<p>(this is an admission related issue, so I’ve posted here also)</p>
<p>Lets assume the candidate is applying to a (true) “needs blind” college with a significant endowment, one of the more select colleges close to the top 20.</p>
<p>The candidate happens to be from a family (not necessarily wealthy per se) but quite well beyond the threshold needs formulas, and the family in fact has significant resources. both in income and assets to pay for the college, assuming the candidate is accepted.</p>
<p>The question is: during the interview, is the candidate supposed to remain silent on any comments that might disclose the ability to pay? In other words, is this disclosure by the candidate deemed to taint the process whereby the admissions department would otherwise be presumed to never know one way or the other the actual financial status of the student’s family?</p>
<p>Here’s how it might come up:</p>
<li><p>Assuming the candidate applies binding ED, the candidate might for example (to explain why they are applying ED to this particular college college) mention that they prefer this college over other institutions and since they are non-needs based (and do not seek to compare offers)- it made complete sense to apply ED to this college at this time. </p></li>
<li><p>The ability to pay could for example come up when the candidate is asked why they chose X college, whereby the candidate’s reply may mention that that 2 factors: 1. opportunity to attend such a college is present and 2. the resources were also present to enroll the student. Two factors that the candidate believed they were fortunate to have.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The bottom line question is: is it considered either: 1. poor manners 2. improper in some way 3. or an attempt to somehow gain an unfair advantage to bring up non-needs based status during an interview in an institution that is actually “needs blind”?</p>