<p>On some applications they'll ask how many other schools you're applying to and sometimes they'll even ask for names. Why?</p>
<p>I am not certain…sometimes it is for statitical purposes, but they could use it for admissions decisions. My son’s school often counsels against filling in this information.</p>
<p>Which schools actually do this?</p>
<p>^^Ask for what other schools you’re applying to or counsels against answering the question?</p>
<p>My application to Oberlin requires this…but only 100 char limit. So I put down the schools of the least-caliber on it =P</p>
<p>Pomona asks for it. So im really inclined to not tell them I’m also applying to Claremont McKenna</p>
<p>Rice does too, I think, but it’s optional so I’m leaving it blank.</p>
<p>The first thing to come to my mind for why they ask would be Tufts Syndrome, but that’s just a guess.</p>
<p>I’m not sure what the Tufts Syndrome is, but it’s also for a ranking purpose.
Basically, if <em>insert not so good college here</em> sees that you are applying for Harvard, they probably will reject you even if you are an outstanding candidate.</p>
<p>The number of students that accept admissions affect college rankings.</p>
<p>Aright, very good. Dont fill em in :)</p>
<p>That was my first thought - they get an idea of where youre likely to go, don bother saving a spot if you have better matches/possible reaches.</p>
<p>There would be no reason for them to not believe you were only applying to their university, however foolish it is in principle. Maybe they’d see you as extra-keen, steadfast on going to their university - ergo a positive result! Otherwise you could fib, and put a couple of lesser universities in. Unless they know if you’re lying…</p>
<p>I asked this same question on the fine arts blog and had a much more responsible answer from the CC community. Don’t lie. Ever. You can choose not to answer it if you feel it isn’t discriminating. However, a list of reaches and safeties with strong departments in the areas you are interested in will show that you have a reasonable approach to your application process. If a school sees that you applied for their engineering school, GaTech, and VaTech but also applied to Oberlin and Reed it may make them wonder if you are a bit confused about your goals. So, even if a kid applies to Yale, RISD, for art, the "lower-tier"art schools are not going to waitlist or deny him entry just because they realize that he is likely to take Yale or RISD over their school. The stats for entering in Yale and RISD are so low that they should just assume there is a good chance he will enroll if accepted in their school.</p>
<p>Both my kids filled out those fields completely for each school that asked with no adverse effects. Their only rejections were from extreme reaches. If the above arguments that you will be rejected based on this information then my kids would have had very different results.</p>
<p>S’s acceptances - Upenn, Cornell, Tufts, WPI, RPI, Norwich, Northeastern, (I’m blanking on the last one) - graduated from Tufts</p>
<p>D’s acceptances - Harvard, Bates, Bowdoin, Brandies, BC, BU, WPI, RPI - attending Harvard</p>
<p>An adcom dean told me that they record the info only for broad statistical purposes, ignoring it for individual applicants.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That’s Tufts Syndrome. Turning down top applicants who you didn’t have a snowball’s chance of getting anyway so that they go to their friends and say “Wow - Tufts must be popular! I got into several Ivies but they turned me down!”</p>
<p>It’s none of their business; they should make their admission decisions based on the info in your app, not on their guess about where you might enroll. If colleges just wanted this for “statistics purposes” they could send you a form to return anonymously. Schools want this info in advance for 2 reasons: Tufts syndrome and financial aid. </p>
<p>The 1st is to keep yield high; if a school sees you’re applying to better-liked competitors and estimates you have good shot, they may deny you because they figure you’ll turn them down anyway. Some schools really want to “see the love” and are offended if you even talk of their higher-ranked competitors in interviews. As for the money, anyone who’s been thru the process will tell you that FA packages can differ <em>substantially</em> between colleges. As you learn about the process you’ll find out that the FA package is part of the wooing process; if there’s a student a college really wants they can sway them with a sweeter pkg (fewer loans, lower EFC estimate, etc). On the other hand, if a college detects from the list you’ve supplied them that they are your reach school, they may very will figure that you’d be willing to pay more to go there and reduce your pkg. </p>
<p>As to fineartsmajormom’s point about the confused applicant, if the admission process is so broken at some schools that they can only make a decision when they know where else you’ve applied then they have some serious issues.</p>
<p>Schools practice Tufts when they want to drive down the stats of the class, when they’re trying to eliminate their top prospects. It’s surprising how many schools think their students are too strong. ;)</p>
<p>Nearly all of my 10 schools schools ask for it on their supplement to the Common App. I’m leaving it blank for everyone.</p>