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A paper submitted to Professor Dunlop by Aaron


Goldblatt, Rakan Al Sharari, and Mohammed Qadhi in


partial fulfillment of the requirements for Research


Methods in Business. (MGMT 250)




                Why Wentworth?
 This paper provides an in depth analysis of the factors influencing
       students to attend Wentworth Institute of Technology.
2




Wentworth Institute of Technology
            Fall 2009
TABLE OF CONTENTS




CHAPTER                                                                                                         PAGE


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................2-3


CHAPTERS


CHAPTER 1 – Introduction..............................................................................4-5


CHAPTER 2 – Review of the Literature..........................................................6-7


CHAPTER 3 – Research Methods................................................................8-10


CHAPTER 4 – Results................................................................................11-15


CHAPTER 5 – Summary, Conclusions, Recommendations.......................16-17


Annotated Bibliography....................................................................................18


APPENDICES


Engagement Memo..........................................................................................19


Survey ..............................................................................................................20

                                 st
Admissions Director 1 Interview Questions....................................................21


Interview Notes.................................................................................................22
4




NIH PHRP Certificates- Aaron G., Mohammed Q., and Rakan A....................23
Executive Summary
       The purpose of the study, “Why Wentworth,” is to try to uncover the real reasons

why Wentworth students choose Wentworth. The factors that this study looks at include

prestige, financial aid, co-op, location, and athletics. One way to get valuable information

will be looking at the school’s admission department. The Admissions Department is an

important department at Wentworth because it has a strong impact on the future growth

of the school. This study consists of an interview with a representative from the

admissions department and conducting studies from a sample population. This study

shows how the Admission Director’s hypothesis line up with the actual responses of

current Wentworth students.

       The Associate Director of Admissions hypothesized that the co-op program, the

size of Wentworth, and prestige would all be given high ratings on a scale that measures

what factors play a major role in a student’s decision. She also explained how Wentworth

targets prospective students. She explained that Wentworth sends representatives to

countries all over the world. Because about 50% of Wentworth students go to high

schools in Massachusetts, that is where they send half of the admission representatives.

       The sample population for this study will consist of 100 Wentworth students. The

sampling method that was used was simple random sampling. The majority of the

students sampled were either studying in the library or eating in the cafeteria. The results

of the study are recorded in an excel database.

       The results of the study revealed interesting facts about the culture of Wentworth

and other colleges in Boston. The majority of the sample population said that they came
to the school because of the co-op program and its location in the city of Boston. An

interesting observation was that some people responded with numerous low ratings, while

some people responded with overall low ratings. This study found that the highest and

lowest ratings were given by freshman, which makes sense due to the student’s brief

exposure to the school. They tend to have a really high or really low first impression.

       In interviewing the Associate Director of Admissions and surveying students, as

well as secondary research, this study uncovers the mindset of Wentworth’s prospective

students. Why do they come to Wentworth? What had a major influenced their decision?

The answer to these fundamental questions can go a long way in improving the

admissions department, as well as being a catalyst for the future growth and success of

Wentworth.
Chapter 1- Introduction
       For the research project for Professor Dunlop’s Research Methods in Business

class, what drew the students at Wentworth Institute of Technology here will be

investigated and analyzed. It seems obvious that many people are drawn to the city

because of the competitive nature of a higher education in Boston. This city has a large

college population, so that must be true to some extent. There are other factors that may

or may not be essential factors that bring students in. The factors that will be looked at

include the dorm life, co-op program, athletics, and high school influence. These factors

will be looked at on the basis of how they play a role in the decision making process for a

prospective student.

       Researching and analyzing the motivating factors behind the students’ decisions

to come to Wentworth could benefit the school greatly. The admissions office could have

a better understanding of how to target high school seniors. For example, if many high

school students like Wentworth because of the co-op opportunity, then that can be used

as a selling point for the school.

       In addition, it will be interesting to find out how the actual results of the study line

up with the anticipated results of the Associate Director of Admissions. Throughout the

entire research process, a few research questions must be kept in mind. What is the

purpose of this study? What kind of data is most beneficial to the purpose of this project?

Also, how do the Associate Director of Admissions’ observations compare with the

collected data? To get accurate results, surveying current Wentworth students is the most

appropriate method of collecting the necessary data. This study will be helpful in

determining points of action for further study and analysis of how people looking for
colleges process information that is available to them to come to a final decision. This

study will be helpful in improving Wentworth’s appeal to high school students by

assisting the school in generating an atmosphere that is focused on the desires of

prospective college students.
Chapter 2- Review of the Literature
       We have collected various resources that will be helpful to us for the duration of

this research project. The first resource available to us is Amy Dufour, the Associate

Director of Admissions at Wentworth. We will use her expertise to gain a better

understanding of her observations as the admissions director. She will inform us of

anything she feels we should be aware of as it progress through the project. Ms. Dufour

will also be available for us to interview, both before and after we collect any data.

       The next source available is the National Center for Education Statistics. This

online database provides statistical data that shows how financial aid is distributed to

college students. It shows the percentage of students helped by different forms of

financial aid. This is important because many students attend college with a major

reliance on some sort of financial aid. Looking at how important financial aid, such as

scholarships and grants are during the survey process at Wentworth, making connections

to this resource will be helpful to progress toward meeting the goals of this research

project.

