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applications asking where else applying

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 12:57 pm
by braindrain
Does anyone know why every application asks where
else are you applying? Why do they want to know and
how do they interpret it?

Only one place said the reason they wanted to know was so they can schedule the open houses for accepted students, but I don't think that's the real reason.

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 1:05 pm
by Pchemist
I think they do so in order to gauge whether they are your reach, reasonable, or safety.

I don't think you ever want a program to believe you are their safety. Make sure your personal statement is consistent with what the departments are actually doing.

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 6:26 pm
by braindrain
Do you know what they are likely to assume if one say, left it
blank?

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 6:37 pm
by somebody
i highly doubt that an admissions decision is going to depend on where else you are applying, the best thing to do is just tell the truth i think.

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 2:02 am
by quizivex
Ah good question. Of course I woudln't know the answer, but I really wonder how they interpret such things.

School XYZ might not like being your safety, but the end, if you're a strong enough student such that XYZ is just a safety, how could they turn you down?

But I also wonder how the top schools regard it. For instance, if you only apply to one top school, they'll know you really want to go there, but if they see you're applying to all the top schools, they may think you just want to go to a top school, and they'll know they might not get to have you even if they accept you.

I mention this because I'm going to apply to mannnny places. Knowing some of the whimsical ways admissions people make decisions, I feel the need to play the number game. For example, I've written how I once got both an acceptance and a denial letter from the same REU program. The moral of that story is we really don't have much control over our academic future. All the more reason to apply to many places. But considering the 'where else are you applying' question, if applying to many places hurts our chances of getting in to each particular place, I don't know what to do.