Mention other universities- yes/no?

[bluehorse]

Hello!
One of the clinical doctorate program has asked in the application the names of the other universities to which I'll be applying to. Should I mention their names or state none? Thank you!

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[Indiana_Jane]

Is this an APA-accredited program?

 

[bluehorse]

Is this an APA-accredited program?

Yes, an APA- accredited PsyD in clinical psy program.

 

[psych.meout]

Is this an APA-accredited program?

You'd be surprised at how many accredited programs ask this kind of thing. At one interview, the DCT asked me to not only list which programs offered me interviews, but for me to rank them with their program.

 

[Indiana_Jane]

You'd be surprised at how many accredited programs ask this kind of thing. At one interview, the DCT asked me to not only list which programs offered me interviews, but for me to rank them with their program.

I don’t doubt it! I was just curious. I was asked some unusual questions at interview, but not during the application process.

 

[bluehorse]

You'd be surprised at how many accredited programs ask this kind of thing. At one interview, the DCT asked me to not only list which programs offered me interviews, but for me to rank them with their program.

Oh my! I am a bit tensed...I hope it doesn't affect my admission. Should I mention the other ones in the application?

 

[bluehorse]

I don’t doubt it! I was just curious. I was asked some unusual questions at interview, but not during the application process.

They have asked in the application. Should I mention?

 

[psych.meout]

I don’t doubt it! I was just curious. I was asked some unusual questions at interview, but not during the application process.

Other programs (I think University of Alabama was one, but it's been so long since I applied) asked me to list other programs to which I was applying on their application forms.

 

[Indiana_Jane]

They have asked in the application. Should I mention?

Hopefully those with more experience can chime in here with their advice. I didn’t have this experience (I applied to ~ 15 fully-funded PhD programs) so I’ll defer to those with more sage advice . I could see where not responding could be viewed negatively if it’s de rigueur.

 

[MiniLop]

My understanding (per the DCT of my program) of this practice is that they're checking how consistent you are. For example, if you're saying in your application material that you're interested in an academic path, but then you list yourself as applying to a bunch of PsyDs, that might be a red flag. Are you applying to programs that have labs with similar research foci, or are you all over the place? Still seems kinda intrusive to me, but supposedly that's the purpose.

 

[R. Matey]

I applied to 12 funded Ph.D. programs. That never happened to me.

 

[Temperance]

I applied to fully-funded Ph.D. programs and had two ask me to list other universities to which I had applied. I chose to list five that were similar in training model and research focus, but I don't know that it mattered. Ultimately, people know you're applying to 10-15+ programs anyway.

 

[Justanothergrad]

I wouldn't. Or selectively list a few similar schools.

Frankly, this is stupid and has nothing to do with competitiveness of an applicant. there is a lot to decisions about where to apply. while this may not represent a POI, it tells me about the culture of a place. If they asked me on interview i would probably ask how they have used that to make admission decisions. Asking someone to rank your program is... weird and problematic in my eyes. It demonstrates a clear lack of awareness about power differentials or boundaries.

 

[singasongofjoy]

I wouldn't. Or selectively list a few similar schools.

Frankly, this is stupid and has nothing to do with competitiveness of an applicant. there is a lot to decisions about where to apply. while this may not represent a POI, it tells me about the culture of a place. If they asked me on interview i would probably ask how they have used that to make admission decisions. Asking someone to rank your program is... weird and problematic in my eyes. It demonstrates a clear lack of awareness about power differentials or boundaries.

I agree that asking to rank is super super weird and would be kind of a red flag for me re: judgment/boundaries of the interviewer (potential adviser?) and if it were asked by others than just one interviewer I would find that to be a red flag for the whole program. I was asked what other programs I'd applied to, but also the person who asked me then said "oh wait, I can see here the other schools you had your GRE scores sent to" which ... was unsettling to me. Not because it mattered, but because I did not know that that info was on the GRE info that the school rec'd as part of my application process.

 

[Indiana_Jane]

I wouldn't. Or selectively list a few similar schools.

Frankly, this is stupid and has nothing to do with competitiveness of an applicant. there is a lot to decisions about where to apply. while this may not represent a POI, it tells me about the culture of a place. If they asked me on interview i would probably ask how they have used that to make admission decisions. Asking someone to rank your program is... weird and problematic in my eyes. It demonstrates a clear lack of awareness about power differentials or boundaries.

This is what I was thinking. It seems problematic and it does not make much sense.

 

[Justanothergrad]

This is what I was thinking. It seems problematic and it does not make much sense.

It's the academic equivalent of "rank how hot my friends are".

 

[WisNeuro]

I can see the value somewhat of knowing what schools someone is interviewing/applying at, but asking to rank is simply not helpful. No one is honestly going to tell that specific program that they are not the applicant's top choice.

 

[Temperance]

the person who asked me then said "oh wait, I can see here the other schools you had your GRE scores sent to" which ... was unsettling to me. Not because it mattered, but because I did not know that that info was on the GRE info that the school rec'd as part of my application process.

