Frequently Asked Questions
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General
The application for the 2024-2025 school year will open in January 2024. If you would like to be sent application reminders please fill out this form.
High school students (current sophomores) located in Winston-Salem, Charlotte, or the surrounding areas. Students participate in the program during their junior year of high school.
Students from surrounding areas are welcome to apply, with the understanding that in-person attendance is required once a month at the Wake Forest main campus (for the Winston-Salem cohort) or the Wake Forest Charlotte campus (for the Charlotte cohort).
Students must complete all sections of the application, including a copy of their high school transcripts, complete two short essays, and complete the online recommendation. When Scholars formally accept the offer to participate in College LAUNCH, they also agree to honor our attendance requirement. We expect Scholars to attend all nine Saturday Summits. Only one unexcused absence is permitted.
Yes, if they are enrolled in a domestic high school located in Charlotte, Winston-Salem, or the surrounding communities.
Yes! College-bound home-schooled students located in Charlotte, Winston-Salem or the surrounding communities can apply.
The personal statement should be a minimum of two paragraphs and a maximum of one page.
Yes, once a cohort is full students who apply after will be added to the waitlist. Students will be notified via email regarding waitlist status.
Our mission is to prepare our Scholars for college and career success, regardless of which higher education institution they choose to attend. College LAUNCH for Leadership is not a pipeline program to Wake Forest University. Participating in College LAUNCH does not guarantee that Scholars will be admitted into Wake Forest.
Masks are optional during all LAUNCH events. Scholars who miss an event due to quarantining will not be penalized for their absence.
Please reach out to collegelaunch@wfu.edu with any questions related to these policies.
Parents
The program is FREE for admitted students.
Accepted Scholars will be required to submit the following forms: Registration form, Medical Authorization, Parent/Guardian Consent, and Code of Conduct. These forms can be found on the Student Slate Portal once the student has received their acceptance and registered for the program. Updated Covid-19 vaccination may also be required for accepted Scholars.
Once the program has begun, Scholars will be required to attend at least 8 out of 9 of the monthly Saturday Summits and submit their RSVPs to these events by the communicated deadlines.
In addition to attending monthly Saturday Summits, Scholars must complete monthly journal assignments, submit their quarterly report cards, and complete their “Youth Participatory Action Research Project.”
Due to space capacity, parents/guardians are not able to attend Saturday Summits with their Scholars. The only exception to this is Discover Wake Forest Day, which is in partnership with the Wake Forest University Office of Undergraduate Admissions. More information will be shared about this with Scholars during our program.
Due to space capacity, only one parent/guardian/family member can attend Discover Wake Forest Day with each Scholar.
Students
The program runs from September to May and meets one Saturday per month from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm.
Our Scholars will complete a comprehensive curriculum focused on developing skills for academic, professional, and personal success. Scholars will receive training on effective writing and interview skills for the college admissions process. Our Scholars will have opportunities to connect directly with leaders, community members and industry professionals in multiple disciplines. Scholars will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the program.
Scholars are expected to attend all nine Saturday Summits. With that being said, Scholars are allowed one absence in the event of an extenuating circumstance. If you anticipate missing a Saturday Summit, please reach out in advance to College LAUNCH for Leadership (email: collegelaunch@wfu.edu).
Please note that there are exceptions to our policy related to unavoidable and unforeseen emergencies (including those related to COVID-19 and those that are not). Please reach out to College LAUNCH (email: collegelaunch@wfu.edu) with any questions.
Acceptance into College LAUNCH is competitive and we do have a waiting list. If you have been accepted into College LAUNCH but are unable to fulfill the LAUNCH requirements, please contact (collegelaunch@wfu.edu) so that individuals from the waitlist can take advantage of this opportunity.
Please email all additional questions to collegelaunch@wfu.edu.