Listing other grad schools you are applying to on applications

[db2290]

Hi all,

What are people's thoughts on declaring what other universities you are applying to? This strikes me as a little odd. I have two ideas about what to do:

- By declaring your other choices (inc. top schools) it will show your ambition as a candidate

OR

- They will think that you are spreading yourself thin and their university is one of many and perhaps not the 'ideal' fit.

I'd be interested to see what everyone thought

[rs_nucl]

I encountered this question in all my applications (CMU, MIT, Duke and WUSTL). It tends to be a standard question.

It probably is used by the university to evaluate its standing among other universities based on the calibre of students applying during the year.

[BrandNewName]

I agree that it's probably harmless, but I've decided against listing my other schools. My main interest could really be explored in either the literary realm or the more interdisciplinary cultural studies realm, so I am applying to some programs that seem quite different, but work for me in different ways. Maybe this is only a concern with humanities' applications, but I am concerned that in seeing the list of (mostly top 20) programs I am applying to, some admissions committees may think that I haven't done my homework or am just trying for the best of the best across the board regardless of fit. It's not the case, but I think listing my other programs might give them that impression. I've also heard from some people that if you are a strong candidate and they see the other programs you've applied to, they might think, "Hey, this guy is definitely going to get into School A and School B...and he'll definitely go there before he'll go here," and then they offer a spot to someone who they feel certain will attend. There is, of course, no evidence to back that up, but it seems pluasible enough that I've decided not to list my other schools in my applications.

[adaptations]

Here's another discussion onthe same topic that may be helpful: