Why is Tepper (CMU) asking what other schools I am applying to?

straightadmit
Mon, 26 Dec 2011 02:34:49 +0000

It is actually pretty common. The schools gauge their competition and get a sense of what a student thinks of their own competitiveness.

The “other schools you applied to” question is how adcoms tell how good you think you are. If your app is great and you apply to weak schools, they will compete to get you and the schools may treat you differently than other applicants. If your app is poor and you are applying to highly competitive programs that you have no chance at, you seem out of touch with reality and unprofessional. This scenario also means a school seriously considering you gains leverage in the financial aid decision. If you can’t possibly get into these other schools but we admit, any aid award could be lower because the student has fewer options. I doubt schools think it through this explicitly in general, but this kind of comparison happens when you answer that question.

Oh, when applicants answer “only this school”, it is taken as a positive sign of commitment if the qualifications are appropriate. Adcoms love to see that because it means a guaranteed yield (enrollment) if they admit.

I would expect this is an optional question and although schools really like to get this information, it is your choice to supply it.