<p>do you think it will affect applicants negatively or positively if they inform colleges about where else they applied? should you always say ABC school is your #1 choice regardless, or mention some similar tier schools? or even higher level ones?
I'm of the opinion that it wouldn't hurt, but my friends disagree. so is it just me? what do you think -</p>
<p>1) it's not their business.
2) You don't have to.
3) Any information you give a college could be used against you.</p>
<p>so don't.</p>
<p>Mentioning that you are applying to Harvard is not going to impress anyone. Why would it? Anybody can apply to Harvard. The issue with colleges asking where else you are applying involves the fact that you don't want some of the colleges to think that you are using them as safeties. In the few cases where a college does ask, not go overboard listing the colleges more prestigious than the one that is asking.</p>
<p>and if they are comparable. I posted this ..
I applied to Rice and listed Stanford, Cornell and UChicago there...
Thats pretty much top tier anyways all 4 of them</p>
<p>I don't see how it could help you unless (1) they want you, and (2) everyone on your list (they think) will either reject you or is less desirable and thus you will pick the college doing the asking if given the choice. It is hard to meet these criteria, since admissions can be so quirky. So I think you're better off not saying. That is what I've heard you should do, anyway.</p>
<p>The negative, obviously, is that schools don't want to accept you if they think your preference is elsewhere and you are just using them as a backup.</p>