       An article by Jonathan Glater entitled, “Weighing the Costs in Public vs. Private

Colleges,” discusses what draws people to private and public colleges. This is another

factor we will be sure to ask about on our surveys. We feel it is important in how the size

of the school made and impact on the students’ decisions. The size of the school, as well

as costs greatly differ between a public and private college. This article also takes a closer

look at the financial end of the decision.

       An article entitled “Poll: When Choosing a College, High School Students Say
Diversity Matters,” focuses on the thoughts of minority high school students. Their

studies indicate that minority students appreciate cultural diversity at a college. To many

of them, this plays a prominent role in their decision to attend a particular college. This

information will be useful to our group as we move forward in the research process.




Chapter 3- Research Methods
For Professor Dunlop’s Research Methods in Business class, the reasons behind the

students’ decision to attend Wentworth will be examined closely. It is hypothesized that

many students choose to come to Wentworth because of the location as well as the co-op

program. Many students seem to love the idea of a competitive higher education in the

Boston area. There are many job opportunities upon graduation, and prospective students

are more than likely aware of that. The co-op program at Wentworth is advertised as one

of the best in the area. A school with a co-op program gives a student an obvious

advantage over students who graduate from a school without a co-op program. These are

the hypothesized motivating factors that most affected the current population of

Wentworth students.

   The Associate Director of Admissions is a valuable source of information to this

research project. An engagement memo will be written to ensure her permission to

initiate and perform the study. Once she gives permission, an initial interview before the

data collection process is beneficial. She can provide any observations based upon her

expertise and experiences. This will enable a more effective project because the survey

results can be compared to her analysis. The interview style that is going to be used is a

semi-formal interview. Questions will be prepared ahead of time, but there will be the

luxury of asking questions as they come to mind. Creating a quality list of questions is an

important part of this step in the research process. The questions will involve how

students are accepted, and how the process compares with other schools. The questions

will also involve exposure to international students and the future of admissions at

Wentworth.

   Prior to beginning the data collection process, conducting online research will help
clarify the variables of the research project. The Internet sources explain different

phenomena, such as the comparison between private and public universities. The research

also looks at how factors such as the importance of financial aid, as well as diversity play

a role in a student’s choice of college.

   In studying the Wentworth student body, an effective survey instrument is vital. It is

important to include demographic information as to classify the results of the surveys.

The necessary demographic information is the students’ major, year of study, and gender.

The data will also be sorted by where the student went to high school, which will clearly

illustrate any difference between the responses of local students, as well as international

students. The other questions on the survey instrument must be focused and relevant to

the research questions. Feedback from the professor as well as peers is a valuable and

critical element toward refining and establishing a quality research instrument. The

instrument that is used in this research project will allow the survey participants to rate

how important different factors are to them in choosing a college. For this project, a scale

of one to ten will give the results the appropriate amount of differentiation. The method

of sampling that will be used is convenience sampling. We will stand outside of the high

traffic areas around campus in hopes of getting a diverse group of students to participate

in the study.

   After collecting the statistical data, an excel spreadsheet will be useful to organize

and analyze the data. The data will be turned into information that is useful for the

purposes of this research project. With the information derived from the statistical data, a

second interview with the Admissions Director is necessary. This interview will be to

show the collected data to the Admissions Director to see how she reacts. Does she feel
the data accurately depicts the true motivations for students to attend Wentworth? Do

they line up with her anticipated results, as she explained them in the first interview? The

second interview will also be a time to discuss possible implications and future studies

that can be conducted.

   The entire research process will be summarized and explained in a power point slide

show. Using Microsoft PowerPoint, a slideshow will be created that educates and informs

the professor and peers on the outcome and benefits of the study. The research project

must be explained as to enable the viewers the proper understanding to be able to perform

a similar study.




Chapter 4- Results
       For this project, data was collected from a sample of 100 students in the form of

questionnaires. A survey was created that asked students to rate how they feel about
coming to Wentworth and what factors did or did not play a major role. In terms of

importance to the students’ decision to attend Wentworth, the top two reasons, according

to the survey of the sample population, are the location and the co-op program. Location

was given a mean of an 8.0 rating out of 10, and the co-op program was right behind with

a 7.8 rating. After these two ratings, there are a few reasons that don’t rate quite as high.

The size of the college, financial aid, and the atmosphere all scored a 5.8.

        On average, High school influence and athletics received the two lowest ratings.

High school influence received an average rating of 3.3, and athletics received an average

rating of 3.9.

        In addition, students were asked to rate if attending Wentworth was a difficult

decision and whether they are glad they chose to come to Wentworth looking back now.

The majority of the students were neutral in there rating of whether attending Wentworth

was a difficult decision. The average rating students gave in regard to whether attending

Wentworth was a difficult decision was a 2.5. This rating means that overall, the students

slightly disagreed with the assessment that it was a difficult decision. The majority of the

sample population agreed with the assessment that they are glad they decided to attend

Wentworth. The average rating for this assessment was a 3.9, which confirms that the

students agree with that assessment.

