It is around that time of the year again! Another class of Wake Forest students is going to graduate in May and continue pursuing their academic or career interest. Before they graduate, we interviewed some of them, asking if there is anything they regret doing or not doing during their four years here at Wake. Let’s hear what they said so that you won’t leave with any regrets!
Z is a dancer. He told us, “I regretted not dancing more at Wake: Ritmo Latino, LIT, Deacon Dhaamal.” There are indeed many diverse dance groups on campus, with each of them focusing on a specific type of dance. For most of these clubs, you do not need prior experience to join the club and you will still get to perform for various occasions! If you are a dancer or even just interested in starting to dance, make sure to check out these groups’ performances on campus and talk to someone in that group about your interest!
Z also told us that he regretted not spending enough time with his friends by overloading himself on extracurricular activities. This might seem conflictual to what he just said, but he added that some clubs “benefited more from me doing projects for them than I did.” When we join student organizations, we should indeed find the ones that share our values or make us grow. We do not want to feel “overwhelmed” by our clubs when it does not give us any good feelings out of it. Z then added, “Things I do not regret: studying abroad.” There are so many Wake students who study abroad at some point during their undergraduate life that it is basically a norm. “Getting outside the Wake bubble” will give you the experience of a completely different lifestyle and you will learn things that can’t be taught in a classroom.
S is another graduating senior, who agreed with Z for not getting involved in enough dancing organizations. Even though she has been actively involved in one of the dance groups, she told us that she would have tried tap dance or other kinds of dance. S also regretted not taking more useful or interesting classes. “I really wanted to take a dance class, a computer science class, and another language class, but I didn’t have the time,” she said. “I’m really interested in these and they might be helpful in the future too.” With Wake’s outstanding undergraduate education, it is a pity to not fully make use of the resources. For almost any interest in academics, you can find a class for it. Next semester, you might want to consider adding a social dance, creative fiction writing, acting, statistics or even yoga class that has nothing to do with your major!
N is a friend of S, also a senior. She told us that she regretted not utilizing the OPCD resources at Wake, which is the office for personal career development. Many people do not know about many of their resources until late sophomore or junior year. These might include scholarships to buy a nice suit, resume review, mock interview, headshot taking and various workshops to answer your questions regardless where you are in the career planning timeline! For more information, be sure to check the OPCD website and Handshake often!
M told us that he felt sorry that he did not try to maximize his abilities in both of his majors. He felt that this was more of a missed opportunity than it was a regret of his, but he said that because he had to do a lot of work for both majors, he could not achieve what he could have with only one major. At Wake, plenty of students choose to double major, and sometimes with an additional minor. The corresponding workload actually depends on which major(s) it is and how many hours that major requires. For underclassmen that are still choosing their major(s), choose something you like, but also consider your time and stress management