<p>Is it off-putting to apply to a LOT of schools?
Does it make an applicant appear desperate or unfocused?<br>
Would schools understand that it is because of FA?
Do they even have a way of knowing? (..not that I would try to conceal anything)</p>
<p>I would imagine that it would make it difficult for a school to gauge interest and make them more likely to protect yield.</p>
<p>The thing is, I am doing everything I can to prevent my son from comparing and ordering the schools that he'll be visiting. I want him to see what each school is like on its own, without rankings and numbers. We'll save all that for after March 10th when it's more relevent.</p>
<p>I don't want the schools to think that we are just fishing around. </p>
<p>Well personally when I was asked which other schools I was applying to I simply said “I’m looking at many schools but I’m applying for sure to this school, and then I named 3 other schools.”</p>
<p>Not really, if he is able to word it properly in the interview. </p>
<p>For example, if he is asked to which schools he is applying he shouldn’t just ramble a list of ten schools that he is considering (and it should certainly include the school for which he is being interviewed). He should be concise, and make the interviewer feel that the school that the he/she is representing isn’t one of money, but the one of many. </p>
<p>“Well, while I am applying to several schools, Exeter (example, should be the school his interviewer represents), Devon, and possibly Andover are among the ones that I (and my family) are primarily considering.” </p>
<p>“Well, I am applying to Exeter (still the school the interviewer represents, no one is stupid enough to put that school last), Devon, Loomis, Andover, Choate, Hotchkiss, and possibly even St. Paul’s…” </p>
<p>While the second answer will most certainly not ruin your chances (or even hurt them seriously) the former shows the interviewer that you foster a considerable interest for the school, yet you are not ********ting them with patronizing crap. </p>
<p>If your son has a DEEP and SERIOUS interest in one school (above any other) make that very clearly known.</p>
<p>The EFC form from SSS will list the first 6 schools (in alphabetical order) you are sending the form to. Then, it’s a standard question in the interview asking what other schools you are looking into. So I guess you don’t have to give a “full disclosure”. I think a moderate 6-8 schools should be reasonable to most schools, but over 10 could cause some concerns. I am not sure to tell them “I am applying to this many schools because I am trying to get financial aid” (reads like you are trying to fish the best FA package) would help much.</p>
<p>Thanks PAparent (and others). We are definately NOT just fishing around. We’re just being (perhaps overly) thorough in the range of schools he’s looking at. Since we have no legacy allegiance to any one school, and we’re not caught up in the prestige/college matriculation vortex, we have a lot to look at.</p>
<p>Neato-How many schools you choose to apply to will be a decision best left for your family, given your goals. Just be mindful of the tremendous effort it will take to manage these many apps, especially given that your son will need to strive for highest grades possible in his current school and illustrate that he is an active participant in his schools’ community. We applied for 7 and it was a lot. Just be certain you are not overextending your son…of yourself for that matter. Best of Luck!</p>
<p>I never like the question of where else are you applying. I am not even sure what value the answer is to the person asking it. Let’s just say that someone is at Exeter, and his or her list includes, Andover, SPS, Choate. So what can you assume? Person wants a top school? Maybe that person really likes Choate (perhaps slightly less difficult to get into?)better than PEA. PEA could think Choate is the safety and PEA is top choice. Substitute any schools you like in that mix. </p>
<p>I think the question should be answered with something like I am applying to a few schools because there are so many applicants and not all those who are qualified can get in. I really love (XYZ) school (the one you are interviewing at) because of (reason that you would do well at XYZ). I would make a great contribution to this community because of … Really who can preference schools before you know you have been accepted? I really emphasized this for my D, and why all the schools she applied to had something to offer her.</p>
<p>I think at your safety school, it is especially important to express why it would be a good fit etc. Some places perhaps do wait list those who they think are unlikely to attend, but others are interested in having a student who might otherwise get into “better” schools for a number of reasons, and might actually show interest in the child rather than it being just the family’s interest in the school.</p>
<p>I’m all about full disclosure, but of course, I sit on the other side of the desk. Many students have told me their full list of schools they’re visiting–maybe 6-10–but qualify their response by saying they’re going to narrow down the list after all the tours/interviews and figure out which favorite 4-5 to which they’ll actually submit applications.</p>
