<p>One application asks what other schools the applicant is applying to. I find this troubling. It reminds me of when my daughter interviewed at a school and they asked her if she had applied early anywhere and gotten in. She told them the truth and they waitlisted her. I don't think it's really the business of a school to know where else an applicant is applying.</p>
<p>You don't have to answer that question. A lot of people leave it blank. After all, who knows all the schools your child will actually end up applying to.</p>
<p>Frankly, it's none of their business. When you go on a job interview, the company has no right to know what other companies have received your job resume.</p>
<p>It's almost like asking a woman during a job interview, "do you plan on having a baby anytime soon??" (There's a reason that that question is illegal!! Asking about other college apps should also be "off limits")</p>
<p>What application is that? Is it posted on the Web?</p>
<p>token...</p>
<p>I've seen that question on several college aps (some even say that you can leave it blank). We left it blank on all apps (whether they said we could or not). Son was accepted at all colleges that he applied to.</p>
<p>Oberlin College has such a section on their supplement. I remember that from when I applied, and yes, I left it blank and was admitted.</p>
<p>Our son answered the question fully and received a total of $376k in merit aid.</p>
<p>I do not think answering the question impacts admission decisions. Rather, in a time when students are submitting more applications, it allows colleges to more accurately determine how many students it needs to admit in order to fill the frosh class come enrollment time.</p>
<p>I'd still like to get a better sense of which colleges ask (several?) and which don't (most whose applications I have looked at), so I appreciate the replies mentioning which colleges have an application question like that.</p>
<p>Answering the question CAN impact on one's application, especially with LACs. In some cases, answering will result in the waitlist or worse (if the collge is concerned about yield and the sch sensens that the candidate is unlikely to enroll if admitted). In other cases, knowing the competition can result in a more "generous" (ie more grants than loans) finaid package or in merit $. It depends on the strength of the candidate and the needs of the college.</p>
<p>Also, for special programs (like Oberlin's fly-in prgm), the college doesn't want to "waste" $ flying out a candidate who has his/her heart set on Columbia or who intends to apply to Pomona ED.</p>
<p>I agree with nyc. This doesn't mean that plenty of given students won't get in if they divulge it all - just that there are certain schools and programs where it really could make a difference. Some schools are very concerned about being perceived as a safety (the famous Tufts syndrome , although this may be less an issue there now that Ivy and equivalent acceptance rates are so low) and if they sense that your application is not a serious one, that is a red flag to them. Students who are accepted only to enroll elsewhere, directly impact the yield and thus the selectivity of the school in question. As long as selectivity is a major factor in rankings this is going to be no small issue when it comes to enrollment management. The problem is that you don't always know where this is going to be a big factor and where it's not, as some schools are more known for this than others. </p>
<p>What I've been told is that if you are asked this Q, especially in a face to face interview it's better not to totally blow off the interviewer by saying something like "I prefer not to answer" but just name a few schools that are pretty comparable to that one. It does not have to be a full disclosure of your reach schools in other words. Lists can change up to and including the time the apps are submitted, anyway, so this is really not such a big deal, IMO. </p>
<p>My kids have gotten this Q at almost every interview, BTW. Arguably, the schools can say that the Q just opens up the potential for a dialog regarding what the student is looking for in terms of fit - another way of asking why are you interested in ABC College, but I'm more than a bit cynical, I admit.</p>
<p>My DD didn't answer that question because she didnt want to unnecessarily hurt her chances to get accepted at some of her "reaches".</p>
<p>my didnt' answer because she wasn't sure</p>
<p>I think a better way to do this, if a school is indeed interested in yield, etc. is to include a postcard with no personal information on it and ask applicants to put in what schools, but to mail it seperately with no name, etc</p>
<p>bet they would get a better response that way</p>
<p>^^^ Excellent idea - I hope some admissions professionals are reading.</p>
<p>
Wow! That'd pay for all three of my kids, and then some!</p>
<p>Also, before answering "the question" check your high school's record with the college. If students from your hs were admitted and didn't enroll, the college may, understandably, be gun-shy. </p>
<p>Several yrs ago, UChicago admitted a number of students from a Riverdale day sch - - none of the students enrolled. The next yr, UChicago rejected all but one from that hs (even though the candidates from both yrs had similar stats).</p>
<p>This is a very common question - it was on a lot of the Common App supplements I looked at. You can leave it blank if it bothers you.</p>
<p>Schools claim they ask this question for marketing purposes, but I think they can also use it to determine your level of interest in their school (are they a clear safety? a clear reach? one of 15 schools you're applying to?)</p>
<p>My son answered truthfully at one of his safety schools; he applied to 6 schools and this one was clearly the 5th choosiest. They admitted him and offered him a position in their honors program and a hefty merit scholarship. </p>
<p>If this question bothers you, prepare your student that it is OFTEN asked in the interview. The two of you need to come up with a way to politely decline to answer the question, or be vague: "I'm applying to several schools that seem to be a good match for me. The reasons I think I'd be a great fit at THIS college are....."</p>
<p>You could quote chapter and verse from the Statement of Principles of Good Practice of the National Association for College Admission Counseling:</p>
<p>
<p>B. Admission, Financial Aid and Testing Policies and Procedures</p>
<p>Postsecondary members agree that they will:</p>
<ol> <li><p>accept full responsibility for admission and financial aid decisions and for proper notification of those decisions to candidates;</p></li> <li><p>not require candidates or the secondary schools to indicate the order of the candidates college or university preferences, except under Early Decision plans;
</p></li>
</ol>
<p>and once you have done that, you could say, based on whatever is the truth, "Not wanting this to be construed as a statement of my order of preference, I am applying to"</p>
<p>a) "other colleges that appear to offer some of the same features as your college"</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>b) "a varied list of colleges to ensure that I carefully consider what is the best fit between me and each college"</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>c) "major research universities in large cities" (or whatever summary characteristic applies to all colleges on your list)</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>d) "a list of colleges developed according to policies of my high school counseling office"</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>e) "[actual list] but this list should not be taken to be in preference order"</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>f) "a list of colleges that I would rather not mention here, so that we take extra care to follow NACAC principles of good practice."</p>
<p>Your own creativity can probably come up with some more choices. I do NOT see this question on many of the college application forms I have downloaded from the Web this year. So, following up on what I wrote earlier, I ask again, what are the colleges that actually ask this question on an application form or on a supplement to the Common Application?</p>
<p>Every app I filled out a few years ago had that question, and I ansewred and didn't care.</p>
<p>It's totally consist w/ the NACAC to ask for the list as long as the student is asked or directed to rank the schs in order of preference.</p>
<p>Also, not matter how artful, a dodge is a dodge and the candidate might not want to come off as evasive, flip or, worse still, hostile. Better to stick as close to the truth as possible. Listing a few comp schs w/ similar characteristics is probably safest. There may no graceful way out if the quest is posed during the interview at your uber-reach - - but face it, when the comm reads your file, they'll know the sch is a reach and if you listed or rattled off 4 other reach schs, you'll just come off looking foolish.</p>
<p>tokenadult, it was on the Stonehill College supplement. Possibly some others too, but I clearly remember Stonehill. And my son was asked that question in his interview with Lafayette and I think at Colby.</p>
<p>Thanks for the specific example. This year Stonehill asks, "To what other colleges are you applying?" giving space for up to eight names of colleges. </p>
<p>Oberlin also asks, "To what other colleges are you applying?" but leaves much less space for an answer. </p>
<p>I note that both of these colleges have a binding early decision option.</p>