Hold up. That list is on unofficial score reports, but it's put on the official score reports that ETS sends out, too? 🥴

 

[HopefulPsych21]

I agree that asking to rank is super super weird and would be kind of a red flag for me re: judgment/boundaries of the interviewer (potential adviser?) and if it were asked by others than just one interviewer I would find that to be a red flag for the whole program. I was asked what other programs I'd applied to, but also the person who asked me then said "oh wait, I can see here the other schools you had your GRE scores sent to" which ... was unsettling to me. Not because it mattered, but because I did not know that that info was on the GRE info that the school rec'd as part of my application process.

Uhh...they can see where else we send our scores? What the?

 

[Justanothergrad]

I can see the value somewhat of knowing what schools someone is interviewing/applying at, but asking to rank is simply not helpful. No one is honestly going to tell that specific program that they are not the applicant's top choice.

what value would knowing where they applied or interviewed at have except for falling victim to social comparison pressure?

 

[WisNeuro]

what value would knowing where they applied or interviewed at have except for falling victim to social comparison pressure?

Does this person have a coherent goal in mind, such as, are they actually interested in a certain content area, or are they merely concerned with staying in the general geographic area? As a POI, I wouldn't have much use for the latter.

 

[Doctor Koala]

If asked to rank, ALWAYS say that their site is your Number #1 (even if it’s not true). It’s a dumb question for Directors of Clinical Training to ask, as others have already said – Applicants who are being completely honest with this question are putting themselves at a disadvantage.

 

[foreverbull]

what value would knowing where they applied or interviewed at have except for falling victim to social comparison pressure?

Being directed to provide this information seems intrusive to me and is an inappropriate question, in my opinion.

Programs should be able to tell that you’re a competitive applicant via your cv, personal statement, letters, and of course, the interview. Asking you to divulge where else you’ve applied is none of their business, in my opinion; think about how inappropriate it would be if an employer interviewing you asked you all of the places you were applying to and to rank them with other jobs you applied to.

You should be within your rights to say you prefer not to answer and would like to let your body of work/interview speak for themselves. Not sure how that would be received, but this whole thing smacks of power issues.

 

[psych.meout]

Being directed to provide this information seems intrusive to me and is an inappropriate question, in my opinion.

Programs should be able to tell that you’re a competitive applicant via your cv, personal statement, letters, and of course, the interview. Asking you to divulge where else you’ve applied is none of their business, in my opinion; think about how inappropriate it would be if an employer interviewing you asked you all of the places you were applying to and to rank them with other jobs you applied to.

You should be within your rights to say you prefer not to answer and would like to let your body of work/interview speak for themselves. Not sure how that would be received, but this whole thing smacks of power issues.

I agree, but it's pretty hard to do that when it's just you and them alone in the room and they're asking you directly about this. I really had no choice in the matter.

I just listed some of the more prestigious-seeming programs where I was interviewing (I had a lot of interviews that year, RIP my wallet) and told them that their program was way above all the others. It was definitely a red flag for me, but the program and other people there were otherwise great, so it that experience didn't necessarily make me write it off.

 

[singasongofjoy]

Hold up. That list is on unofficial score reports, but it's put on the official score reports that ETS sends out, too? 🥴

I would really really like to be able to confirm that. I was really not happy about that not having been stated somewhere throughout the process of requestign scores to be sent. It seems plausible that if someone knew that they might have them sent in like 2 separate batches or something. I had interviews at programs that kind of fell into 2 buckets, based on 2 not super related areas of strong intersest for me at the time and I would have sent the scores based on the focus of the program if I'd known that info was included.

 

[WisNeuro]

"

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[bluehorse]

Thanks, everybody! Happy holidays!

 

[PsyDr]

Why not? While you’re at it: tell your prospective romantic partner that you’ve had more sexually compatible partners, but they had a lack of depth in another area of functioning.

 

[HPB2015]

As others have said, when I was applying to PhD programs I remember a couple of applications requiring this information and I answered with a few similar programs to the one I was applying to. I was also asked at interviews. I will say at the school I ended up at my advisor was asking me this question (and whether I had received any offers already) in the interview to assess their competition (likelihood of me saying yes) and to also talk up the advantages of their program versus the others I was considering. Just to shed a little more light on possible motivations.

 

[psych.meout]

As others have said, when I was applying to PhD programs I remember a couple of applications requiring this information and I answered with a few similar programs to the one I was applying to. I was also asked at interviews. I will say at the school I ended up at my advisor was asking me this question (and whether I had received any offers already) in the interview to assess their competition (likelihood of me saying yes) and to also talk up the advantages of their program versus the others I was considering. Just to shed a little more light on possible motivations.

Yes, there are multiple motivations behind asking applicants these questions, but that doesn't make it any less inappropriate. Faculty can talk up their program and gauge an applicants seriousness and interest in attending their program without putting them in this untenable position with a completely lopsided power dynamic.