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Admissions: "What other schools are you applying to?"
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Anonymous
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What do you suppose happens if you are evasive in answering this question, either in person or on the forms? By evasive I mean, not listing every school we may eventually apply to. I'm not sure about whether or not we'll apply to a couple of schools.
And, why do they need to know this information? |
Anonymous
| The school wants to know that you are applying to schools with similar phiilsophies, not prestige. |
Anonymous
| Yeah, right. PP. It is all a game and they all know each other... |
Anonymous
| Perhaps they want to get a sense of whether you will take their offer if accepted. Thus if you list a big three - and I use the term reluctantly and loosely - and a number of "hidden gems" perhaps the ADs are trying to suss out whether they are your first choice or a back up? |
Anonymous
| I did not answer the question and my child was accepted everywhere. I've never liked that question. |
Anonymous
Well, if you do this, and apply to Beauvoir, just know that you would be violating one of the critical Beauvoir Life Rules. Shame on you. |
Anonymous
| The ADs talk. |
Anonymous
| About every family--particularly run-of-the-mill families--in such detail? Seems unlikely. |
Anonymous
| OP, I was wondering the same thing as I looked at some of the application materials that that arrived today -- what did you end up doing? Anyone else have any feedback? |
Anonymous
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You need to be honest about your apps. It is information for them to see what the competition is as well as to help you eventually find a home. It is very true that all the ADs and their staffs talk with one another. They don't like subterfuge.
Additionally, if you are coming from another school, the admissions person there needs to know. She or he talks with them and something could slip. If you tell your school (a requirement) the complete list but don't share it with the new schools, they won't be happy. Honesty is always the best policy. You're sunk if the school gets an impression that you are hiding something. |
Anonymous
| The AD at one "progressive" school was absolutely horrified to hear we were also applying to a more traditional school. Whatever. Kid got into both. |
Anonymous
| Same here. We applied to both. Got into both. |
Anonymous
| I see no reason not to be open and forthcoming. If the information you provide is held against you, which I doubt, then that is a school you are better off not attending anyway. I think your choices indicate what types of education you are interested in and gives the schools useful information on who their competitors are. Once you have completed the tours and have had time to really consider all the options, it is totally okay to let an AD know if one school is definitely your number one choice ... just be honest about that information too. This should counteract any issue related to a school's worry over "yield" ... although the good schools don't really need to worry about that issue very much and they know it. |
Anonymous
| Many thanks to the PPs since I posted at 16:04. Great insight and advice! |