        The demographics of the study were influenced by the availability of the students

to complete surveys. Although Wentworth has a high percentage of resident students, a

higher number of commuter students were more available to participate. In addition, the

majority of the participants were freshmen and sophomores, which also has a significant

impact on the results. The following pie charts illustrate some of the demographics of the
study.
If Wentworth was not a students’ first choice, students were asked were to name

the college that was their first choice. Considering that the students placed a high rating

on location and co-op, it is evident why many considered Northeastern University.

Northeastern is also located in Boston, and has a co-op program comparable to

Wentworth’s co-op program.

       In examining the database with the statistical data, it is clear that some students

gave more positive ratings across the board and many students gave more negative

ratings across the board. Some students are overall more satisfied than others with their
Wentworth experience. The highest average rating was given by a freshman in the

Construction Management major. He gave an average of an 8.9 rating out of 10 to the

different criteria considered in choosing a college. The second highest rating was an 8.4

rating given by a Mechanical Engineering Technology major. This student was also a

freshman that chose Wentworth was his first choice. It comes as no surprise that the top

two ratings were given by freshman because they are still in the first semester, which

means their judgments are more than likely based on their first impressions.

       The data also showed that some people responded with extremely low ratings.

The lowest average rating was a 1.8 out of 10, given by a Construction Management

freshman. It is interesting to note that the highest average and lowest average rating were

given by students who freshman in the Construction Management program. The second

lowest rating was a 2.5 out of 10. This rating was given by a 5th year Electro Mechanical

Engineering student. He had selected Wentworth as his second choice and was a

commuter student.

       The mode of the data is important in understanding how much the different

factors vary with the different students. There were three categories that had a mode of

10. They were location, co-op, and financial aid. The many ratings of a 10 given to the

location and co-op program contribute heavily to them being, on average, the most

important to Wentworth students. Because financial aid also had a majority of low

responses, the mean for financial aid is 5.8.

The following graph shows the relationship between the mean and mode results of the

study. The letters at the bottom of the graph represents the different factors that draw

students to Wentworth.
a = Financial Aid                          g = Location

b = Family/Friends                         h = Welcoming Orientation

c = Prestige                               i = Athletics

d = High School influence                  j = Dorm Life

e = Atmosphere                             k = Level of Difficulty

f = Co-op                                  l = Size of College




Chapter 5- Summary, Conclusions,
Recommendations
       This project, entitled, “Why Wentworth,” looks at the Admission process.

Specifically, the reasons behind coming to Wentworth Institute of Technology are
examined closely.

        A memo, sent to the Associate Director of Admissions, outlines the proposal for

this project. It includes interviewing the admissions director to gain insight on her

expertise, surveying a sample of students to see what influenced them in their decision to

attend the school.

        The surveys were administered by convenience to a sample of 100 current

Wentworth students. These students responded to questions such as if they were glad they

came to Wentworth looking back, and if coming to Wentworth was a difficult decision.

In addition, students were asked to rate a series of criteria on how major or minor of a

role it played in their decision. These include the co-op program, location, high school

influence, atmosphere, prestige, athletics, financial aid, level of difficulty, size of college,

orientation, family/friends, and the dorm life.

        The survey results showed that the co-op program and location of Wentworth

played a major role in the majority of students’ decision to attend the school. These

results draw conclusions about the Wentworth population. It confirms the reality of the

competitiveness of a higher education in Boston. People desire to go to school in Boston

because of the opportunities that exist. These results also conclude that a co-op program

at a college gives students an advantage over students from schools without a co-op

program. The majority of students who did not chose Wentworth as his or her first

choice, chose Northeastern University, which further confirms these conclusions.

Northeastern is also a college in Boston that has a comparable co-op program to

Wentworth.

        There are numerous possibilities of future admissions studies. One idea proposed
by Ms. Dufour during the second meeting is to perform the study at Northeastern, as a

way of benchmarking. This could help Wentworth gain a competitive advantage over

Northeastern. Ms. Dufour said that she would also be interested in doing a study on

commuters and residents at Wentworth. This can help them market the school to the

different populations at Wentworth. In addition, it would be interesting to see how these

results are different from a school like Simmons, which is an all female school. Another

possibility would be looking at students that attend a public school, such as UMass

Boston. The results might be similar because of location, but it will be undoubtedly

different in many ways. A future study can also on a more specific basis. For example,

the international population in itself can be examined. A beneficial future study could be

taking the results of the study at Wentworth and doing a statistical comparison with any

of the previously mentioned studies.

       This study can provide the admissions department with valuable information that

can be used to improve how they approach prospective students. By knowing what they

are looking for in a school, they can better tailor their promotion of Wentworth. As the

results show, Wentworth is a well-liked school because of its location in downtown

Boston, and the unique co-op program that is offered.



                                 Annotated Bibliography

Dufour, Amy. Personal Interview. 2 Nov. 2009.
      This interview with the Associate Director of Admissions will be to get an idea of
      what she believes draws people to Wentworth. We will see how her observances
      line up with our results.

"Fast Facts." National Center for Education Statistics. Web. 30
       Sept. 2009. <http://nces.ed.gov/FastFacts/display.asp?id=31>.
       This source provides statistical data that shows how financial aid is distributed to
college students. It shows the percentage of students helped by different forms of
       financial aid.

