<p>On all my apps, it asks me where else I am applying to. Why should I even fill this part out? From what I’ve read, it can only hurt you. So I honestly don’t see why I would fill this part out. In fact, wouldn’t it look better for me if I just leave it blank and give them the impression that I’m only considering that school?</p>
<p>It’s perfectly fine to leave this blank.</p>
<p>To be honest I don’t think it can hurt you. Based on what an admission’s committee member of a school in Boston told me, many schools ask for this in order to plan “dual” interviews with other schools that may close. For example, I know that Harvard and MIT tend to hold interviews at similar dates given the fact that both universities can easily interview the same candidate on the same day. Another example is Berkeley and Stanford: They are known to carry interviews within the same days so East Coast students don’t have to fly twice to the West Coast during interview session.</p>
<p>I’ve read and also had friends get declined to safety schools, but was accepted into the most selective schools in their field. They told me it was because the safety school knew they’d be getting in to the other schools and would enroll in one of those schools so accepting them would be pointless.</p>
<p>I don’t know too many programs that play yield games like that. After all, if the program “knows” you’ll enroll in a higher-ranked program, what’s the harm in accepting you? You won’t actually take up a spot in the entering class. The yield statistics aren’t published anywhere, so there’s not an incentive for programs to attempt to game them.</p>
<p>It’s because funding and slots are sometimes determined by yield. I’m actually reading a book by a very distinguished scholar in my field who knows of some programs that actually do this. He cited a specific example with a fake name: a mid-to-low ranked program in his field at a middling university who allots a certain number of fellowships/funding slots for ALL doctoral students across the university. If a potential student turns down their slot and they can’t find anyone to replace that student, then the department runs the risk of losing that funding slot to another department on campus. So, the senior scholar says, the program is strategic about who they accept - sometimes/often rejecting students who they think or know will have better prospects at better programs so that they can increase their yield and attempt to retain their funding slots.</p>
<p>Also, even though yield statistics aren’t published yield can still mess up a department’s game. If you accept too many students and more of them come than expected, then you might have a funding crisis (this happened in my department the year I entered) and have to scramble to find money. However, if you accept too few students, you may lose fellowship slots or money may have to be returned to granting agencies that is earmarked for GRAs. And due to the admissions schedule sometimes the student who turns you down cannot be replaced - what if they wait until April 15 to turn you down? Everyone else is making their decisions by April 15, and then you have to run around trying to find someone else - who may not be as competitive a candidate and may be further down your list than you want. Or you run the risk of just leaving that slot open.</p>
<p>So that’s why departments try to figure out where else you are applying. I’m betting that for well-funded, top-ranked departments this isn’t so much of a problem - they assume that you are applying to their peers and they also assume that at least some of their applicants are going to get into other places and turn them down, but it’s not as large a percentage. On the other hand, low- or mid-ranked programs do face the very real threat of an outstanding student treating their program like a “safety” program. That doesn’t mean that the student absolutely won’t get admitted, but if they have to choose between an excellent fit who will probably come and an outstanding student who’s a decent fit but probably also got admitted to the #1 school in the field, they may choose to decline them if money’s on the line.</p>
<p>I think it’s mainly that they don’t want to up with all the funding stuff. Some schools publish yield stats (e.g., Princeton).</p>
<p>What if I leave that section blank? Would that look bad?</p>
<p>what’s the point in applying to safety programs then?</p>
<p>I don’t understand why you think there’s no point in applying to safety schools by reading this thread.
You apply so you have a backup option.</p>
<p>“You apply so you have a backup option.”
Yes, you do. But if when they notice you’re much better than the average student there and you won’t enroll there most likely and that you’ve chosen there as your safety school, they’re going to reject you, then my question makes sense.</p>
<p>Not every school does that</p>
<p>You actually don’t apply to safety options for grad school. It doesn’t work the same way as undergrad - there are no “safety schools.” You apply to programs that match your interests and your achievements.</p>
<p>Oh and even for top schools, there’s still gaps between a school’s prestige and selectivity. One of my friends (engineering major) was declined at Cornell, but was accepted into Caltech and MIT with both internal&external fellowships awarded. His fit at Cornell was perfect. He’s certain it’s because Cornell didn’t think there was a point in accepting him since he was going to get accepted to all the other schools. His profile was by far the best I have ever seen, so there’s no way he got declined based on that.</p>