Application - mentioning other schools applied?

[queenleblanc]

Hey folks,

I got to the part of the application that has a few open-ended questions. One of them asks whether you have or are applying to any other schools, and asks you to list their names. My thoughts:

1) Be honest and list my 6 schools/ applications because absolutely want to get in somewhere for Fall 2013,

or

2) Don't list it because I want them to think they are the only school I am interested in, and I don't want them thinking that I have alternatives (plus this is the top school on my list).

What are your thoughts on answering that question in the application? DId you answer it honestly or not, and did you see any results from that as far as acceptance, interview, etc?

[GandalfTheGrey]

I would go with option (1), if only because it's the most honest way to go. I was a little worried about that question at first, but then I realized that almost everyone applies to more than one school, and it's not exactly a secret. When admissions committees read applications, they are looking to select the applicants that are a best fit for their school - regardless of which other schools those applicants applied to. They are not going to say, "oh, look, Sally's a decent applicant, and only applied here, so we should accept her to make sure her dream of becoming an SLP comes true". If that school is your first choice, make it clear in your personal statement how much you want to go there, and more importantly, why they should want you. Attend info sessions, email a professor with a legitimate question that is not answered on their website, find ways to show that you are serious about going to their school.

The application process is stressful, but remember that it will be over soon. Unsolicited advice: I found it really helpful to read books that gave insight into the lives of people with disorders who seek SLP services - this helped me stay passionate about the profession in spite of the stress it was causing me at the time, and also helped me keep my focus on my long term goals rather than the OMGAPPLICATIONSDEADLINESCRAPIHATECSDCASAAHHHHHHHHHHHH.

[TakeruK]

Definitely (1). No school is going to say "well X is a good candidate for our school but they're applying to other places, let's not accept them!" If you're a good candidate then they want you! They are not asking to make sure you are their top choice, they are asking for either (a) statistical purposes (the Graduate School/Faculty might want to keep track of who chose their school over others and who didn't so the department might not even see this information, and/or ( gauging your likelihood of accepting an offer -- if they have 6 spots, they might accept 10 students who each have a 60% chance of accepting, for example.

(2) is the wrong way, in my opinion, to think about grad school apps. It's not going to help you if the school knows that you are their top choice, or that you have only applied to them. Why should that make you a stronger applicant? Having alternatives can work in your favour too -- a lower ranked school that want to compete with a higher ranked school for you might end up making you a better offer!

[Astrid Coleslaw]

That is insane! Why would a school ask that? I guess the best option would be to answer honestly - but make sure to emphasize that you say that THEIR school is your TOP school!

I might be tempted to trim the "safety" schools off that list too, but that is just me.

[TakeruK]

There's lots of good reason to ask that question, as mentioned above. I don't think you should always say that their school is your top school. For example, if you were applying to a Top 10 school and also a safety school, you shouldn't tell your safety school that they're your top choice -- it will probably be pretty obvious that you are lying. Just be honest, it won't hurt you -- again, there is no reason for a school to turn away a good student because they applied elsewhere. Schools are not jealous and to be blunt, there's plenty of other students they can recruit if we turn them down.

In addition, while I think being 100% honest on the schools you apply to is ideal, I think it's better to be a little bit vague when asked what is your top school (unless you already have a firm ranking in mind). You definitely don't want to be telling multiple schools that they are your first choice -- in some fields, profs talk to each other and your lie might be found out (although the information in your application is confidential, if you had met one of the profs at say, a conference, and you casually mentioned grad school stuff to them and then did the same thing with another prof from another school the next day....etc.).

When I was asked "where do our school rank in your list", I was honest but gave a somewhat vague answer. I said something like your school is in the top X schools but I look forward to visiting etc. to find the best fit.

[queenleblanc]

Thanks for the feedback, guys and gals! I did ultimately decide to list the schools where I am currently planning to apply. I agree that the question is odd -- only one other school asked a similar question (but did not ask to list the names of the schools). Whatever .... USC, my application is coming to you TODAY!!!! :-)

[queenleblanc]

And irony of ironies, I took two schools off the list after I did list them all ... oh well. Truth be told, I wonder if they were just looking to see how determined I am to make it into this program. :-)