<p>@PhotographerMom, this is a timely post. I was just wondering about this question. I feel like this is a loaded question .(What other schools are you applying to?) Is there a good answer? We’re applying to 6 or 7 schools. We’ve chosen a wide variety, including one arts school and one single-sex school. How will that be viewed? Too many? Too varied? Would it be better to mention only a couple of schools?</p>
<p>@momonymous -We offered up two or three comparable schools that were on our list. </p>
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<p>In the interests of efficiency, boarding schools encourage applicants to use the boarding school form of just one school and give it out to your recommenders, etc. so they just use that form and submit it to ALL the schools. Of course, the name of the school is on the form and all the other schools see that. The schools say that it makes no difference, but certainly between rivalry schools it WILL and CAN make a huge difference. If, for example, you apply to Andover but happen to use the Exeter form (which Andover of course says they will accept), you have clearly tipped your hand as to which school you “prefer” (even though you may not, really). So, use the Exeter form at Andover and expect to get dinged. Potential cross-admits to both of these school will likely use a Hotchkiss or a Deefield form, which is far more anodyne, as the loss to these schools from Andover/Exeter is probably not so great. No one at Andover wants to admit a kid who Exeter admits and who then is likely to go to Exeter. Just human nature. So, at least with these two schools, don’t ever let them see you use the other’s forms. </p>
<p>@Makennacompton, I think this used to be the case. However, time marches on. I just checked; there are now 57 member schools at the Gatewaytoprepschools.com site, including many of the leading prep schools. Andover, Deerfield, Hotchkiss, Concord Academy, St. Mark’s, Groton, Berkshire, St. Paul’s, (etc.) They’re all on the Gateway to Prep Schools, and all the applications can be completed through the same portal.</p>
<p>The content of Gateway’s recommendation forms are identical to Exeter’s forms. </p>
<p>I’ll go out on a limb and say that it’s preferable to give your teachers the link to one (1) recommendation form to fill out (the Gateway to prep schools form) with instructions to file the identical (!) form separately on the Exeter online application, than to give a teacher multiple links to multiple forms.</p>
<p>Realistically, all Exeter could conclude from the use of the Gateway form is that you’re also applying to one or more of 57 other boarding schools. Exeter does not seem to care if you’ve applied elsewhere. (In my opinion.)</p>