Wingate welcomes first-timers as campus gears up for new academic year

by Chuck Gordon

Amid nervous smiles and more than a few teary eyes, first-year students have been going through check-in and moving into their residence halls today as Wingate gears up for the 2024-25 academic year.

An estimated 900 first-year students are expected to attend their first Wingate classes on Thursday, after three days of Orientation activities and getting to know their roommates and others in their residence hall. Roughly 78 percent of incoming students will live on campus, while an estimated 58 percent are from North Carolina. Official enrollment figures are expected next month, but Wingate's projected total enrollment, including graduate students, is expected to be around 3,300.

One of those first-year students from North Carolina is Toni Davis, from Gastonia. Davis said she was more excited than nervous driving to Wingate for her early-morning check-in slot today. The welcoming atmosphere on campus helped calm any nerves.

"I just really liked the environment," said Davis, a freshman who is planning to major in business management and wants to own her own spa one day.

Amelia Talbott, a freshman from Viera, Florida, was also swayed by Wingate's friendly environment and course offerings, in addition to being recruited to play on the new varsity beach volleyball team.

"They have a growing psychology program, which is what I want to major in," said Talbott after going through the check-in process in the McGee Center alongside her grandmother, Gail Talbott. "I've always been really connected to psychology. It's a big part of my life, whether in sports or in my day-to-day life, so I thought it would be a good fit."

A growing subset of new students consists of transfers, with about 140 new students enrolling at Wingate after spending time at other institutions. That tops last year's then-record 118.

The burgeoning transfer numbers are largely due to students coming to play varsity sports and to the Gateway scholarship, which enables students who have earned an associate degree from one of six local community colleges to go on and earn a bachelor's degree at Wingate for a vastly reduced tuition amount.

Other newer programs that are attractive options for new students this year include the Honors College (40 new students) and the marching band, which is brand new this fall and has brought in 35 new students.

"We're excited about our new and expanded offerings this year, which have proved to be high-demand programs," said Dr. Eva Baucom, vice president of enrollment management.

First-time Wingate students will spend the next few days getting acclimated to college life by participating in Bulldog Beginnings, an extended orientation period in which they will meet their orientation group, learn about campus resources and connect with their peers. Returning students can move into their residence halls beginning on Tuesday. Convocation, a religious service aimed at first-time students that marks the start of the academic year, will be held on Wednesday afternoon, and classes begin on Thursday.

Margiotta was recruited to play for the Bulldogs' lacrosse team but said it was more than the opportunity to play on a nationally ranked squad that led him to enroll at Wingate.

"As soon as I stepped on campus I knew I wanted to come here," said Margiotta, who plans to major in biology and hopes to go on to medical school one day.

"I think he's in a good place," his mother said. "I think he's going to have a family down here."

Destiny Slater didn't have quite as far to drive, but she went through check-in a little bleary-eyed after leaving Atlanta at 3:30 this morning in order to make it to her assigned check-in time slot. "There was nobody on the roads," she said.

Slater, a freshman who plans to major in psychology, said she "loved the atmosphere" at Wingate and liked that it was an affordable option.

Check out our admissions page to learn more about Wingate or to schedule a visit.

Aug. 19, 2024

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