<p>When a CSS Profile is sent to a particular school, does that school see that that Profile also was sent to other schools, and if so, the names of the schools?</p>
<p>My guess is no, but the FAQ's don't speak to this issue.</p>
<p>Also, I wonder if the CollegeBoard ever otherwise shares this information with "competing" schools.</p>
<p>TIA</p>
<p>It really doesn't matter because the information will be seen when you process the FAFSA.</p>
<p>So you're saying that each school that receives a student's FAFSA sees all the other schools that are receiving it?</p>
<p>Do you have a link or some substantiation for that?</p>
<p>Sorry, no link or documentation. Just six years of experience.</p>
<p>Actually I'd like to know this too.
I'm not filling out FAFSA as I'm not an american citizen. I am, however, completing the PROFILE</p>
<p>I'm not sure about for financial aid forms, but I recently read an article, it might have been the Atlantic Monthly one, that said something that really scared me at the time. It mentioned the fact that the colleges do in fact get the College Board profiles that the kids fill out and will look at the list of schools to see if they are listed at the top. I always told my S to do everything alphabetically for that very reason, but it was still upsetting to read that they really do this.</p>
<p>I don't knbow about the CSS, but each of the 6 schools listed on FAFSA see the other 5 schools you listed. If you do it a second time to send to 6 more schools, those schools only see the second 6 schools listed.</p>
<p>Our high school used to list where they sent a transcript on the transcript itself, including all the schools, summer programs, etc. We discovered this when our oldest son was applying to colleges. When I explained why this was not a good idea they started keeping the list on the back of the transcript which isn't copied to colleges.</p>
<p>I can chime in that colleges see where your FAFSA has been sent, at least according to what an adrep from a well-known Northeast LAC told me.</p>
<p>This can actually be a very good thing. For example: you apply to six colleges. 3 of the schools see you as an attractive student. They notice that two of the schools on your list are known for being very generous. They will know if they want you at their school, they will need to come up with generous packages as well.</p>
<p>There is no reason why you should be concerned about having the schools see your other choices. It's called competition. Competition is always good for the consumer.</p>
<p>On the other hand, it can be a very BAD thing if a student with great stats is applying to a range of schools, including those that would be considered safety's compared to others- i.e. Stanford and Lawrence for instance. Ever heard of Tufts syndrome? Colleges will reject high scoring students after seeing what other colleges the student is applying to, based on the belief that the student would never matriculate there anyway, regardless of whether that assumptions is true or not.!!!</p>
<p>I don't know if it's true, but I read that U.S. News and World Report is going to drop "yield" as a factor in its ranking. If so, I will celebrate along with everyone else. The "Tufts syndrome" will recede as colleges stop rejecting students they think won't attend.</p>
<p>It is my understanding that "yield" was already dropped from the ratings this year.</p>
<p>Finally a reason to be happy about applying to second, third, even fourth tier schools! My son should have heard from all of his schools by the time we give them our fafsa or profile report!</p>
<p>I think this only matters if the colleges are need-blind or not. If a college is truly need-blind, the admissions office should not even see your child's financial aid paperwork. When I worked in college admissions, we had not a clue what the financial aid office was doing.</p>
<p>In my experience ( only one child , though ) , some FAO told us to list her first choice FIRST and that was the one that gave her the most aid .</p>
<p>I find it impossible to believe that any school (worth attending) is going to look, or care, or give an ounce of consideration as to what other schools an applicant has applied to. To take it to a paranoid level, and imagine that a school "cares" whether they were listed 1st, 2nd, etc. on a FAFSA form, or a CSS Profile is childish. Come on people. This is not junior high. These schools do not have "feelings" that can be hurt, or "egos" that need to be catered to. Unfortunately, it is quite the opposite. These schools turn away three times as many applicants, as they accept. We are talking about turning away thousands, and for the best schools, they turn away tens of thousands. It is a business to them. It is almost entirely a numbers game. You are surely letting your fears get the better of you. If your child has the numbers, ECs, etc. then he/she will get in. If not, then he/she will not.</p>
<p>I called one of my S's FAFSA colleges last year and posed this very question in the Financial aide office. Their staff claimed that all financial data was kept apart from admissions data-this was the very fine College of William and Mary by the way. It is pretty easy to imagine this is not a hard and fast absolute and that each college might be different, but I didn't call any other colleges to pose the question about whether or not the other schools were kept from the admissions committee's eyes. We decided not to worry about it and the only waitlist he received was from an Ivy where such is the fate of many "qualified" applicants. So I concluded that our S was not penalized in any admissions office due concern re the names of the handful of colleges listed on his financial aide forms for all to see.</p>
<p>It is correct that this is a business. And businesses are not likely to have egos or get their feelings hurt. But businesses are going to respond to competition.</p>
<p>Does this happen in all cases, no, probably not in most cases. But competitive pressure between schools does happen, and it can be very beneficial for schools to know who else you have applied to.</p>
<p>Will this work at the Ivies or near-Ivies, not likely. But that leaves a pool of some 2500 other colleges and universities around the country.</p>
<p>You might find it hard to believe, but if you have processed as many appeals as I have, you find out that it actually does happen.</p>
<p>scottaa:
sounds like you have related work history..what kind of appeals? I assume you mean appealing the amount of financial aide offered? And sounds like the FAFSA list is indeed used by admissions committees?<br>
There used to be threads on "should I answer the question re my other schools on my applications." Sounds like the FAFSA/CSS Profile makes that a moot point. If you are not going to qualify for any need based aide, is it still a good idea to send in the CSS Profile or FAFSA or do many families simply skip that? I think the CSS was required at our of my S's schools regardless of projected need or lack of need. We have another son coming up, so am interested in understanding this factor as the first S also applied to schools that are often in direct competition with each other.</p>
<p>
[quote]
find it impossible to believe that any school (worth attending) is going to look, or care, or give an ounce of consideration as to what other schools an applicant has applied to. To take it to a paranoid level, and imagine that a school "cares" whether they were listed 1st, 2nd, etc. on a FAFSA form, or a CSS Profile is childish. Come on people. This is not junior high. These schools do not have "feelings" that can be hurt, or "egos" that need to be catered to. Unfortunately, it is quite the opposite. These schools turn away three times as many applicants, as they accept.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>We must keep in mind that only a handful of schools are need blind in the FA process where admissions and FA are 2 separate entities. </p>
<p>I agree with Menoloparkmon's and scottaa's statements about tufts syndrome and "knowing what the competition is" especially with schools that are not need blind in admissions (only a few are need blind) who is to say that the colleges when looking at your information is not taking into consideration what other schools you are applying to?</p>
<p>Even at need blind schools, especially during RD the admissions and FAOs know that there is going to be some overlap in admissions as many students do apply to similiar schools. Williams is very upfront about the fact that they lose students to HYP, and there is a 50/50 split between students choosing between Williams and either Dartmouth or Amherst.</p>
<p>It is not a matter of hurt egos as a matter that many schools are after the same pool of students and many FAOs havew "been in the business" long enough to know what "their competitiors" are offering.</p>