This is from SUNY Geneseo’s required supplemental application. How do I approach this question? I don’t want them to know that they’re my safety school. Do I have to list ALL of the schools? Would it be considered lying if I left it blank or didn’t give a full list? Do they have any way of checking where I applied to? Thanks.
No you are not obligated to provide a full list. Just list some other comparable schools that you are considering and indicate that you have not finalized your list yet. No they have no way of checking where else you applied.
No need to give any more information that you want on this question. I would probably include any other SUNY schools you apply to down in the unlikely event that they cross-check but other than that you can just put a couple of peer institutions and a safety down.
This is just for their own statistical purposes. They want to know what other places their applicants are also interested in.
It is perfectly OK for you to leave the space blank. You aren’t obligated at all to share that kind of information with anyone.
I just wrote “I plan on applying to 5 to 7 other schools that also have a strong ______ department.”
That is a great idea.^ I would not, under any circumstances, list very selective or more selective schools than that particular institution.