Most of the applications Ive already submitted had a section asking to which other colleges I intended to apply. Since I sent in the first wave, Ive found two more schools which will definitely be receiving applications. Do I have a responsibility to let the others know about the new ones?
<p>No. And they should not be asking that question in the first place!</p>
<p>I didn't tell the whole truth. For my safety schools I listed only another safety school and one match school. For my match schools I listed only other match schools.</p>
<p>I agree that it's an inapproprate question. I WON'T be listing HPYS, even thought I will most likely apply to those school. Any any non-HYPS school that sees certain schools on the list will feel like safey -- no reason to hurt your chances like that!</p>
<p>I agree that this is really a poor question to ask. And it should be clearly stated if this is taken into consideration in admissions or just gathered for statistical purposes.</p>
<p>From the responses, I guess we think that most schools want to find out if it is a back-up, or how competitive it is in relation to your other schools.</p>
<p>I agree with you guys but i can see the opposition to this...if you are using a school as a "safety" and get accepted and don't attend, you might be taking away a spot from a person who was applying as a "reach" and doesnt get accepted to his dream school that he would definitley attend.</p>
<p>Thanks, all. I don't think the difficulties with it will apply much to me. My serious schools are a couple of theatre conservatories and several mid-tier academic colleges and universities with top tier theatre departments. Most of them are actually in competition with each other and it might play to my advantage since I'm gunning for a full academic ride. The theatre program at my non-audition safety got a weird inflated rating from "The Princeton Review" and it apparently doesn't even think it's a safety! They do offer full rides to students with high stats, though. :D I was just wondering if I needed to let them know there were still more.</p>
<p>wow i didn't know they were allowed to ask that...i've never seen it...</p>
<p>wat stinks is the counselor puts all the colleges im applying to on the transcript!!!!</p>
<p>Stinky, I think that is really wrong of your school to list where you are applying to college on your transcript!! I would question that. A transcript is a record of what you did while in high school, not your intentions for after high school. </p>
<p>I also think this question on a college application is not appropriate. I have not seen it on hardly any applications. I have one daughter, now a freshman, at an Ivy league school, and did not see this question on any of her applications. However, I have another daughter currently applying to college and last night she was putting the final touches on her third application so far and THIS one had that question on it, unfortunately. We chose to list four of her remaining seven schools, leaving off the three that would be thought of as "more selective", so they would not feel they were a fall back option. Actually this school is about third in her mind and not a safety. If she got into the other two she would not go there but she surely is quite interested in this school. </p>
<p>I disagree with the poster who said that it was fair for the college to ask because if you are using that school as a safety then you are taking up another's spot. A kid is supposed to have safeties. If the safeties don't take him because they are well, uh, safeties, then he would have no safety schools. Kids deserve to have safeties to fall back on because they very well might need them! I know a valedictorian and a girl ranked sixth the in class who only got into their safety school. If a safety would not take a kid because they are a safety, then what has a kid got? By the same token, it is IMPERATIVE that a student likes his/her safeties and expresses INTEREST in their safeties to the same degree and effort that goes into their match or reach schools. My daughter treated her safety schools just as intensively on her visits, contacts, interviews, and application as she did on her reaches. She got into the safeties in fact. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>Actually I should have added to the above post to put it into perspective about the safeties....one safety gave her a full ride for four years plus honors college. Another safety gave her a $15,000 merit award per year, plus some type of honors benefits award, on top of regular financial aid (we did not even know they had merit awards til she opened her acceptance letter, as most of her schools did not have merit awards.) So, safeties do take kids who seem over qualified and in fact, may even lure them to get them. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>I also feel that the question is inappropriate, but it has reared its ugly head not just on some apps but in interviews as well. If you apply for financial aid and fill out FAFSA the schools do have access to the listing of the 6 schools on the form. </p>
<p>I would answer the question with a few schools on the list and forget about updating the list. Kids change their minds all of the time and your school choices will shift through out the process. Another bad question is what your top choice school is, and, yes, it has been asked. My kids have always said that their choices are constantly changing. Your answer is really one that you will be comfortable with, so I really have no set reply. You should ask your school if your college choices are not put on your transcript. I know these choices are in the school records, but I find it hard to believe that a highschool will put it on the transcript it sends to the colleges. Most highschools have a sanitized version of the transcript that they send to college that does not have all kinds of ancillary info like 8th grade marks, teachers' comments, behaviour or effort grades, PSAT scores on it. Do check with your GC about this.</p>