<p>“But she’s also smart enough not to run herself through with the sword of full disclosure for its own sake. I don’t think that’s lying.”</p>
<p>I agree. I don’t think that students have to give the full list of all schools they are applying to.</p>
<p>"If you honestly answer to any school’s “Why X?” with “because I need a safety school, and you are the best one for me”, "</p>
<p>While honesty is fine, one doesn’t have to be brutally honest. Having a school as a safety should mean that one would be happy to go there if one doesn’t get into schools one finds more desireable. So, a student could mention the desireable features of the safety school without saying it’s a safety.</p>
<p>If the student doesn’t like the safety school and would not be happy to have to go there, that school is not a true safety.</p>
<p>I always liked the safety that I had for undergrad. In fact, I liked it so much that I very happily went there for grad school.</p>