Jump to content

Should you tell a program where else you've gotten interviews if they ask?


svh

Recommended Posts

Hey all,

I just had a phone interview with a school, and they asked me where else I've been accepted/interviewed (and qualified with, you don't have to answer if you don't want to). In the moment, I just told them. What are people's thoughts on this?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't see why it'd be a big deal. It's likely they have some clue anyway since professors talk to their friends.

True story: I applied to a half dozen PhD programs. There was one that I hadn't heard from (they are notorious for waiting until the end of March to send out acceptances), we'll call it School X. There was a prof from another school (School Y) visiting my MA program and we ended up talking about where I'd been accepted over beer along with another professor friend of his that teaches at my MA school. Now, the POI at School X, Y School visiting prof, and my MA program prof are all friends and drinking buddies. So they decided to call my POI to find out about admissions. Yes, literally, they called him while I was sitting there. I am freaking out while holding a cocktail in my had. Luckily, the POI didn't answer.

Another true story: The same professor from my MA program? He called me into his office one day to tell me that I'd be hearing from a school very soon. Turns out, I'd been accepted but, before that happened, his friend (at the school I applied to) called him and told him this.

So telling them yourself? Probably not going to be any worse than the things they do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't see why it'd be a big deal. It's likely they have some clue anyway since professors talk to their friends.

True story: I applied to a half dozen PhD programs. There was one that I hadn't heard from (they are notorious for waiting until the end of March to send out acceptances), we'll call it School X. There was a prof from another school (School Y) visiting my MA program and we ended up talking about where I'd been accepted over beer along with another professor friend of his that teaches at my MA school. Now, the POI at School X, Y School visiting prof, and my MA program prof are all friends and drinking buddies. So they decided to call my POI to find out about admissions. Yes, literally, they called him while I was sitting there. I am freaking out while holding a cocktail in my had. Luckily, the POI didn't answer.

Another true story: The same professor from my MA program? He called me into his office one day to tell me that I'd be hearing from a school very soon. Turns out, I'd been accepted but, before that happened, his friend (at the school I applied to) called him and told him this.

So telling them yourself? Probably not going to be any worse than the things they do.

Those are awesome stories. I suppose my concern is that they'll think that since I got these other offers, they'll reject me and take on someone else who seems more likely to attend their school. But it'd be really weird to say, "no, I won't tell you," to a prof when they ask the question...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've often wondered about this myself. So far during my interviews, no one has asked me about the other schools I've been accepted at. However, I don't know if this is the case with everyone, but most of the schools to which I applied actually asked you to list other programs to which you've applied ON THE APPLICATION. So most of the committees do probably already know at least to where else we've applied and, maybe where we've been accepted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

svh, I guess I left out an important part of those stories. I was applying to my MA program to do my PhD there and hadn't heard about admissions yet (internal applicants go through a ridiculous process to get in there and actually need far more votes than normal applicants do). My MA program admitted me, even though they knew about acceptances I'd gotten to other places. Hell, they (my three recommenders plus other profs whose class I was taking or had gotten to know well) knew I was visiting other places while they hadn't even looked at my application yet.

Seriously, people, it's not the end of the world for them to know that you've applied to other places. It shows that you think of yourself as an attractive candidate and they should too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Msafri, I had similar thing occur a few days ago. My "mentor" teaches at a few universities around the DC area and she told me over dinner that she mentioned to the admissions coordinator at another school that I'd been offered a full ride elsewhere and now THAT prof was in a tizzy....

Okay....?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I asked a mentor about this, since I'm juggling an interview at one program and an accepted-student visit at another on the same day. He said I shouldn't hold back from letting the interview school know I'm already being wooed somewhere else, because (according to him), it will make me seem more attractive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just tell them (if they ask; some profs are just curious, others want to know who they're up against).

If the school is good (in comparison to the others you're looking at), why would they "give up" on you so quickly if they feel they can successfully compete for you?

And if the school is bad (and you have offers from better places), you're probably a "big fish" for them and they'll be reluctant to cut loose such a promising student.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just had a short phone interview with a Professor I'm very very interested in working with and he asked me what the situation with my other applications were, so that he could decide the number of offers he should hand out.

I told him all the schools I'd applied to and that I'd barely heard from anyone else yet and even if I had heard from all other places, this particular school was very very high on my list, basically due to research fit. He told me that I would indeed have a difficult time choosing between all the schools I'd applied to and he was very nice about it..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello all, this is the OP. Thank you all for the input. I'm just writing to update. The school that asked me about other places I've been accepted and got interviews has just waitlisted me. I don't know why I was waitlisted. But like I said, they asked me about the other schools, and at the time, I had been accepted into OSU. OSU is really close to this school and is a far better program (ranked #2 in social psych), so I wonder if that had any impact... I can't say for sure though, and I may have been waitlisted for a number of reasons. Thoughts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I see absolutely no reason why you can't be honest about this. I had a grad school interview in which I was asked what other schools I applied to (they even took the time to write them down!). From what I could sense, they wanted to know who they were up against. The person interviewing told me that I am a very strong candidate and felt that I would probably get interviews from these other schools, as well, adding that "You're going to have to make some decisions here." I don't doubt that schools talk to each other about the status of their applicants, as well. The world of academia is small. The interviewer happened to know the professor who wrote my ROI; this professor happens to be the director of the master's program at my alma mater. He asked me why I did not apply to this program ( the reason being that it wasnt a good fit for my interests), probably more as a test, but I imagine he wanted to gossip a bit with the guy who wrote my ROI, and this is the other reason he asked. I think the lesson here is that you need to be honest when asked this question, because you never know who knows who in your field. i

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was applying to MA programs and was asked that question, I just responded with "I do have other offers". You don't have to say exactly where, but it is okay to be honest and tell them if you do.

