elbee foster (elbee)
3/5
Wingate has a very personable and helpful staff many of whom have been there a long time it seems . Admissions staff was first rate. But once your student is enrolled, as a parent, you will need to be persistent to stay informed so you can help your student succeed.
Wingate's technology is antiquated. Difficult to do any business online as a parent. The school is paper intensive and sometimes the paper seems to fall through cracks. Wingate only recently came up with a way for tuition to be paid online. There is no parent portal yet that allows you to stay up to date with what is due when. Bills are mailed and the expectation is you mail checks or pay on site. If they have a payment plan, they do not advertise it. Most pertinent information goes through the student portal that the parent has no access to. This creates opportunities for miscommunication and missed deadlines.
The school is under-staffed. If you have to phone someone to ask for help or clarification, expect to get voicemail that states you will hear back in a couple of days at least. Email is a better option but don't expect a same-day reply.
Communication is not a strength here. During this last and very widespread flu season, the campus had a very big outbreak but no classes were cancelled and parents never received any communication regarding making certain your student had a flu shot.
Overall, I would say the school has its heart in the right place and most professors are engaged and want to see the students succeed. Still, the school has a ways to go in developing the kind of infrastructure that justifies its tuition costs.
Wingate rightly has a reputation as a collegiate Sparta, roughly one in every four students is some sort of athlete. Not necessarily a bad thing but if your student is not going to be playing a sport or chooses to leave a sport once there, be aware of what other options they have on campus to stay engaged. The student transfer rate accelerates at year two.
If campus surroundings are a consideration, know that Wingate is an exceedingly small town so that the campus is basically all there is. The neighboring town of Monroe is slightly bigger with more ammenities: small mall, Walmart and fast food options. Charlotte is a short drive beyond that. Uber is not allowed on campus, we were told. So your student needs a car or friends with wheels if he or she is going to leave campus or fly out of Douglas International.
Overall, Wingate has been a good experience for our student despite a bit of heavy lifting for the parents. Having proper expectations is important when choosing a college. Before you go, we wanted you to know what our experience has been.