<p>I don’t think he’ll actually APPLY to all the schools that we tour. It is a condition of mine that he not make an application to any school that he would not be thrilled to attend - whether it be classified as “reach, match or safety” or not. </p>
<p>I have no doubt that he will answer any question posed as honestly as he can. He has a tendancy to be extremely forthcoming, especially when talking to adults.</p>
<p>just make sure he doesnt tell his interviewer that he has no interest applying to the school, “just looking, thank you” as a friend of mine’s son did. Schools are aware that because of higher numbers applying, people are applying to more schools. (actually admission officers have been trying to figure out the chicken or the egg theory of more people applying/people applying to more schools for a while now.) Since you dont apply before the visit, its easy to rattle off a few schools of a similar caliber and then add something complimentary about that particular school.</p>
<p>A school can, in my opinion, ask just about any question it wants to any applicant. That said, if a school asks an applicant to list all of the schools to which he/she is applying, I think that it exposes that school as weak and uncertain of itself. </p>
<p>Last winter, my son applied to 10 BS’s. Of these, only one asked him on its application to list all of the schools to which he was applying. My son answered that question truthfully. On this list, there were the usual heavies (PEA, PA, SPS, etc.). I knew, however, that once my son replied to that question and mailed his application, he would not get into that school. That school now knew that there was too much competition for my son’s attention and affection. </p>
<p>So, when March 10 rolled around, what in the world do you know? My son got into, or was placed on the WL at, 9 of his 10 schools, and the ONLY school that rejected him was, of course, the only school for which my son listed all of the BS’s to which he applied. Coincidence? Maybe, but I know that his answer to that school’s question had to be a factor in his rejection by that school. Someone would be hard pressed to convince me to the contrary.</p>
<p>So what should a student do if asked this question by a BS? Answer it truthfully and then move that school to the bottom of the list of his/her preferred schools.</p>
<p>I think there is a difference between putting that question on your written application and asking during an interview setting. </p>
<p>In an interview, when I ask a student where else he/she is applying, it could be any number of reasons, among them: (1) I really, really like him/her and I want to know who my competition is when it comes time to yielding because I am competitive and I want that kid to come to Hogwarts, (2) I want to find out how self-motivated this application process is (“I don’t know all the names of them, you’ll have to ask my mom” is a dead giveaway for a kid who has been dragged to boarding school interviews by his parents), (3) It could be a day student applicant and I’m trying to figure out if independent high school is the real goal or just my particular private school is the goal (the local public school is not shabby here in the land of Hogwarts); (4) I want to know how many interviews the kid has done already–if he’s been to six other schools already this week, I’d expect him to be a bit more prepared for this conversation; if this is his very first b-school interview, I might start with a few softball questions to warm him up and ease his nerves…the list of reasons why I’m asking which other schools you’re considering can go on and on, but that’s just to name a few.</p>
<p>9…6…4…12…is there really a difference? There really aren’t that many high-quality wizardry schools out there, mind you, but nine doesn’t really faze me. There are a ton of great places out there. And, especially if you’re a Bay Area or NYC kid, you might be applying to both independent day schools and boarding schools, or a PG applicant applying to both colleges and boarding schools, in which case nine is nothing.</p>
<p>Our experience was that it was a very common interview question. While there’s no garantee every interviewer will ask, I wouldn’t be more surprised than getting a question about extracurricular activities. That said, would less than full disclosure be unethical? That might be a stretch. Like I said, for the normal “6-8” schools there’s no need to cover anything up, but if you are applying to an “alarmingly” big number of schools, I think just mentioning the ones in the same “tier” as the school in question would be OK.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about visiting or applying to many schools, especially if this is the first child in the family to go through the process. If you don’t have a family tie to any school, there’s nothing wrong with investigating a number of schools. If anything, it shows that your family is sincerely interested in changing schools.</p>
<p>I would worry if you were looking at too few schools.</p>
<p>I don’t think looking at many schools is the problem, its how to approach the question of how many schools you will be applying too that is the question at hand.</p>