During an interview, if the interviewer asks what other schools you're applying to...

<p>At four of my interviews, I was asked where else I was applying, and also what my #1 choice was! I felt the questions were unfair, even though the interviewers knew I would not apply to just one school. The questions made me uncomfortable, and I was very honest; when I left I felt I'd hurt my chances at that school. If the point of the interview is to offer information in a relaxed setting (informational, not evaluative), then i think it's wrong.</p>

<p>Neuron, I think interviews also have informational value for the interviewers, as well as the prospective students. The good news is that many of your answers to the interviewer's questions are not used to evaluate you, but for the colleges to see trends in their applicant pool. You could say your interview includes a survey.</p>

<p>I would think it would come off as arrogant to apply to a highly prestigious school and announce that it is the only place to which you are applying. I also think the wording of the question comes into play. I have been asked this question a couple of different ways during interviews. I was asked whether I was considering any other colleges, and was sure to make that distinction in my answer. I explained that while I was applying to other colleges, I wasn't considering any of them if I was excepted to that school. I'm still waiting for that decision letter. At another school, I was asked where the school ranked on my choices. I told them it wasn't at the top and might not end up second, either. I got my acceptance letter recently. At both schools, I simply told the truth. I would think, from my very limited experience, it would be best to elaborate at least a bit on this question if it would be to your advantage.</p>

<p>I told my MIT interviewer that I am applying to stanford, harvard... couple others and told him that MIT was my first choice (which it is) - but, I kind of got the feeling he didn't believe me... </p>

<p>and the rest of the interview he kind of just acted like he was wasting his time doing the interview (at least thats the impression I got compared to how he talked before asking that question)</p>

<p>Technically, as part of NACAC rules (National Association of College Admission Counseling), colleges are not supposed to ask where else you might be applying. You may certainly add it in if you like, but they should not really be asking.</p>

<p>If you say that you're applying to HYP, if I were an interviewer, I'd be skeptical of your intention to attend MIT as well.</p>

<p>Now, a more credible list would be something like the following:</p>

<p>Columbia U
Carnegie Mellon U
Franklin Olin
Harvey Mudd C
Swarthmore C
Worcester PI
Rensselaer PI
SUNY Stony Brook</p>

<p>just tell. no biggie. tell them a few and then reiterate that even tho you are applying to others, MIT is still one of your top choices.</p>

<p>I consider that an unethical question, though. Most college forbid interviewers from asking that question. Vanderbilt for one explicit deems this question as a breech of ethics.</p>

<p>At this time of year, a lot of applicants who applied prudently to rolling admission safeties can say, "I've already been admitted to . . . but before I decide where to enroll, I don't want to miss the chance to apply to your college." That's just good sense, and shouldn't be off-putting at all.</p>

<p>I think some of you are overthinking this. I would just... tell them what schools I'm applying to, like I did in the Claremont supplement question. It's quite simple :-p If they seem like the want you to explain, presumably you have a good reason for all of them, so do so. <em>shrug</em></p>

<p>Of course, if they asked me about my top few choices that would be a very difficult question for me to answer, #1 because it fluctuates for me and #2 I would have to make an awkward decision if the college I was interviewing for wasn't one of my tops :-p</p>

<p>I am an alumna interviewer for a top LAC, and it is not in our interviewer handbook to refrain from asking about an applicant's other schools of interest. The handbook <em>does</em> contain explicit instructions not to speak disparagingly of any other schools. </p>

<p>Also, we are asked to gauge an interviewee's interest in our LAC, and to serve as an informational resource about programs and resources that may be of interest to a student.</p>

<p>I have indeed asked some interviewees about their other college choices, but just as a conversation point, and as lead-in to other topics. For instance, if an applicant names other schools in the geographic area as my alma mater, I can ask what interests them about that specific geographic area. If an applicant names schools that also have very strong art history programs, I can ask if the applicant has an interest there.</p>

<p>I <em>never</em> ask about "top" choices, or (good heavens) ask an applicant to specify their choices in order of preference. That would be thoughtless. An interviewer is not supposed to induce anxiety, but rather to put an applicant at ease.</p>

<p>IMHO, it is ridiculous to assume that I, as an interviewer, would be put off by the fact that a student is applying to many other schools as well as my alma mater. Rather, I would be interested to know what the applicant is seeking in a college, so that I might detail why my alma mater might fit that bill.</p>

<p>Professor X is right on the mark. The "other schools" question was one of my favorite questions as I found the responses were often time very revealing. The question also served to gauge the thought process and consistency in the overall story. </p>

<p>I believe, in general, a candidate who shows reasonable rationale in his/her school choices will more likely come across as more mature and earn few extra brownie points.</p>