Glater, Jonathan D. "Weighing the Costs in Public vs. Private Colleges."
        The New York Times, 13 Dec. 2006. Web. 30 Sept. 2009.
        <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/13/education/13voices.html?_r=1>.
        This article discusses what draws people to private and public colleges. It also
        examines how finances play a role in students coming to a decision.

Watson, Jamal E. "Poll: When Choosing a College, High School Students
      Say Diversity Matters." 10 Dec. 2007. Web. 30 Sept. 2009.
      <http://diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_10381.shtml>.
      This article focuses on the thoughts of minority high school students. Their
      studies indicate that minority students appreciate cultural diversity at a college. To
      many of them, this plays a prominent role in their decision to attend a particular
      college.




                       MGMT 250: Research Methods in Business
                          Team Research Project Proposal


To:    Amy Dufour
       Wentworth Institute of Technology


From: Aaron Goldblatt, Rakan Al Sharari, and Mohammed Qadhi
Re: Proposal Topic: Why Wentworth?


Date: October 8, 2009


Project Overview: This project is necessary in understanding the motivation
behind Wentworth students. In finding out why they chose to attend the college,
we can understand how the students’ majors, hometown, and other personal
attributes relate to their decision. In making connections, we hope to help the
admissions office better serve the Wentworth community. We will provide
statistical data and analysis that can help the admissions office and others
involved promote Wentworth in the most productive and beneficial way possible.


Project Deliverables:


   •   Conduct surveys around Wentworth’s campus.
   •   Collect and present statistical data to support the objectives of this project.
   •   Analyze the benefits to the reputation and future growth of Wentworth.
   •   Present the data in a power point slide show to make a strong case for the
       project.
   •   Make connections between the students’ major and how that plays a role
       in the decision making process.
Major: __________________

Please Circle

1. Male or Female


2. I am a…. Freshman; Sophomore; Junior; Senior


3. I went to high school in… Massachusetts; Another State; Outside of the U.S.


4. I am a… Commuter or Resident


5. I have a family member who is a (n): (check all that apply)


() Alumni of Wentworth () Current Employee at Wentworth () Neither.


6. In choosing a college to attend, Wentworth was my…


First choice; Second choice; Third choice; none of these

                         st                             st
7. If WIT was not my 1 choice, what school was my 1 choice?


8. My decision to come to Wentworth was a difficult decision.
      1              2            3               4              5
  (Strongly         (Disagree)        (Neutral)       (Agree)        (Strongly
    Disagree)                                                        Agree)
9. Looking back now, I am glad I decided to attend Wentworth.
      1              2            3               4              5
  (Strongly         (Disagree)        (Neutral)       (Agree)        (Strongly
    Disagree)                                                        Agree)
10. Please rate the following in terms of how each played a role in you coming to
your decision to attend Wentworth? (1 played no role; 10 played a major role)
**You can use the same rating for more than one category.


   a. Financial Aid ____                               g. Location ____
   b. Family/Friends____                               h. Welcoming Orientation
   ____
   c. Prestige ____                                    i. Athletics____
   d. High School Influence_____                       j. Dorm Life____
   e. Atmosphere_____                                  k. Level of Difficulty____
   f. Co Op____                                l. Size of College____


() Yes!! I would love to be contacted about the results of this study.


Name: __________________ Email: __________________


() No. Please do not contact me in regards to this study.



   1. Looking at our study, what do you believe will be the top three reasons students
      will choose as to why they decided to come to Wentworth?



   2. How does Wentworth collectively come to a decision on whether a student is to
      be accepted or not. What are some important factors that are considered?



   3. Approximately how many students are you expected Wentworth to accept next
      year?



   4. What percentage of those do you believe will be international students?
5. Is the overall Wentworth population growing? Why do you suppose this is the
   case?



6. How do you think students hear about Wentworth, especially international
   students?



7. In looking at our questionnaire, how do you foresee the students at Wentworth
   responding?



8. Do you think this differs much at all from the other colleges in Boston? Why? Or
   Why not?




•   Amy Dufour, who is the Associate Director of Admissions, believes that the top

    three reasons that students attend Wentworth are the Co-Op program, Size of the

    college, and the Prestige.

•   If 2500 students apply, Wentworth aims to accept approximately 1000 students.
•   They aim to accept approximately 3% international Students.

  •   Committee of ten people: six domestic, one international, 2 assistants, and an

      additional person.

  •   Communication: Email, with the exception of the Acceptance Packet, which is

      sent by mail. One way they communicate with prospective students through an

      online chat.

  •   The majority of the international students come from the Middle East and Asia.

  •   To recruit students, Admission counselors travel around the country based on the

      demographics of Wentworth. Because over 50% of the Wentworth student body is

      typically from Massachusetts, Wentworth does most of its recruiting in

      Massachusetts’ high schools. Amy Dufour, the interviewee, said that she typically

      travels to the West Coast of the United States.




Certificate of Completion

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Extramural Research

certifies that Aaron Goldblatt successfully completed the NIH Web-
based training course “Protecting Human Research Participants”.

