"List the names of other schools you're applying to"

[Multicolormagic]

Hey there,

All of the schools I'm applying to for Humanities Ph.D. programs ask me to list what other schools I'm applying to. Am I required to tell them, and do schools actually care about this?  I can see that the school might want to know how it compares to other places I'm applying--i.e., is it a safety, a reach, etc. Honestly, I'm applying to top programs because they are top programs--I figure it's impossible from the applicant side of things to know all the details of how the program actually feels in terms of approach and style, and anyway I'm open to adjusting myself to any kinds of methodologies favored by particular departments if the caliber is high; so I'm applying to very different kinds of programs, and the ranking is the only common denominator. But I think when schools see this, they'll judge me for applying based on caliber, not on departmental approach. 

Related question, are there any conventions I should know about, for instance, when applying to one UC school, should I list that I'm applying to other UC schools too, or instead list East Coast schools and make it seem like I'm only applying to that one UC school? Should I list schools that are at the same ranking with each other, or try for a little bit of a mix? 

Thanks for the help!

[CozyD]

I feel like they may judge you on this and I also wonder if they might be right?

Like, I genuinely wonder if you'd actually be a good fit for all these places if you're not thinking more about fit at these places.

(I also like obviously don't know! I don't know you or anything about these programs!)

Edited November 13, 2019 by CozyD

[Multicolormagic]

Hey there, thanks for replying. Okay, about "fit," maybe I can explain this better...I have research interests based on my undergrad work, but I see can see those probably changing in grad school. I've ruled out certain programs because I'm not interested in any of their professors' interests, but usually I've just been looking for programs whose professors cover a wide distribution of interests, so that if I went there I could get a good grounding in each of the core areas of study in the field and have room to explore different options. In terms of department character, I think it's so hard to tell that from a website alone (need some insider info--how hands on are the advisors? etc.), and even when I do know certain things about various departments--like one is very large, and another is small--since I haven't been a grad student yet I don't know which my preference might be, and I can see positives to both. There are aspects of each program that I'm interested in, but it's not like I have one thing I'm interested in and then I'm looking only at schools that have that one thing. There are programs that have various things that fit better with my undergrad profile, so I feel like I may be a better candidate in the application process for them, but like I said, I think I'll probably change my focus in grad school from what I did as an undergrad, and so I'm not personally committed to only going to a school that specializes in that thing. So I'm applying to schools whose programs may be very different from each other, and there would be things I would like about any of them. I guess I'll just be truthful about where I'm applying and hope for the best!