<p>In the supplement for Rice University, a space is provided for this question: "If you have applied or expect to apply to other colleges or universities this year, please name them. (50 word limit)".</p>
<p>Why are the colleges' intention in asking this question? To see if the applicant is applying to top-notch universities?
It is optional, so is it better to leave it blank?</p>
<p>You apply to this one first, then you can leave it blank.</p>
<p>Why do they ask?</p>
<p>The optimist answer is they want to know what students see as peer schools - that this is a survey they are using for future marketing and understanding the applicant pool.
The conspiracy theorist answer is they want to judge you by your list and find reasons to accept or reject you. </p>
<p>I’m an optimist so I choose to believe A. Only the admissions office knows the true answer.</p>
<p>Why don’t you have to answer it if you apply to Rice first? It says “or if you expect to apply to other universities……”. Certainly they are not going to believe that they are the only school you are going to apply to.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg02_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=731”>http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg02_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=731</a> indicates that Rice considers “level of applicant’s interest” to be “important”. This can mean that if you list a bunch of super-selective schools, they may think that you applying there as a “backup” (cannot really call Rice a “safety” for anyone, since it is itself highly selective), reducing your chance of admission.</p>
<p>However, Rice does give merit scholarships, so if they really want you, and see that you are applying to other highly or super-selective schools, they may be more prone to offering merit scholarships to you compared to the scenario where the rest of your list is composed of schools ordinarily considered less desirable.</p>
<p>Can schools tell what other colleges you are applying to under the common app?</p>
<p>As a general rule, schools do not know and cannot find out on their own what other schools you have applied to. That’s why they ask you when they want to know.</p>
<p>Some schools that have SCEA or binding ED will contact their “peer” institutions when they extend an admission offer, to inform them that the student’s applications from all other schools should be withdrawn. Occasionally schools find that an applicant has violated one or both of the school’s rules (applied to two schools ED, applied to two SCEA schools, etc.) and remove the applicant from both their pools.</p>
<p>I agree with HarvestMoon: apply to Rice first and honestly answer that you haven’t submitted any other applications yet, you plan to do so but have not settled on which ones. Show that your interest in Rice is sincere (they are the first school you were certain about!), and maintain your privacy otherwise.</p>
<p>Thanks all of you :)</p>
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<p>Supposedly, submitting a FAFSA to multiple schools reveals the list, and some schools believe that the order of the list tends to be the student’s preference order of schools.</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus - just read about this recently. Schools that are need blind are not supposed to share information between admissions and financial aid. I think you have to count on the integrity of the institution to uphold that policy. But a lot of schools have moved to a need-aware policy in which case once they are in a position to evaluate candidates academically and financially, it would seem likely that they would also take into account the list produced from FAFSA. </p>