your intellectual curiosity.

So, for example, if moral dilemmas in philosophy make you curious, what is it about them that makes you intellectually curious? Let’s say you have an interest in psychology. If that’s the case, what is it about psychology that’s truly intellectually stimulating? Is it the idea that you can learn about the way your mind works which therefore turns the table son how you see the world? Are you deeply curious about the idea that you don’t know much about yourself, and the self-discovery aspect of psychology truly grips you?

If that’s the case, then it’s not just psychology that is intellectually stimulating: it’s the personal self-discovery and growth that comes with subjects of that nature which truly pique your interest.

Here’s another example. Let’s say you’re very interested in indie video game lore. You can find yourself scrolling through community forums, discussion boards, and watching hours of video essays on deep games like Omori.

So, maybe what piques your intellectual curiosity isn’t the game itself; rather, it’s the meaningful story-telling behind such games that draw emotional heartstrings which can make you dig for content forever.

Now, remember: this is about intellectual curiosity. So, you may want to stray away from the emotional aspect and remember to pay attention to the intellectual aspect of things. What drives you to dig deeper into research because you’re just that glued to your chair?

Thus, don’t be afraid to dig deeper into the underlying themes and motifs of topics you like. They may reveal the true answers to this essay prompt!

Give us your Top Ten list. (The choice of theme is yours.) (limit: 100 characters per line)

This is a very simple one, and a fun one at that!

Share a general theme of your choice; then, list out ten things in that theme. Rank order them by personal taste and preference. Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone here, as this is also a chance to show the admissions office more of your personal character. You don’t need to use this as a way to impress them or force upon any kind of identity.

This is just your time to show a little bit more of your interests.

So, you may be tempted to choose something like

1. Top 10 fruits
2. Top 10 movies
3. Top 10 games
4. Top 10 sports

But, you really want to dig deep for this one and find something that only you would really write. Most if not everyone has an obscure interest or theme they want to write about. It helps to get specific and deep in the rabbit hole of whatsoever theme you follow.

Here are examples

1. Top 10 most attractive Kpop boys
2. Top 10 businesses that changed the world
3. Top 10 evil characters who changed into good guys
4. Top 10 video game battle scenes
5. Top 10 obscure memes that older generations won’t understand

Remember: have fun with this and show off the unique, interesting side of you that admissions officers want to see!

If you want to receive help with your Wake Forest supplemental essays but don’t know where to start, consider speaking with one of our college admissions essay editing and advising experts. We’ve helped students edit and write essays that got them accepted into schools in the US News and World Report’s top 25 list. If you sign up for help, we’ll get back to you within 24 hours!