pelihu wrote:
I don't think there is much point in just saying a school is #1. The problem is that schools probably hear that all the time, and they are well aware that unless they are named Harvard or maybe Stanford, there's probably some reason why you'd say that to them.
We only go through the admissions process once (or twice) but Adcoms go through it every year. They know better than anyone where their school fits into the big picture. Berkeley knows that they are second fiddle to Stanford, Chicago knows that Wharton will skim off many of their best applicatns, Duke & UNC, Columbia & NYU, etc. Adcoms probably encounter the same people every year; they just have different names.
So if I'm an Adcom at Berkeley, and someone tells me Berkeley is their #1 choice, my knee-jerk reaction is that they have probably concluded for themselves that they can't get into Stanford. Sure, certain people could have other reasons, but those would be the exceptions to the rule.
I think it's better to just demonstrate in your essays that you like their program and their location and that you believe you will do well there. That way, at least the Adcom won't be thinking "this guy is full of it" in the back of their mind.
Second you on that... That's what essays are for, making a convincing pitch of one's candidacy...