Date of completion: 09/24/2009
Certification Number: 304363

Certificate of Completion

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Extramural Research

certifies that Rakan Al Sharari successfully completed the NIH Web-

based training course “Protecting Human Research Participants”.

Date of completion: 10/08/2009
Certification Number: 316423

Certificate of Completion

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Extramural Research

certifies that Mohammed Qadhi successfully completed the NIH

Web-based training course “Protecting Human Research

Participants”.

Date of completion: 10/08/2009
Certification Number: 316408
Research Methods in Business

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Research Methods in Business

  • 1. A paper submitted to Professor Dunlop by Aaron Goldblatt, Rakan Al Sharari, and Mohammed Qadhi in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Research Methods in Business. (MGMT 250) Why Wentworth? This paper provides an in depth analysis of the factors influencing students to attend Wentworth Institute of Technology.
  • 2. 2 Wentworth Institute of Technology Fall 2009
  • 3. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................2-3 CHAPTERS CHAPTER 1 – Introduction..............................................................................4-5 CHAPTER 2 – Review of the Literature..........................................................6-7 CHAPTER 3 – Research Methods................................................................8-10 CHAPTER 4 – Results................................................................................11-15 CHAPTER 5 – Summary, Conclusions, Recommendations.......................16-17 Annotated Bibliography....................................................................................18 APPENDICES Engagement Memo..........................................................................................19 Survey ..............................................................................................................20 st Admissions Director 1 Interview Questions....................................................21 Interview Notes.................................................................................................22
  • 4. 4 NIH PHRP Certificates- Aaron G., Mohammed Q., and Rakan A....................23
  • 5. Executive Summary The purpose of the study, “Why Wentworth,” is to try to uncover the real reasons why Wentworth students choose Wentworth. The factors that this study looks at include prestige, financial aid, co-op, location, and athletics. One way to get valuable information will be looking at the school’s admission department. The Admissions Department is an important department at Wentworth because it has a strong impact on the future growth of the school. This study consists of an interview with a representative from the admissions department and conducting studies from a sample population. This study shows how the Admission Director’s hypothesis line up with the actual responses of current Wentworth students. The Associate Director of Admissions hypothesized that the co-op program, the size of Wentworth, and prestige would all be given high ratings on a scale that measures what factors play a major role in a student’s decision. She also explained how Wentworth targets prospective students. She explained that Wentworth sends representatives to countries all over the world. Because about 50% of Wentworth students go to high schools in Massachusetts, that is where they send half of the admission representatives. The sample population for this study will consist of 100 Wentworth students. The sampling method that was used was simple random sampling. The majority of the students sampled were either studying in the library or eating in the cafeteria. The results of the study are recorded in an excel database. The results of the study revealed interesting facts about the culture of Wentworth and other colleges in Boston. The majority of the sample population said that they came
  • 6. to the school because of the co-op program and its location in the city of Boston. An interesting observation was that some people responded with numerous low ratings, while some people responded with overall low ratings. This study found that the highest and lowest ratings were given by freshman, which makes sense due to the student’s brief exposure to the school. They tend to have a really high or really low first impression. In interviewing the Associate Director of Admissions and surveying students, as well as secondary research, this study uncovers the mindset of Wentworth’s prospective students. Why do they come to Wentworth? What had a major influenced their decision? The answer to these fundamental questions can go a long way in improving the admissions department, as well as being a catalyst for the future growth and success of Wentworth.
  • 7. Chapter 1- Introduction For the research project for Professor Dunlop’s Research Methods in Business class, what drew the students at Wentworth Institute of Technology here will be investigated and analyzed. It seems obvious that many people are drawn to the city because of the competitive nature of a higher education in Boston. This city has a large college population, so that must be true to some extent. There are other factors that may or may not be essential factors that bring students in. The factors that will be looked at include the dorm life, co-op program, athletics, and high school influence. These factors will be looked at on the basis of how they play a role in the decision making process for a prospective student. Researching and analyzing the motivating factors behind the students’ decisions to come to Wentworth could benefit the school greatly. The admissions office could have a better understanding of how to target high school seniors. For example, if many high school students like Wentworth because of the co-op opportunity, then that can be used as a selling point for the school. In addition, it will be interesting to find out how the actual results of the study line up with the anticipated results of the Associate Director of Admissions. Throughout the entire research process, a few research questions must be kept in mind. What is the purpose of this study? What kind of data is most beneficial to the purpose of this project? Also, how do the Associate Director of Admissions’ observations compare with the collected data? To get accurate results, surveying current Wentworth students is the most appropriate method of collecting the necessary data. This study will be helpful in determining points of action for further study and analysis of how people looking for
  • 8. colleges process information that is available to them to come to a final decision. This study will be helpful in improving Wentworth’s appeal to high school students by assisting the school in generating an atmosphere that is focused on the desires of prospective college students.
