Telling colleges where else you're applying

Applying to College
1

<p>I'm working on the online George Washington application, and it asks me to list the other schools to which I'm applying. They are: Johns Hopkins, Emory, Rutgers, Arcadia, Pittsburgh, and American. GW is my first choice, even though both Emory and JHU have lower admit rates, so I don't want it to look like GW is a safety. Obviously, I can say something somewhere else in the app that GW is my first choice, but I've heard varying opinions on this subject anyway. So... yes or no?</p>

<p>Thanks so much! :)</p>

2

<p>Just mention equal or lower tier schools. I wouldn't mention Hopkins or or Emory.</p>

3

<p>Thanks. :)</p>

4

<p>I remember they had this question on the Rice Application. I think because I had other schools that were more selective than Rice listed, they had a greater incentive to give merit money.</p>

5

<p>what would be the effect on the admission process if this question were left blank or if 'none' were stated?</p>

6

<p>They would reject you just to laugh when you don't have a college to go to (so they think).</p>

7

<p>the question asks, 'to which other schools are you applying?'. What if you are only considering schools, and not applying?</p>

<p>I guess there are two contexts for my question on this question:</p>

<p>1) ED</p>

<p>in which it might be reasonable to not be applying to other schools.</p>

<p>2) RD </p>

<p>in which it might not be reasonable to not be applying to other schools.</p>

<p>To reiterate my question: what would an adcon think of not answering this question?</p>

<p>also, why is this question on the app? I am unsure why it would be relevant to a college. Please share with me your opinions on this.</p>

<p>Are they trying to size up their competition? Inasmuch as the application process is a bit of negotiation and poker playing, why show your cards?</p>

<p>Or, if you are going to show your cards, maybe show some 'bluffing'?</p>

8

<p>I would not volunteer any information about other schools... I see no benefit to the applicant in doing so. Kind of ironic - - the schools profess to be needs blind yet are seemingly not "competition" blind.</p>

9

<p>I'm considering writing an essay on the pointlessness of this question and pasting it in the box. Seriously. Something like, "I could put Harvard, Yale, and Princeton here, or I could put Montclair State, Cal-Davis, and U. Miami, and you wouldn't know for sure either way. Unfortunately for me and my fellow Class of 2012 applicants, seemingly innocent questions such as this one pose a challenge simply because they only ask for a list of schools, but they really tell so much more..."</p>

<p>I dunno. Just a thought.</p>