|
University experiences 25 percent increase in freshman applications |
|
|
|
Tuesday, 13 November 2007 |
by ANNE BAKER
Intern News Reporter
It’s never too early to plan for college.
This phrase seems to be more relevant each year as Appalachian State University sees a steady increase in applications.
As of last Friday, according to the admissions office, freshman applications for admittance to the university beginning fall 2008 totaled 8,218.
This is approximately a 25 percent increase in applications, as around
6,300 had been received last year at this time, Director of Admissions
Paul N. Hiatt said.
 Lisa E. Miles, a junior education major, sorts through the three crates of applications that arrived Monday morning. Appalachian has received about 2,000 more applications at this time compared to last year. Photo by Bryan Tarnowski
|
Some people might attribute the growth rate with the win over the
University of Michigan’s football team on Sept. 1, as well as the two
consecutive national championships.
Sophomore elementary education major Megan A. Donovant said, “When
someone asks you where you go to school and you tell them ASU, the
first thing they usually say is that they know where the school is
because we won a national championship in football. Without that, I
don’t know if as many people would know about the university.”
However, other factors play a large role in the university’s application surge.
“Almost everyone is aware of the Michigan victory…athletics did bring a
lot of focus to the university, but it also brought focus to all the
other positive things that are happening here,” Hiatt said.
These factors include a culmination of academics and current students spreading the word about their time at Appalachian.
“[The university] has a strong academic reputation, and the academic
program has now been enriched to include honor opportunities, study
abroad programs, and internships. ASU is unique in that it does things
very well…Many students are happy with their decision to come here, and
tell their friends about their positive experiences,” Hiatt said.
Hiatt also said Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock has played a crucial role in the success of Appalachian.
“Recent achievements are due in part to the strong leadership of our
chancellor. He is a dynamic individual and has assumed leadership of
the university at a very critical time,” Hiatt said.
Michael J. Trivette, a graduate student concentrating on media literacy, has worked in the admissions office for four years.
Trivette has handled many phone calls from prospective students
concerning both applications and admissions, and has noticed a large
growth in the university’s popularity.
“More people all over the nation are finding out about our school.
Obviously the football team has affected it a lot; we would be naïve if
we thought it didn’t. But we can’t buy that kind of media attention,
and since then we’ve had more calls and might even have to increase the
staff [in the admissions office]. It’s been interesting to see,”
Trivette said.
Such an escalation in applicants causes the university to begin implementing a more selective admissions criteria.
“Each year the freshman class is more accomplished in terms of GPA
levels, SAT scores, class rank, and the number of college level courses
they bring with them. This has been a trend over the past 15 years and
I would expect that to continue,” Hiatt said.
The application numbers are already exceeding the 2,800 spots that are
available to freshmen. Last year, 2,700 students were admitted to the
freshmen class, Trivette said.
“It’s safe to say that the university will see well over 14,000
applications total [this year]. As far as the student body goes, it is
going to make it much more competitive,” Trivette said.
Trackback(0)
 |
TrackBack URI for this entry
Show/Hide comments