  • 9. Chapter 2- Review of the Literature We have collected various resources that will be helpful to us for the duration of this research project. The first resource available to us is Amy Dufour, the Associate Director of Admissions at Wentworth. We will use her expertise to gain a better understanding of her observations as the admissions director. She will inform us of anything she feels we should be aware of as it progress through the project. Ms. Dufour will also be available for us to interview, both before and after we collect any data. The next source available is the National Center for Education Statistics. This online database provides statistical data that shows how financial aid is distributed to college students. It shows the percentage of students helped by different forms of financial aid. This is important because many students attend college with a major reliance on some sort of financial aid. Looking at how important financial aid, such as scholarships and grants are during the survey process at Wentworth, making connections to this resource will be helpful to progress toward meeting the goals of this research project. An article by Jonathan Glater entitled, “Weighing the Costs in Public vs. Private Colleges,” discusses what draws people to private and public colleges. This is another factor we will be sure to ask about on our surveys. We feel it is important in how the size of the school made and impact on the students’ decisions. The size of the school, as well as costs greatly differ between a public and private college. This article also takes a closer look at the financial end of the decision. An article entitled “Poll: When Choosing a College, High School Students Say
  • 10. Diversity Matters,” focuses on the thoughts of minority high school students. Their studies indicate that minority students appreciate cultural diversity at a college. To many of them, this plays a prominent role in their decision to attend a particular college. This information will be useful to our group as we move forward in the research process. Chapter 3- Research Methods
  • 11. For Professor Dunlop’s Research Methods in Business class, the reasons behind the students’ decision to attend Wentworth will be examined closely. It is hypothesized that many students choose to come to Wentworth because of the location as well as the co-op program. Many students seem to love the idea of a competitive higher education in the Boston area. There are many job opportunities upon graduation, and prospective students are more than likely aware of that. The co-op program at Wentworth is advertised as one of the best in the area. A school with a co-op program gives a student an obvious advantage over students who graduate from a school without a co-op program. These are the hypothesized motivating factors that most affected the current population of Wentworth students. The Associate Director of Admissions is a valuable source of information to this research project. An engagement memo will be written to ensure her permission to initiate and perform the study. Once she gives permission, an initial interview before the data collection process is beneficial. She can provide any observations based upon her expertise and experiences. This will enable a more effective project because the survey results can be compared to her analysis. The interview style that is going to be used is a semi-formal interview. Questions will be prepared ahead of time, but there will be the luxury of asking questions as they come to mind. Creating a quality list of questions is an important part of this step in the research process. The questions will involve how students are accepted, and how the process compares with other schools. The questions will also involve exposure to international students and the future of admissions at Wentworth. Prior to beginning the data collection process, conducting online research will help
  • 12. clarify the variables of the research project. The Internet sources explain different phenomena, such as the comparison between private and public universities. The research also looks at how factors such as the importance of financial aid, as well as diversity play a role in a student’s choice of college. In studying the Wentworth student body, an effective survey instrument is vital. It is important to include demographic information as to classify the results of the surveys. The necessary demographic information is the students’ major, year of study, and gender. The data will also be sorted by where the student went to high school, which will clearly illustrate any difference between the responses of local students, as well as international students. The other questions on the survey instrument must be focused and relevant to the research questions. Feedback from the professor as well as peers is a valuable and critical element toward refining and establishing a quality research instrument. The instrument that is used in this research project will allow the survey participants to rate how important different factors are to them in choosing a college. For this project, a scale of one to ten will give the results the appropriate amount of differentiation. The method of sampling that will be used is convenience sampling. We will stand outside of the high traffic areas around campus in hopes of getting a diverse group of students to participate in the study. After collecting the statistical data, an excel spreadsheet will be useful to organize and analyze the data. The data will be turned into information that is useful for the purposes of this research project. With the information derived from the statistical data, a second interview with the Admissions Director is necessary. This interview will be to show the collected data to the Admissions Director to see how she reacts. Does she feel
  • 13. the data accurately depicts the true motivations for students to attend Wentworth? Do they line up with her anticipated results, as she explained them in the first interview? The second interview will also be a time to discuss possible implications and future studies that can be conducted. The entire research process will be summarized and explained in a power point slide show. Using Microsoft PowerPoint, a slideshow will be created that educates and informs the professor and peers on the outcome and benefits of the study. The research project must be explained as to enable the viewers the proper understanding to be able to perform a similar study. Chapter 4- Results For this project, data was collected from a sample of 100 students in the form of questionnaires. A survey was created that asked students to rate how they feel about
