<p>My son has one application that asks where else the student is applying. He's tempted to leave it blank, but this is a school high on his list where he may get merit money, so he's not sure what to do. I'm sure this is fairly common, either on applications or during interviews, and I don't remember it being discussed here lately. Any advice for applicants facing this question?</p>
<p>Colleges just keep track of the information for institutional research purposes for long-term study. It has no bearing on the decision but does show the institution which other schools they are in competition with. This helps schools establish where they are in the marketplace and over time see how it is changing.</p>
<p>Some counselors advise to leave it blank.</p>
<p>If your son is overqualified for that school, I would suggest he not list any schools that are slight reaches or matches.</p>
<p>I remember last year someone posted an elegant suggestion for what to write in. Perhaps a search could find it. My S was waitlisted at two of his match schools that asked him to list other schools (which he did) even though all his reaches admitted him. Leaving it blank may have been a better idea.</p>
<p>Another vote for leave it blank.</p>
<p>leave it blank. see other thread about common app- this issue is also addressed there.</p>
<p>Leave it blank if you feel like it, I don't think it's a huge deal. My favorite is an application that not only asks where else you're applying, but wants you to rank your interest in the school (First Choice, Second Choice, . . . all the way down to Fifth Choice). Who in the world is going to send in an application that says "you're my fifth choice"?</p>
<p>The applications where I've seen this question have said it is optional. I've always heard it best not to answer and my kids didn't do so. My daughter was even asked in an interview where else she was applying; she said she didn't want to discuss that, her interviewer said he understood, and they moved on.</p>
<p>I don't think the failure to respond to an optional question is something that would come into an admission decision. If answering doesn't benefit an applicant and may even hurt, why answer?</p>
<p>I also remember seeing an old thread from last year that discussed this a bit, as well as other issues that determine admissions decisions and financial aid. It suggested that colleges do often use this information in making their decisions, esp more selective ones; however, they can also get this info from Collegeboard when you list the schools you want to send scores to (re Collegeboard, one thing suggested was to NOT list them in order of preference). Wish I could remember the thread--it was quite an eye-opener.</p>
<p>When I worked at a moderately selective school, I asked because I wanted to know what kinds of places appealed to the student and what sort of questions they might have. It didn't effect your admissions decision or aid, but did effect the kinds of things I might bring up in the interview, and the kinds of borchures and letters I might send to you. </p>
<p>For example, if every college you list is a small liberal arts college, I'm not going to spend a lot of time extolling the virtues of small liberal arts colleges. If every place listed is in a large urban area, I may bring up what students love about our suburban setting, or make sure you know about opportunities to get out and about. If you list one of our closest competitors, I would emphasize the things that make us distinctive.</p>
<p>More selective schools may use this information to make strategic admit decisions or scholarship awards, but schools like mine didn't. It was all about trying to figure out what you needed to know (but not might think to ask) and what information could help keep us a strong contender in your college choice list.</p>
<p>This is a hard one for us too. I wish they wouldn't ask.</p>
<p>In our case, we live in NE, but S is more interested in Midwest and Western schools, party because he wants a fresh canvas and few of his HS classmates plan to leave the NE.</p>
<p>I'm wondering whether a Midwest school would think S is more likely to relocate to the Midwest if they knew that he was also applying to 3 other MW schools.</p>
<p>I have always wondered if leaving it "blank" really solves the problem. Your FAFSA lists the colleges that are receiving your financial aide summary. Some schools have financial aide in a different building etc but I am not certain how closely the two offices work together and under what circumstances they share information.
Someone a year or two ago suggested Alphabetical Order so your priorities are not shared.
I asked one of my S's colleges if the Financial aide information was shared with the admissions office, and they said "no" but I just have to think this is a blurry area. Anyone know much on this subject? Thanks!</p>
<p>The fafsa is filled out 1/1 or later. Sometimes schools do not upload the info until weeks, to even several months later. They still look at the date it was filled out when looking at it for aid (at least several of the schools my S applied to explained this to us). </p>
<p>If one applied to rolling schools, schools with EA, schools with special priority apps allowing for a quick decision, then they will not have the fafsa form in hand.</p>
<p>I have read that some students write "partial list", "list not finalized yet", "working list". Some students list their state school/schools, since most applicants would apply to at least one as a financial safety.</p>
<p>thanks NEMom...S left his application list blank.</p>
<p>My S was asked this in an interview and replied honestly. I hadn't thought to brief him about it before. I wish they wouldn't ask, because the only alternative to telling them is to say "I'd prefer not to discuss that" which sounds like you're being coy or hiding something. Can't they wait until after they admit you and then ask, if they're doing it for research purposes?</p>
<p>Bethievt,
We thought about what to tell a college who asks which other schools DS1 is applying to, and decided that what made sense was to mention other schools he's considering in the same geographic area. That way, the school would know my son is seriously interested in moving to that area, and he's not just applyling scattershot. The local state school would also be a safe one to mention, in my opinion.</p>
<p>Only one school (her safety) asked this of my D last year. She list her other colleges in alphabetical order.</p>
<p>Son is going to skip it where it's optional. Where it's mandatory (if any), he's going to list one or two peer schools and then put "Others Undecided."</p>
<p>The question is not asked on the Common App this year, so that eliminates the problem at a ton of schools.</p>
<p>It sounds relatively easy to side-step the quest on a written app. But if the quest is posed in person, at an interview, is there really a gracious way out?</p>
<p>My concern is that schs want to see whether the candidate sees them as reach, match or safety.</p>
<p>As I mentioned earlier, my daughter did sidestep this question in an interview and it seemed to go OK. But then she didn't get into the school ... I think it was obvious from her application that her top choice would be somewhere else (where, fortunately, she was admitted). The interviewing school, Yale, obviously thinks it is a reach for everyone :) The interviewer did say that he thought she was qualified for Yale, so it didn't seem to her as if he held her reticence against her.</p>