<p>It's important to be truthful, but it's also important to understand your own right to assert yourself. Personally, if I were being asked this question by an interviewer, I would be extremely uncomfortable. Assuming some of you feel similarly, I'm going to offer some suggestions.</p>

<p>One of the valid hesitations to answering is that if you answer with schools that aren't "Prestigious" enough, the interviewer may start to feel you are unqualified. If you answer with schools that are too "Prestigious", the interviewer may feel that you are not that serious about that particular school. Of course, there are many interviewers who don't think like this, and not every applicant shares this concern. But even apart from all that, I never felt anyone else was entitled to my college list. </p>

<p>You absolutely shouldn't lie, but if you don't want to answer the question, it's ok not to answer. You can answer the question by simply explaining how you choose the schools to which you applied. "I want a school that will prepare me for med school, but where the other pre-med students have a healthy mindset about academic competition. So I applied to schools that have great life science programs and positive collaborative spirits." Doing that, you answer the spirit of the question without giving the interviewer more information than you own comfort level allows. If the interviewer persists, and you feel inappropriately pressured, you should call your admissions officer to tell them. </p>

<p>Whether you answer should be about who you are and your level of trust with the interviewer, not because you felt bullied into giving up your list. Remember, the admissions process isn't always about what colleges want to hear - it's about what you want to say.</p>

<p>My English teacher does Alumni interviews for Yale. She hates to hear a very generic list:"Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia..." Because, for her, it means that the only reason the student is applying to Yale is because, like all of the other schools, it is prestigious. Prestige is the worst reason in the world to apply to a school. Apply because you love the place, not because you love the name. Its very hard to get a positive recomendation from her for anyone who's list is similar to the one above. Be honest, answer every question the interviewer asks. But you really need to take greater consideration into where you're applying, rather than just skimming off the top 10 schools on the US News and World Report's list. People who do that get rejected. </p>

<p>I loved Columbia, and that's why I applied there. I put a lot of time and dedication into every other application I filled out as well, because I knew each school would give me a good experience, one that I wanted and had hand picked. YOU need to make out your college list, not US news and world report. Make a list of schools where every institution listed will give you four very happy years, not a prestigious degree and four years wishing you were somewhere else. That is the best advice I can give anyone. I'll be enrolling at Columbia in the fall.</p>

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If you say that you're applying to HYP, if I were an interviewer, I'd be skeptical of your intention to attend MIT as well.

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<p>Umm...no. People apply to MIT for things other than engineering. When I applied, I was a bio/neuro kid (as opposed to now - I turned into a neuro/comp sci/comp eng kid). I applied to MIT and HYP, and several other schools with top life science programs (Rice, Duke, JHU, etc).</p>

<p>Well...my CMU interviewer asked me that questions and I just listed a few other engineering school...not my complete list though because it was way too many....</p>

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If you say that you're applying to HYP, if I were an interviewer, I'd be skeptical of your intention to attend MIT as well.

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<p>I take it you are unaware of some of the strengths of those various colleges. A lot of students who want to major in pure math have some subset of {Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, Berkeley, Caltech} on their application list, and some of those students are willing to give Yale a look, although MY opinion is that Yale is the outlier in a list of colleges put together by a would-be pure math major. The math league champion from my state last year is now a student at Yale, if I remember correctly. He was admitted there in last year's early round, so it must have been high on his preference list. </p>

<p>Other intended majors would result in different groupings of colleges, but I would not expect any MIT interviewer worth his or her salt to scoff at a student who is applying to any of the upper-tier Ivies or any of the Ivy-peer colleges around the world. Everyone knows that a student has to apply to more than one college to maximize chances of admission.</p>

<p>Your chances of admission do not depend on which other schools are you applying to. All students apply to lots of similar schools, and the fact that you are applying to all those top schools means that you have a lot of confidence in yourself.</p>

<p>to the "what is your first choice" question:</p>

<p>it is fair to answer that school X (the one you are interviewing for) is obviously a top choice because of this, this, and this, but you have made sure that each of the schools on your list has something special to recommend it; that you will need to discuss the financial aspects when you know them with your parents (if true); that you are making a point of not letting yourself fall in love with a single school until you know what your choices will be, but that you really hope that School X will be among those choices. You can imply that school X is near and dear to your heart, but you are being sensible...</p>

<p>well put, mafool...you do not have to be "bullied" into coughing up a list in order of preference...which may not at all be reflective of how flexible you are as an applicant depending on outcomes, financial aide offered ect.</p>

<p>During my Rice interview he asked me what other school I was applying to simply so he could prove that Rice was a better school than all the others. He spend a good one or two minutes bashing all the schools I said and told me why I should go to Rice. I think interviewers ask the question because they feel a degree of pride about their school and want students to attend it. I didnt feel like telling the truth hurt me at all.</p>