Why ask an applicant the number of siblings s/he has?

[robertpatrick]

...on a business school app. Also, what about step and half siblings, do we include all of them or only full blood, same mother/father siblings? Any idea why they ask about this? I thought it might have something to do with legacy - preferring to have people from larger families..

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear robertpatrick,

I'm not sure why the number of siblings is being asked as it is not generally used for evaluation or reporting purposes. The most likely reason is to get an idea of who you are as a person beyond your numbers and work experience. You should include any half or step siblings if you consider them to be siblings and/or grew up with them.

Regards,
Lisa