<p>This is related, somewhat to the other thread. The MICA application asks that the applicant name and rank the other schools they are applying to. Does anyone else find this question disconcerting? What if you still haven't finalized your list of applications? What if you haven't ranked your choices? What if you are applying to schools directly in competition (RISD, SAIC) and they can tell that you are likely to be accepted at all of them? If you put down RISD as your first choice are they less or more likely to offer merit aid to lure you to MICA? If you put down universities with good art programs (WUSTL, UW, CMU) will t his indicate that you are less t han wholeheartedly committed to art? Does anyone else find this question disconcerting? I think either RISD or SAIC also asks for the other schools you are applying to, but doesn't ask you to rank them. I haven't seen a university applicatin that asks this question.</p>
<p>fineartsmajormom, suggesting that attending universities with major art programs lacks commitment to art, it wrong. My daughter applied to several major universities you mentioned plus some art schools. She preferred the university setting because:</p>
<ol>
<li>She felt that she could get the same quality of training with certain universities, and</li>
<li>She had a much better ability to get interdisciplinary work, especially since her major was digital arts, and</li>
<li>She wanted to associate with folks other than just artists.</li>
<li>She wanted strong coop opportunities for experience, which she got at the University of Cincinnati. In fact, I think her coop opportunities probably trumped what she could have gotten at stand-alone art schools.</li>
<li>She also wanted some good miscellaneous facilities such as a good gym for work outs etc. Many stand alone art schools don’t have the best of these types of facilities.</li>
<li>She wanted a program that has decent liberal arts and not one that simply give “lip service” to the liberal arts, which some stand-alone art schools do.</li>
</ol>
<p>Trust me on this: There are a few universities such as CMU, Cincinnati, RIT, UCLA and Temple etc. that have amazingly strong art and/or design programs. Temple for example just merged with Tyler school of Art. Thus, they offer a full art school’s programs within a university setting.</p>
<p>Taxguy,
I did not suggest that applying to a variety of art schools including programs within universities demonstrates a lack of commitment to art. I was ASKING whether this would be the perception of the art schools should a student list these schools (including some without a strong art program) when asked where else he/she is applying to. I agree with everything you said and DS applying to a variety of schools for the same reason as your DD. However…did your daughter answer these questions about what other schools she was applying to? Did she rank? Why are they asking this question and what business is it of theirs where else a student applies to? This is what I am asking about. </p>
<p>Personally, I find it a little creepy that they ask for this information; are they trying to protect yield stats and offer merit aid only to fencesitters? Do they want to avoid giving merit aid offers to students who have no intention of enrolling should they get into their preferred schools? For example, lets say DS is applying to Yale. WUSTL as well as MICA and clearly has the scores and grades to make Yale a possibility (always slim) and WUSTL a reasonable probability of admission. If he then puts Yale as first choice, WUSTL second and with MICA 3rd on the list, will this make MICA less likely to offer him merit aid since they see that he is unlikely to make MICA his first choice and he is likely to be admitted to one of his top two choices? I don’t like to advise a kid to be less than honest on a application so the only alternative is to not answer the the question (which could also be a merit aid/admission killer approach also). What would you advise a student to do if MICA is not first choice?</p>
<p>fineartmajormom, Now I understand what you want. My daughter did get asked where she was applying to especially at Carnegie Mellon. The admission interviewer noted that these are very different schools ( when noting both universities and art schools were mentioned by her). I would suggest that your child prepare to give good reasons to attend both schools of art, if asked, and universities.</p>
<p>I didn’t get the impression that anyone thought that applying to a university showed less commitment. In fact, when my daughter gave the answers that I noted here in this thread, she told me that the admission’s interviewer was very impressed with her reasoning. She also did NOT give a specific ranking of the schools,which was recommended by me. She might say that “x school” is at the top of her list to the X school admission’s officer and tell the Y school admission’s officer that Y was near the top of the list.</p>
<p>Even for pre college, MICA wanted to know where kids are going if they are declining their offer. Kids are asked to fill in “No, I am not attending MICA, I am attending (fill in the blank) instead”
MICA is the only school ever asked that. Maybe they are just insecure or nosy.
