<p>This is a really awkward question for me to answer, especially friends who are in the same grade as me. If I told them I plan on applying to my dream school (reach), they would think I was a smart-a** who was full of herself. Also because I am paranoid about competition. I even told my guidance counselor that I was thinking only of ________(insert match school's name here) because I was afraid that she would have a bad opinon of me, that I was only think of the school's name and prestige. </p>
<p>Do you guys go right out and tell them? Or is my response similar to yours?
The biggest worry is that once you tell people, and then you get rejected, its going to be so humiliating.</p>
<p>I know what you mean. I really really really want to get into Stanford. Everyone knows me as the kid who always wears the Stanford clothing. But I don't have a great chance of getting in(does anybody?). We'll see what happens though.</p>
<p>Usually the questioners fall in 3 categories:</p>
<p>1) people who do not realize the stress they are causing but well
intentioned ....
2) Nosy, noisy pople
3) Other students who want to tell you where they applied</p>
<p>You might have a special list of colleges you do not like for </p>
<h1>2 but the others usually are fine with one of the responses</h1>
<p>below....</p>
<p>"Thinking through my short list" - okay response through October 31</p>
<p>"So many colleges so little time"- another response November and December</p>
<p>"the usual- need ot do more research" - yet another reply</p>
<p>One thing though never ever be dishonest with your GC; they are the
next best thng after family for your application process.</p>
<p>After December 15 if you got in EA, then
your EA colleges otherwise
"dont feel comfortable talking about this now.."</p>
<p>You could just state the schools, and if they're the reaches for everyone, you could quickly say something like, Yeah, but who knows... or something like that. Or you could just be honest and say it. I don't think it's that big a deal. I didn't have that problem, though, since I applied to schools like Swarthmore, UChicago, and Reed.</p>
<p>I just answered honestly. I trusted my friends so I just told them whatever and they did the same with me. </p>
<p>When it was someone that I wasn't so familiar with however, I sometimes just went, "Oh you know, UCs, and a few privates" or "I'm applying all over the country"</p>
<p>I made the mistake of telling my AP Stats class on the first day that I wanted to go to Stanford. Now the entire school knows me as the kid that wants to go to Stanford... I just avoid the question whenever anyone asks me where I'm applying now. If people continue to persue the question, like what happened at a lunch I was at the other day, I just tell them I don't know.</p>
<p>Fortunatley, I'm applying to small LACs (Swarthmore, Middlebury, Bowdoin, etc.) that no one at my small school has ever heard of. So I just tell them, and then they forget and ask me later, and I tell them again. Occasionally someone will have heard of them though, and then it can be a bit awkward, but most people here are uniformed enough that they think I can get in wherever I apply, so it's not an issue.</p>
<p>^ what is the matter with you guys? so you dont look stupid? like it makes any difference not feeling stupid for being rejected to your dream school with no else knowing. so what if people in your school know you want to attend University X? does it matter? i dont see the harm when everyone at my school knows where i want to go because it doesnt matter if i get accepted in or not.</p>
<p>We're addressing this issue in my family because my daughter has a classmate whose mother is a psycho-stalker (really). Her answer to everyone is: I've picked a list of schools that I'm excited about and I'll let you know as soon as my decision is made! Delivered with great energy and excitement.</p>
<p>Oh it is so taboo to even ask around here. Of course I didn't know that in previous years so sometimes we out of touch grown-ups ask 1) for ideas for our kids to look at (if they are younger) and 2) it's just an icebreaker- something to talk about.</p>
<p>But around here the (humble and private ones) will say their safty (state U)</p>
<p>And to all of the grown-ups that ask me (the mom) I'm just going to say that my kids asked that I not talk about it. Anyone who presses after that deserves the none of your buisness response.</p>
<p>^ yeah thats creepy. if its peer to peer among students sharing their college aspirations thats fine but an adult trying to do that is kinda stalkerish.</p>
<p>I was an average student in high school, so when people asked I would try my best to deadpan "oh, you know, just run-of-the-mill places...Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, nothing exciting"</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses (even though I didn't create the thread). This will help me a lot. I really want to keep my application process private, so the responses in the second post will be used!</p>
<p>And TheBlackLantern, when you are in an environment/group of friends where you are expected to get into a school that has an admissions rate of less than 15%, you're just asking for it by shouting your top choices on the mountaintops. For some, the thought of that embarrassment is very troubling. I know it is to me.</p>
<p>Haha yeah I feel you..
Friends - "What schools are you applying to?"
Me - "uhmm..a couple in the west coast and some in the east"
meaning Stanford, UCB, and the Ivies hahaha. I don't actually say them though</p>