Are you still considered for scholarships if you say

First I would say that the person conducting the interview is highly unlikely to be the person also making scholarship decisions. Also while what you're saying makes sense Stryker it doesn't seem to be the case. Lots of people who are accepted Early Decision at Columbia receive scholarship money. You have already committed to the school and paid a $7,000 deposit so they don't need to compete for your interest.

First of all , I do not understand why anyone would ever apply at only 1 school. If you are doing that, do not make the mistake of telling adcom about it at all, make up few names if you have to. I know of one friend who did that, got admission with 0 scholarship and had to join on full fee.

Great question. My approach was to be honest about applying to some higher-ranked schools -- for example, when Florida asked, I said that my top four included them plus Cornell, Michigan and Yale -- but to express in the clearest terms possible what the UF program had to offer that the higher-ranked schools did not. For me, that was the smallest program size by far and the opportunity to live close to family. In response, they offered a full-tuition scholarship plus cash.

It's just my opinion, but if you can, I think you want to strike a balance between making an adcom member feel confident that their school is a top choice for you and making them a little worried they'll lose you to a competing school. Not an easy thing to do, but I think it's the right mix to motivate a scholarship offer. And above all else, remain humble during these kinds of conversations. An admissions rep at one school told me that the biggest mistake its applicants make is coming off as too cocky or entitled to special consideration.