You should apply early to show your interest then if MICA wants you badly enough, they’d try to lull you. You can even say you haven’t made final list ranked if you are applying like, now.
If you are doing EA to other and MICA is the safety, I guess you have to be honest and rank as it fits.
Or are you saying if MICA gives good aid, might going to ditch Yale?
You never mentioned about needing need based aid, that maybe works in your favor.
Even some kids in need here in the past successfully raised their aid $ to match competitors after all results are in, though last year seemed really tight for everyone.
Good luck.</p>
<p>PS
I read in some advise giving book colleges ask this question often to know if the kid’s head is screwed OK, like, if someone lists airforce academy, Curtis, RISD, CIA, MIT (or something like that) they’d know the kid has no idea what to do in the college. The authors advise is to list peer schools in the area and stats.</p>
<p>I remember this question irking me last year. We struggled whether to answer it. Our college advisor suggested just answering it honestly. The school is trying to judge the ambition and judgement of the applicant. After all, what would it say if the applicant were ONLY applying to MICA? </p>
<p>After the acceptances come, all the schools will want to know why you didn’t choose them, and where you are going instead. Of course, at that point, you don’t have to respond.</p>
<p>BTW, my D put down both Art Schools and LACs, and was still admitted to MICA (went to RISD instead).</p>
<p>Frankly, I wouldn’t sweat it.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice from everyone. It seems sensible and I was glad to see that I wasn’t the only one who found the question from MICA as somewhat intrusive. I had just discussed some of your replies over dinner with S and then, talk about timing, CMU called last night to encourage S to apply. The call was from a current student but the question did come up …"where else are you applying? "–sort of conversationally–and S told me that it was helpful to be prepared with an articulate answer of the wheres and whys. He will probably go to CMU for a visit and interview in January so nice little preview. He has already seen some of the other schools but, while sometimes the interviewer would ask about where else he was applying, no one asks what is his number one…etc. </p>
<p>It does seem that to get merit aid (we don’t really have financial concerns other than…getting the best educational/technical value for the buck) you need to apply early. However, getting the portfolio ready early is not looking likely since he feels some of his best work is still getting finished along with all of the other demands of school and ECs. I think it will be up to his teacher and me to say…stop, enough, give them what you have… this is perhaps best saved for another thread…</p>
<p>I’m taking taxguy’s advice and telling the adcom’s at the top of her list the truth - they are each one of the top 2 on the list. All the other schools she has applied to are strictly art colleges, so there shouldn’t be any problem there, if she has to list them. On the other hand, she has many other LA and other design colleges that she has no interest in) calling her wanting to talk about (in most cases sell) their school. I have told her that since she has no interest, she should tell them so, so they stop wasting their time and hers. Some schools tho, do not take no for an answer. Guess they have big budgets for advertising.</p>
<p>As aside, my daughter was touring PNCA in Portland, OR this past weekend, and she was asked where else she was planning to apply. Because she was born basically without any tact, she said, “SAIC, Pratt, Parsons, RISD, MICA, SVA, and Otis”. My understanding is that her brother was jabbing her in the ribs the entire time, trying to get her to shut up. 
PNCA isn’t really in the same league, but it has a strong appeal to her, because she really likes Portand and her brother is in school there (at least for another year!) </p>
<p>After she got back, she was pretty annoyed at me for not telling her about polite ways to answer questions like that. She is concerned that she may have hurt the admin rep’s feelings!</p>
<p>Nah, if same she that you got, she picked a local art school near her home herself amongst many accepts because of aid$ and then went to grad shool, worked in NYC awhile but now really appriciate what pearl district could offer and no plan going anywhere any soon, she’d understand. Everyone at PNCA were pretty chill.</p>