<p>...is it okay to leave it blank? Do you really need to answer? I know it won't make a difference, but it makes me feel slightly uncomfortable.</p>
<p>If it's not a required field, then you can probably leave it blank.</p>
<p>I asked my counselor about this. He said the reason some schools ask where else you're applying is to make sure you're focused. Like, if this is the application for (just using this as an example) Caltech, and you say you're also applying to RISD, you might look a little unfocused (by the way, Caltech does not ask this question, I was just using it as an example). I think this is probably also how schools create the lists of overlaps.</p>
<p>Be careful of what schools you say you're applying to. If this is a safety school that is asking where else you're applying, remember that if you put schools like HYPSMCB on there, you might be less likely to get in (to the safety). There have been stories of this happening.</p>
<p>If it is a required field, and you really don't want to list the names of where else you're applying, maybe give a general description of other schools you're applying to?</p>
<p>There was a thread similar to this one a few weeks ago, try searching for it.</p>
<p>There was one on a school I was a match-safety for. I just left it blank, because I really do want to get into the school & it isn't a matter of safety/match/reach for me</p>
<p>Questions like this are unethical. You deserve to be judged based on your app, not on the adcom's guessing at why you might be applying to some other schools. So feel NO obligation to give your complete list, or even an accurate list. Use the question to your advantage. (1) Look up some of their close competitors and list 2 of them, along with a safety since everyone expects to see this. (2) Be sure to list a slightly more desireable school.</p>
<p>Here are the reasons. For (1), some schools are believed to reject you if they think you'll get into more prestigious schools that you've applied to in order to keep their yield up. Google "tufts syndrome" for more info, although Tufts denies they do it these days. For (2), this is for financial aid. If they recognize they're the most prestigious school on your list, they may very well reason that you'll dig a little deeper in your pocket to attend and may give you a downgraded FA package. By contrast, if they think you'll get into their slightly better ranked competitor they may try to sway you with a better FA package.</p>
<p>Also, list them in alphabetical order, so no preference can be discerned.</p>
<p>as mikemac said, it's wiser not to list your colleges at all, since it's like a violation of your privacy to ask you in the first place.</p>
<p>I suppose you could be cutesy and state, "what other colleges? X University is PERFECT for me." Of course, that really only works for one school... </p>
<p>If you feel uncomfortable about listing your other schools, don't list them.</p>
<p>I have a FAQ on this subject: </p>
<p>APPLICATIONS TO OTHER COLLEGES </p>
<p>You could quote chapter and verse from the Statement of Principles of Good Practice of the National Association for College Admission Counseling:</p>
<p>
<p>B. Admission, Financial Aid and Testing Policies and Procedures</p>
<p>Postsecondary members agree that they will:</p>
<ol> <li><p>accept full responsibility for admission and financial aid decisions and for proper notification of those decisions to candidates;</p></li> <li><p>not require candidates or the secondary schools to indicate the order of the candidates’ college or university preferences, except under Early Decision plans;
</p></li>
</ol>
<p>and once you have done that, you could say, based on whatever is the truth, "Not wanting this to be construed as a statement of my order of preference, I am applying to"</p>
<p>a) "other colleges that appear to offer some of the same features as your college"</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>b) "a varied list of colleges to ensure that I carefully consider what is the best fit between me and each college"</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>c) "small liberal arts colleges with a focus on undergraduate teaching" (or whatever summary characteristic applies to all colleges on your list)</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>d) "a list of colleges developed according to policies of my high school counseling office"</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>e) "[actual list] but this list should not be taken to be in preference order"</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>f) "a list of colleges that I would rather not mention here, so that we take extra care to follow NACAC principles of good practice."</p>
<p>Your own creativity can probably come up with some more choices. I do NOT see this question on many of the college application forms I have downloaded from the Web this year.</p>
<p>One student mentioned that a college that he was applying to online allowed only fifty characters in its online form for listing other colleges that he was applying to. That would allow for lots of fun possibilities, such as</p>
<p>Q: To what other colleges are you applying? </p>
<p>A: [in online form:] I am applying to other colleges that share some of the great characteristics of your college, for example </p>
<p>To sum up, if you are applying early decision somewhere, OF COURSE that college is your first choice, and you plainly signal to that college that it is your first choice by applying for a binding early decision program. But if you are applying for nonbinding early action, for rolling admission, or for regular action admission, no college should care much where else you are applying, and you are certainly not obligated to tell the college where else you are applying, especially not in a rank-ordered list.</p>
<p>Bringing up this thread so that people can see the [url=<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1061369470-post8.html%5DFAQ">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1061369470-post8.html]FAQ</a> post<a href="post%20#8">/url</a>.</p>
<p>I think this is what might've screwed me over for Boston University. It asked what other schools am I applying to and I listed both NYU & Columbia. Two rival schools in terms of city life personality. I guess they thought that provided I have gotten in, I might've enrolled there instead.</p>