Also from my own experience, if you are torn between two schools you can use the "other offer" to try to negotiate things like funding/stipend, accepting coursework, etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All of my profs (I am currently finishing a terminal master's program) have told me that fielding multiple offers is a great way to bargain for a better funding package. I have been accepted to my top choice school, as well as my "safety" school and have been invited to visitor's weekend for an interview at another very good program. I have no intention of telling my top choice that they are just that, and hopefully will be able to negotiate a better package. I have a friend who was able to do just that with the program she is currently attending. They really wanted her, so when they knew that other schools were courting her they upped her funding majorly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All of my profs (I am currently finishing a terminal master's program) have told me that fielding multiple offers is a great way to bargain for a better funding package. I have been accepted to my top choice school, as well as my "safety" school and have been invited to visitor's weekend for an interview at another very good program. I have no intention of telling my top choice that they are just that, and hopefully will be able to negotiate a better package. I have a friend who was able to do just that with the program she is currently attending. They really wanted her, so when they knew that other schools were courting her they upped her funding majorly.

How would you go about doing that without coming off badly? The thing I keep thinking about is that when you are actually attending in the Fall, they may already have a bad impression of you...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've often wondered about this myself. So far during my interviews, no one has asked me about the other schools I've been accepted at. However, I don't know if this is the case with everyone, but most of the schools to which I applied actually asked you to list other programs to which you've applied ON THE APPLICATION. So most of the committees do probably already know at least to where else we've applied and, maybe where we've been accepted.

Yep and professors read those lists of schools. A POI emailed me about just how his program was better than others on my list complete with gossip about potential POIs at those schools.

I have not been strictly asked about my acceptances, but in emails I have explained that I am excited about x offer/interview, but I do not expect to make a decision until after I visit universities. They all know that this is a huge commitment. If I am asked, I would answer honestly though. My field is small and I am sure that they speak to one another.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a friend already attending a program I've applied to & it somehow came up in a conversation between him & his advisor that I'd been accepted by UW Madison. And the professor remarked, "Oh that's odd, there's an applicant to our program with the same name & from the same city as you. She has a strong application, too." Yep, same person -- me! Wow, I felt weird hearing that. Hah. I don't think it'll reflect badly on me; I hope not at least.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have no intention of telling my top choice that they are just that, and hopefully will be able to negotiate a better package. I have a friend who was able to do just that with the program she is currently attending. They really wanted her, so when they knew that other schools were courting her they upped her funding majorly.

Whether or not this works varies a great deal by program. Several of the departments I applied to explicitly give everyone the same funding package, so there is no room to bargain for a better package whatsoever.

That said, it's really not about the money at the end of the day. I turned down three financial packages that were better than the one I took (one that was $7K/year more) because, at the end of the day, having a well-known supervisor with an excellent track record with his graduate students matters more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How would you go about doing that without coming off badly? The thing I keep thinking about is that when you are actually attending in the Fall, they may already have a bad impression of you...

Honestly, I don't think it's a matter of saying "well so-and-so are offering me this so if you offer me this..." as much as them just knowing that another school wants you. I wouldn't *ask* for something in particular, but if a program really wants you (I was a top two applicant to one school I've been accepted to) they may be more likely to try and make you a nicer offer - literally court you - to keep you from going somewhere else. I know that's what happened with my friend, they ended up giving her extra money for housing in addition to her stipend to keep her from going elsewhere. But no, I wouldn't out right make demands, but letting them know that you have other offers is usually a good move I would think.

But I agree with the other poster about money not being the most important thing. While my above mentioned friend did get the best financial package at the school she's currently attending, she has not had a very good experience there thus far and is looking to transfer somewhere else. So at the end of the day, it's about where the best fit is for you. Although having schools compete for you is a lovely ego boost! Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Honestly, I don't think it's a matter of saying "well so-and-so are offering me this so if you offer me this..." as much as them just knowing that another school wants you. I wouldn't *ask* for something in particular, but if a program really wants you (I was a top two applicant to one school I've been accepted to) they may be more likely to try and make you a nicer offer - literally court you - to keep you from going somewhere else. I know that's what happened with my friend, they ended up giving her extra money for housing in addition to her stipend to keep her from going elsewhere. But no, I wouldn't out right make demands, but letting them know that you have other offers is usually a good move I would think.

But I agree with the other poster about money not being the most important thing. While my above mentioned friend did get the best financial package at the school she's currently attending, she has not had a very good experience there thus far and is looking to transfer somewhere else. So at the end of the day, it's about where the best fit is for you. Although having schools compete for you is a lovely ego boost! Good luck!

Do you think you can do this with master's programs as well or does it only work for Ph.D. programs because they are so much more selective?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use