"a list of other schools that you are applying to is most helpful to the department, although it is not required"

[Loric]

And adults should be able to handle being told they're wrong and not coddled.

[silver_lining]

I am applying very broadly, so if the question is  asked on the application form, I've been listing peer institutions. In cases where the school is the lowest ranked one, I ignored the question as it is optional. Of course, I am just an applicant, so what do I know? If I were applying to UNC, I wouldn't even bother with the list because I would feel guilty about giving their secretary more work to do, since that is who you are emailing, correct? 

Overall, I don't think it matters. I am fairly sure adcom members, once they read your SoP and see your GRE scores, will be able to easily figure out which other schools you are applying to. I wouldn't worry about this issue at all. 

Edited November 25, 2013 by luckyducky

[gradcafe26]

“I am fairly sure adcom members, once they read your SoP and see your GRE scores, will be able to easily figure out which other schools you are applying to.”

Makes sense, thanks.

[jazzrap]

Any other suggestions? I'm sure it would be helpful to many applicants this year.

Suppose the school list does somehow affect admission, what is our optimal strategy?

For instance 10 schools on my school list, ordered by ranking: 1,2,3,4,X,5,6,7,8,9.

Program x asks for my school list, I should

a. ignore the question

b. give them the full list

c. something like 1,2,3,4,X

d. something like X,5,6,7,8

e. something like 3,4,X,5,6

f. (from TheGnome) a sample of schools that you are applying to - one or two higher ranked, X, and one or two lower ranked.

g. ???

Guys, everyone in this post, I would like to draw everybody's attention to this.

 

I have not found any program that asks applicants what programs they apply to, but only programs that ask us what OTHER programs we apply to. So it looks like there is no ranking issue. Say, school A asks me what other programs I am applying to, of course, any sensible answer will not include the name of A. This is because school A asks what OTHER programs I am applying to. What do you guys think? 

[jazzrap]

Any other suggestions? I'm sure it would be helpful to many applicants this year.

Suppose the school list does somehow affect admission, what is our optimal strategy?

For instance 10 schools on my school list, ordered by ranking: 1,2,3,4,X,5,6,7,8,9.

Program x asks for my school list, I should

a. ignore the question

b. give them the full list

c. something like 1,2,3,4,X

d. something like X,5,6,7,8

e. something like 3,4,X,5,6

f. (from TheGnome) a sample of schools that you are applying to - one or two higher ranked, X, and one or two lower ranked.

g. ???

Okay, to make myself clear, we don't need to worry about where to put the program in question in any list we are going to provide, because we only need to list the schools other than that program in question. 

[gradcafe26]

Of course you don't include X in the list you give X. The previous comment that "don't put X at the end of the list you provide them" confused me a bit as well, but I thought that was an obvious misunderstanding and ignored it. Aside from that, the question remains the same.

[Loric]

Of course you don't include X in the list you give X. The previous comment that "don't put X at the end of the list you provide them" confused me a bit as well, but I thought that was an obvious misunderstanding and ignored it. Aside from that, the question remains the same.

 

Some do say "list your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice schools" or other things that are asking you for an inclusive list.

[Sigaba]

Thanks for all the inputs here. I can't agree with #7, because at least for UNC, they ask you to send your school list to the DEPT in a SEPARATE email. So it matters for the dept (thus admission?), but I just don't know how.

Let me divert the conversation a bit: suppose the school list does somehow affect admission, what is our optimal strategy?

For instance 10 schools on my school list, ordered by ranking: 1,2,3,4,X,5,6,7,8,9.

Program x asks for my school list, I should

a. ignore the question

b. give them the full list

c. something like 1,2,3,4,X

d. something like X,5,6,7,8

e. something like 3,4,X,5,6

f. ?

 

I'm going to drift out of my lane for a bit to throw in two cents.

 

I work for an engineering consultancy.  Among our clients are colleges and universities. Many (read: most) of these institutions bench mark themselves against comparable institutions. This academic eyeballing is a way of keeping up with the Joneses although what is being compared doesn't always make sense to outsiders. From this practice, I'm inclined to believe questions like "Where else are you applying?" is a form of marketing research and not a cause for alarm. (For those of you who gain admission to schools that ask such questions, you could let the Powers That Be know the questions freak out applicants.)

 

IRT the specific situation framed by the OP, I ask, why not list the schools alphabetically, either by school name or by city/state?

 

@Loric, you've been in a bit of a tailspin the last week or so. How about giving yourself a break, cooling off for a while, and coming back strong when you've got it together again? (At the very least, stop digging yourself deeper into the holes you've started and stop giving guidance on matters that are beyond your expertise and your experience.)

[TakeruK]

I work for an engineering consultancy.  Among our clients are colleges and universities. Many (read: most) of these institutions bench mark themselves against comparable institutions. This academic eyeballing is a way of keeping up with the Joneses although what is being compared doesn't always make sense to outsiders. From this practice, I'm inclined to believe questions like "Where else are you applying?" is a form of marketing research and not a cause for alarm. (For those of you who gain admission to schools that ask such questions, you could let the Powers That Be know the questions freak out applicants.)

 

Just want to say that I have talked to profs about these questions and their answer would also indicate this is the case! They also mention that if they get a really good candidate but the person has listed Top Ranking Schools amongst their competitors, then they know that it's less likely the person will accept and that helps them plan how many offers to make -- that is if they want an incoming class of e.g. 5, they might want to make 15-20 offers to people who are likely to get into better schools as well, or maybe only 8-10 offers to people who are likely to get into equally ranked schools, or some combination in between. I don't see a good reason for a school to reject an applicant that would normally get in just because they have interests in other programs. 

 

Unless of course, all these answers I got from the Powers That Be are all part of their secret conspiracy to freak out applicants as much as possible!!