First Name:
Ashley
Last Name:
Thacker
Major Department:
Marketing
Thesis Director:
Unal Boya
Date of Thesis:
May 2014
This thesis searches for what attributes graduating high school students consider most important while choosing a university, and then to what degree Appalachian State University succeeds at having those attributes. A review of relevant literature, a major survey study conducted by Appalachian in 2010 and similar studies conducted by other universities lead to the development of 75 attributes used in this study. All freshmen attending Appalachian State University during the spring semester of 2014 were invited to participate in the study by completing a questionnaire posted on Survey Monkey. The findings suggest that location is the highest rated attribute of ASU. Food is the lowest rated attribute. The most important attribute according to the 2014 freshmen class of ASU is cost. The findings helped identify suggestions for Appalachian in order to develop an effective marketing plan.