  • 14. coming to Wentworth and what factors did or did not play a major role. In terms of importance to the students’ decision to attend Wentworth, the top two reasons, according to the survey of the sample population, are the location and the co-op program. Location was given a mean of an 8.0 rating out of 10, and the co-op program was right behind with a 7.8 rating. After these two ratings, there are a few reasons that don’t rate quite as high. The size of the college, financial aid, and the atmosphere all scored a 5.8. On average, High school influence and athletics received the two lowest ratings. High school influence received an average rating of 3.3, and athletics received an average rating of 3.9. In addition, students were asked to rate if attending Wentworth was a difficult decision and whether they are glad they chose to come to Wentworth looking back now. The majority of the students were neutral in there rating of whether attending Wentworth was a difficult decision. The average rating students gave in regard to whether attending Wentworth was a difficult decision was a 2.5. This rating means that overall, the students slightly disagreed with the assessment that it was a difficult decision. The majority of the sample population agreed with the assessment that they are glad they decided to attend Wentworth. The average rating for this assessment was a 3.9, which confirms that the students agree with that assessment. The demographics of the study were influenced by the availability of the students to complete surveys. Although Wentworth has a high percentage of resident students, a higher number of commuter students were more available to participate. In addition, the majority of the participants were freshmen and sophomores, which also has a significant impact on the results. The following pie charts illustrate some of the demographics of the
  • 16. If Wentworth was not a students’ first choice, students were asked were to name the college that was their first choice. Considering that the students placed a high rating on location and co-op, it is evident why many considered Northeastern University. Northeastern is also located in Boston, and has a co-op program comparable to Wentworth’s co-op program. In examining the database with the statistical data, it is clear that some students gave more positive ratings across the board and many students gave more negative ratings across the board. Some students are overall more satisfied than others with their
  • 17. Wentworth experience. The highest average rating was given by a freshman in the Construction Management major. He gave an average of an 8.9 rating out of 10 to the different criteria considered in choosing a college. The second highest rating was an 8.4 rating given by a Mechanical Engineering Technology major. This student was also a freshman that chose Wentworth was his first choice. It comes as no surprise that the top two ratings were given by freshman because they are still in the first semester, which means their judgments are more than likely based on their first impressions. The data also showed that some people responded with extremely low ratings. The lowest average rating was a 1.8 out of 10, given by a Construction Management freshman. It is interesting to note that the highest average and lowest average rating were given by students who freshman in the Construction Management program. The second lowest rating was a 2.5 out of 10. This rating was given by a 5th year Electro Mechanical Engineering student. He had selected Wentworth as his second choice and was a commuter student. The mode of the data is important in understanding how much the different factors vary with the different students. There were three categories that had a mode of 10. They were location, co-op, and financial aid. The many ratings of a 10 given to the location and co-op program contribute heavily to them being, on average, the most important to Wentworth students. Because financial aid also had a majority of low responses, the mean for financial aid is 5.8. The following graph shows the relationship between the mean and mode results of the study. The letters at the bottom of the graph represents the different factors that draw students to Wentworth.
  • 18. a = Financial Aid g = Location b = Family/Friends h = Welcoming Orientation c = Prestige i = Athletics d = High School influence j = Dorm Life e = Atmosphere k = Level of Difficulty f = Co-op l = Size of College Chapter 5- Summary, Conclusions, Recommendations This project, entitled, “Why Wentworth,” looks at the Admission process. Specifically, the reasons behind coming to Wentworth Institute of Technology are
  • 19. examined closely. A memo, sent to the Associate Director of Admissions, outlines the proposal for this project. It includes interviewing the admissions director to gain insight on her expertise, surveying a sample of students to see what influenced them in their decision to attend the school. The surveys were administered by convenience to a sample of 100 current Wentworth students. These students responded to questions such as if they were glad they came to Wentworth looking back, and if coming to Wentworth was a difficult decision. In addition, students were asked to rate a series of criteria on how major or minor of a role it played in their decision. These include the co-op program, location, high school influence, atmosphere, prestige, athletics, financial aid, level of difficulty, size of college, orientation, family/friends, and the dorm life. The survey results showed that the co-op program and location of Wentworth played a major role in the majority of students’ decision to attend the school. These results draw conclusions about the Wentworth population. It confirms the reality of the competitiveness of a higher education in Boston. People desire to go to school in Boston because of the opportunities that exist. These results also conclude that a co-op program at a college gives students an advantage over students from schools without a co-op program. The majority of students who did not chose Wentworth as his or her first choice, chose Northeastern University, which further confirms these conclusions. Northeastern is also a college in Boston that has a comparable co-op program to Wentworth. There are numerous possibilities of future admissions studies. One idea proposed
  • 20. by Ms. Dufour during the second meeting is to perform the study at Northeastern, as a way of benchmarking. This could help Wentworth gain a competitive advantage over Northeastern. Ms. Dufour said that she would also be interested in doing a study on commuters and residents at Wentworth. This can help them market the school to the different populations at Wentworth. In addition, it would be interesting to see how these results are different from a school like Simmons, which is an all female school. Another possibility would be looking at students that attend a public school, such as UMass Boston. The results might be similar because of location, but it will be undoubtedly different in many ways. A future study can also on a more specific basis. For example, the international population in itself can be examined. A beneficial future study could be taking the results of the study at Wentworth and doing a statistical comparison with any of the previously mentioned studies. This study can provide the admissions department with valuable information that can be used to improve how they approach prospective students. By knowing what they are looking for in a school, they can better tailor their promotion of Wentworth. As the results show, Wentworth is a well-liked school because of its location in downtown Boston, and the unique co-op program that is offered. Annotated Bibliography Dufour, Amy. Personal Interview. 2 Nov. 2009. This interview with the Associate Director of Admissions will be to get an idea of what she believes draws people to Wentworth. We will see how her observances line up with our results. "Fast Facts." National Center for Education Statistics. Web. 30 Sept. 2009. <http://nces.ed.gov/FastFacts/display.asp?id=31>. This source provides statistical data that shows how financial aid is distributed to
