Doesn’t Rice already ask this question? I haven’t seen their Common Application supplement form, but I know it appears on their Universal Application supplement form.
See question 19 on this page: https://futureowls.rice.edu/uploadedFiles/Future_Owls/UCAFreshmanSupp.pdf
I was completely disgusted that some of my son’s applied-to colleges asked this question, and it feels a big invasion of privacy. He did end up getting into his top choice, but I am sickened by the opaqueness of the entire process. It reminds me of years ago when I interviewed for a much-wanted job along with many other VERY highly qualified candidates. I was told that I was 1 of 2 finalists. The other person was an African-American, lesbian, Vietnam vet disabled individual. We were both fully qualified for the job. I got it, and was told afterward by a colleague that the manager had to fight HR to give it to me, and that the reason she’d wanted me to have the job was that I was young, single, attractive, personable, and she wanted a companion to go bar-hopping with to hunt for men. I was appalled on several levels.
Just write “undecided.”
A related article: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/04/23/admissions-leaders-question-ethics-common-applications-new-question
" The other person was an African-American, lesbian, Vietnam vet disabled individual…"
LOL - (and the rest of the post)…
The whole idea is very odd - there are kids who apply to very varied schools - my son applied to two engineering schools and one university. His top choice (before that idea crashed and burned) was an Ivy, very much a university. He will be using some of the pros of the EA school that accepted him (required co-op) to inform what he is doing at his ED school.
Then again, wouldn’t the net effect of this annoying question be more kids applying ED or SCEA and then they don’t have to say anything at all?
Or kids would apply to colleges in order of prestige = apply to Harvard, then apply to Yale and say “and I applied to Harvard” and then apply to Princeton and say “and I applied to Harvard and Yale” until you get down the list to local county college and tell them “I applied to Harvard, Yale, Princeton…Big State, Little State, Podunk State, … Local JUCO - but really, I’m considering your school!”.
I think it’s out of line to ask an applicant what other schools he/she is considering. I don’t see any upside for the applicant, only additional information that a college may use to its advantage, which is probably not in the applicant’s best interest. Aren’t we already revealing enough of our personal thoughts to others who use that information for their own good, not ours?
If I am shopping for a toaster, a car, or a house and the salesman asks me where else have I been shopping, the answer is the same: none of your business!
Agree with the thoughtful posts about the asymmetry involved if colleges asked that question. I think I would counsel my child to either write “undecided” or, if that seemed too cheeky or risky, to name at most 3 or 4 other schools.
As long as the question wasn’t “Please list ALL other schools to which you are applying” I would feel fine if she gave a partial list.
I agree that disclosing where else you’re applying is properly none of the college’s business (at least until you start shopping FA awards!). But I’m not as bothered by the college that asks “why did you end up choosing them over us” after the applicant rejects the college. That gives the rejected college useful information that may help them improve their offering for future applicants, which strikes me a a positive thing all around.
Yep, out-of-bounds question. I’m a 2016er.
I’ve always worried about being asked “where else are you applying?” at an interview. I’d give a partial truth and avoid naming any same-tier, competitor schools. It’s a hard question to “win” on, for the applicant. And if they decide to ask me for a list of ALL the colleges I’m applying to… well, you’re getting a list, Nosy College X, but I’m definitely not saying I won’t change my mind after I submit the list.
I don’t see how they would hold us accountable for our answers, in other words.
As I recall, when I applied back in the typewriter-on-paper days (the 80s, in my case), there were a number of schools that included this question, and I hated it then. I hate it even more now.
If this goes into effect for my oldest (class of 2017), who will for a number of reasons most likely be applying to schools ranging from a couple of public flagships to a handful of small LACs to a safety or two, I’ll suggest to her that she either list “undecided” or, possibly, just make a list up so that the schools asking it get really bad data to base future decisions off of.
Rice asked this question when I applied, and it left a bad taste in my mouth.
A major reason why kids apply to a dozen or more schools is to compare aid packages. What happens when kids get rejected from financial safeties or top choices because a school thinks “Gee, this kid applied to so many schools, they likely aren’t coming here anyway.” This seems to me like yet another method, whether intentional or not, to weed out kids with financial issues from the pool.
If you’re really uncomfortable with sharing what colleges you are applying to, you might want to consider which ones actually fit you… I’m not going to be ashamed of saying I’m applying to MIT, lol XD
@Newdle Being “uncomfortable” with the colleges you’re applying to is not the issue. Being rejected from financial safeties because they want to protect their yield and being left with no affordable options is the issue.
@Qwerty568 I know that’s the main issue, but… I think many students tend to think, “I don’t want to tell them I’m applying to X, Y, and Z college because it’d seem like I’m looking for prestige.” I even know people personally who’ve said that. Of course, safeties rejecting students for the reason you cite is a scary thought; I’m not trying to disregard it–just trying to toss in another perspective.
I’m a HS senior who just finished going through the admissions process.
I just want to add that I do dislike the idea of colleges asking this question. I actually had 1 college (safety school) ask me this on the Common App. I stressed and stressed over this and I almost didn’t apply to the school, because I applied to 6 other schools (many of them top tier private schools and LACs). To add to OP, I was also very concerned about receiving adequate financial aid. Anyway, I sucked it up and answered the question.
In the end, though I dislike the question, I don’t think it matters that much because the school offered me a $120,000 scholarship.
I m a college student, and that was one of the questions I really disliked; Uchicago, Pomona and Rice asked me these questions.
@Sally_Rubenstone however, if applicants wants to lie about priority, will the schools find out>?
A couple of my D’s applications asked this and we answered only with the nearby state flagship. It’s an invasive question.
That would be exactly the worst way to answer the question if one were trying to “game” it. Someone “gaming” the question at X College would list similar selectivity peers of X College (to show competition to try to draw merit money) and various schools less selective than X College that appear to be safeties. The worst thing to do would be to list all colleges more selective than X College, making X College look like the “safety”.
True… though other types of “level of applicant’s interest” can also have that effect. Not every student has the money to visit a non-local college before applying. Those in mostly low income high schools may not have counselors aware enough of college admission intricacies to remind them to show interest in various ways to those colleges which use that as a criterion.
Of course, other admission criteria can also have that effect, such as higher emphasis on test scores, requiring recommendations and other additional items, using CSS Profile instead of just FAFSA, being impressed by expensive extracurriculars more than work experience, etc…
As a practical matter, if a school asks this question, and its common data set or admissions entry on http://www.collegedata.com indicates that it considers “level of applicant’s interest”, do not consider it to be a “safety” unless it has an automatic-for-stats admission (and scholarship if necessary to afford it) that you qualify for. Use of “level of applicant’s interest” is usually an indicator that the school does not want to be used as a “safety”.
@paul2752-
Colleges could never find out if a student were to report false priorities because priorities can shift in a heartbeat. For instance, even a list that is reported honestly in October may change by December. My own son shuffled his college-preference deck several times during the course of a year and also periodically reported “ties” between two target schools. And sometimes (perhaps even often), the college that the student ultimately selects is not really his or her top choice because finances (or, occasionally, another factor) drove the decision.
But when an application asks, “Where else are you applying?” and the student responds with an inaccurate or incomplete list, the college folks may indeed see the real list if that student is also submitting financial aid forms that include it.
I typically tell seniors, when faced with that question, to provide a brief, partial (and legit) list of target schools along with a phrase such as “Still a work in progress” or “Not decided yet.”