<p>Terrific answer Cortigiana.</p>
<p>Numbers are not all a school looks at. I know that schools like Tufts want dynamic students not non-dynamic students with great stats. They would rather an alive student with less then stellar stats, one who would contribute to the dynamics of the community. Colleges do want to know you are serious about a school and not just applying to 16 colleges that you have no serious interest in going to. That said as interviewers we try to find out if a student is somewhat serious without asking what other schools they are applying to. If they know nothing about the college and haven't even read the web site then it is fairly obvious it is not a serious consideration .</p>
<p>At Univ of chicago I told the interviewer " Harvard, Yale Hogwarts..the usual" and we laughed....and moved on...it was obvious I wasn't going to answer the question seriously. If it is strategic for you to answer the question seriously, do so...otherwise it is none of their business..the question is for their data base. I think only in RARE cases would they admit a student based on the competition. I know I'm nowhere near that category.</p>
<p>this girl said she went to visit Tufts twice during the application process --from California, no less-- it was one of just a few schools she applied to, thus her limited options, I suppose. She was very dynamic from my perspective --I believe her when she said she was told she was overqualified, and I believe that is why she was rejected by Tufts.</p>
<p>The majority of Tufts "applicants" may have it as their first choice, but fewer than one-third of their acceptances do (though, for all we know, that could be a matter of financial aid as well as desirability.)</p>
<p>Tell them what you feel comfortable telling (without lying - they could just as well find out by seeing where you send SAT scores), but then make sure you have a reason why you like this particular school, in much detail as you can give them (and make sure your details are correct.)</p>