  • 21. college students. It shows the percentage of students helped by different forms of financial aid. Glater, Jonathan D. "Weighing the Costs in Public vs. Private Colleges." The New York Times, 13 Dec. 2006. Web. 30 Sept. 2009. <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/13/education/13voices.html?_r=1>. This article discusses what draws people to private and public colleges. It also examines how finances play a role in students coming to a decision. Watson, Jamal E. "Poll: When Choosing a College, High School Students Say Diversity Matters." 10 Dec. 2007. Web. 30 Sept. 2009. <http://diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_10381.shtml>. This article focuses on the thoughts of minority high school students. Their studies indicate that minority students appreciate cultural diversity at a college. To many of them, this plays a prominent role in their decision to attend a particular college. MGMT 250: Research Methods in Business Team Research Project Proposal To: Amy Dufour Wentworth Institute of Technology From: Aaron Goldblatt, Rakan Al Sharari, and Mohammed Qadhi
  • 22. Re: Proposal Topic: Why Wentworth? Date: October 8, 2009 Project Overview: This project is necessary in understanding the motivation behind Wentworth students. In finding out why they chose to attend the college, we can understand how the students’ majors, hometown, and other personal attributes relate to their decision. In making connections, we hope to help the admissions office better serve the Wentworth community. We will provide statistical data and analysis that can help the admissions office and others involved promote Wentworth in the most productive and beneficial way possible. Project Deliverables: • Conduct surveys around Wentworth’s campus. • Collect and present statistical data to support the objectives of this project. • Analyze the benefits to the reputation and future growth of Wentworth. • Present the data in a power point slide show to make a strong case for the project. • Make connections between the students’ major and how that plays a role in the decision making process.
  • 23. Major: __________________ Please Circle 1. Male or Female 2. I am a…. Freshman; Sophomore; Junior; Senior 3. I went to high school in… Massachusetts; Another State; Outside of the U.S. 4. I am a… Commuter or Resident 5. I have a family member who is a (n): (check all that apply) () Alumni of Wentworth () Current Employee at Wentworth () Neither. 6. In choosing a college to attend, Wentworth was my… First choice; Second choice; Third choice; none of these st st 7. If WIT was not my 1 choice, what school was my 1 choice? 8. My decision to come to Wentworth was a difficult decision. 1 2 3 4 5 (Strongly (Disagree) (Neutral) (Agree) (Strongly Disagree) Agree) 9. Looking back now, I am glad I decided to attend Wentworth. 1 2 3 4 5 (Strongly (Disagree) (Neutral) (Agree) (Strongly Disagree) Agree)
  • 24. 10. Please rate the following in terms of how each played a role in you coming to your decision to attend Wentworth? (1 played no role; 10 played a major role) **You can use the same rating for more than one category. a. Financial Aid ____ g. Location ____ b. Family/Friends____ h. Welcoming Orientation ____ c. Prestige ____ i. Athletics____ d. High School Influence_____ j. Dorm Life____ e. Atmosphere_____ k. Level of Difficulty____ f. Co Op____ l. Size of College____ () Yes!! I would love to be contacted about the results of this study. Name: __________________ Email: __________________ () No. Please do not contact me in regards to this study. 1. Looking at our study, what do you believe will be the top three reasons students will choose as to why they decided to come to Wentworth? 2. How does Wentworth collectively come to a decision on whether a student is to be accepted or not. What are some important factors that are considered? 3. Approximately how many students are you expected Wentworth to accept next year? 4. What percentage of those do you believe will be international students?
  • 25. 5. Is the overall Wentworth population growing? Why do you suppose this is the case? 6. How do you think students hear about Wentworth, especially international students? 7. In looking at our questionnaire, how do you foresee the students at Wentworth responding? 8. Do you think this differs much at all from the other colleges in Boston? Why? Or Why not? • Amy Dufour, who is the Associate Director of Admissions, believes that the top three reasons that students attend Wentworth are the Co-Op program, Size of the college, and the Prestige. • If 2500 students apply, Wentworth aims to accept approximately 1000 students.
  • 26. They aim to accept approximately 3% international Students. • Committee of ten people: six domestic, one international, 2 assistants, and an additional person. • Communication: Email, with the exception of the Acceptance Packet, which is sent by mail. One way they communicate with prospective students through an online chat. • The majority of the international students come from the Middle East and Asia. • To recruit students, Admission counselors travel around the country based on the demographics of Wentworth. Because over 50% of the Wentworth student body is typically from Massachusetts, Wentworth does most of its recruiting in Massachusetts’ high schools. Amy Dufour, the interviewee, said that she typically travels to the West Coast of the United States. Certificate of Completion The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Extramural Research certifies that Aaron Goldblatt successfully completed the NIH Web-
  • 27. based training course “Protecting Human Research Participants”. Date of completion: 09/24/2009 Certification Number: 304363 Certificate of Completion The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Extramural Research certifies that Rakan Al Sharari successfully completed the NIH Web- based training course “Protecting Human Research Participants”. Date of completion: 10/08/2009 Certification Number: 316423 Certificate of Completion The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Extramural Research certifies that Mohammed Qadhi successfully completed the NIH Web-based training course “Protecting Human Research Participants”. Date of completion: 10/08/2009 Certification Number: 316408