Why does a college want to know my "local newspaper" name?

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I was applying to one of the universities. In the main application, it asked "What is the name of your local newspaper?"

I wonder why they want to know.

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In case they want to publicize something about you? Seems to me I've seen this question too.

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Perhaps to verify residency where you say you live?

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My scholarship program wanted it as well, so they can send a press release. I declined sharing the information since I didn't want to be in my local newspaper.

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Perhaps to verify residency where you say you live?

How so? They can verify residency by many other ways (ex. asking me to prove a utility bill, DL, or copy of tax forms, etc)

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My scholarship program wanted it as well, so they can send a press release. I declined sharing the information since I didn't want to be in my local newspaper.

I guess but why would they want to spend money and tell my town that I was accepted into the university, or in your case, won a scholarship. What do they have to gain by sending a press release?

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I guess but why would they want to spend money and tell my town that I was accepted into the university, or in your case, won a scholarship. What do they have to gain by sending a press release?

A Press Release don't cost them money (other than staff time to write it, and I assume they're templates).

What they gain is press. Getting their name out there for positive reasons. Guaranteed that one paragraph of the press release is a PR blob about the university.

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Partly pr, partly it is just a nice thing to do. At least it is in the small towns where everyone knows everyone. Think of it like a community based facebook (my home town still has only dial up, so almost no body has facebook). Actually, that is probably why it WAS there. Now it is probably because it has always been there.

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Lots of schools do this. It is for publicity reasons -- so, in case you win an award, make the Dean's list, etc. while you're in school (and when you graduate), they can send notification to your hometown paper. It's just a nice, old-fashioned gesture, but, if you prefer not to tell them, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt your chances of getting in (and they can easily find out the name of your local newspaper without your help, anyway).

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So they can announce to your town that you got in...graduated...made the deans list, etc.

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