Alternates ..why not just give them a number??

[Cathylady]

Are there really any good reasons why colleges don't tell alternates what number they are on the list? I can't think of one!

[One1, BSN, RN]

Another reason is that some schools identify applicants by type rather than by order. If a first-choice student declines the admission offer then they might want to offer the spot to a waitlist applicant with similar demographics, grades, work experience, etc, rather than just call number 1 on the wait list. The schools I applied to all seem to emphasize diversity in their cohorts.

Good luck to all of you who are still waiting!

[Cathylady]

One1,

I think you might be on to something. I bet you're right.

[livetoserve]

that doesn't seem a very fair way to do it. Shouldn't it be on merit?

[asfreeasabird]

The community college I went to told me where I was on the alternate list.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

They might be trying to ward off daily calls asking "what number am I now?"

[CuriousMe]

I think livetoserve has the right idea. They can't tell a specific number, because it's a moving target.

The number a person is when the letters are sent out, might only be accurate for a couple hours.

Unless there's other evidence of "switching the order around" I wouldn't assume that to be true. There's no benefit to it. It's the school that chooses the order....they have no need to "move them around" once they've decided.

[Cathylady]

If schools have quotas such as, out-of-state students, males, transfers from that CC or university etc., that actually could switch around the alternate order. If a male was accepted then decided not to attend and they have to have a certain number of males then they (administrators) may have to jump to number 10 on the alternate list, that being another male, rather than go to number one. If the school is committed to diversity then as LivetoServe has stated, not having alternate numbers 'set-in-stone' gives admin the ability to choose from the list whom they need to choose.

I really think that's probably the case, I think LiveToServe hit the nail on the head.

[CuriousMe]

If schools have quotas such as, out-of-state students, males, transfers from that CC or university etc., that actually could switch around the alternate order. If a male was accepted then decided not to attend and they have to have a certain number of males then they (administrators) may have to jump to number 10 on the alternate list, that being another male, rather than go to number one. If the school is committed to diversity then as LivetoServe has stated, not having alternate numbers 'set-in-stone' gives admin the ability to choose from the list whom they need to choose.

I really think that's probably the case, I think LiveToServe hit the nail on the head.

Uhmmm....that's not what livetoserve said. They said, that the number is constantly changing because the folks ahead on the list have decided on another program. So, you might have been #10 for a couple hours....but later were a #6, and later higher than that.

If they wanted to target any specific population group....they could have done that when they originally numbered the alternates, so it doesn't seem to make much sense to move them around. But hey....you get to decide what makes sense to you :)

[addiesmom]

Okay, going on the lines of what one1 said: Maybe the school really doesnt have a numbered alternate list. Maybe there is just a group of diverse students that are next eligible for the program. Say a male drops out from first round, then they go to the alternates and choose another male to fill his spot. Or a student coming right out of high school chooses not to accept, then they will choose another student coming right out of high school out of the alternate "group." It makes sense...

[livetoserve]

it makes sense but it's a crappy way of doing things. Diversity isn't really diversity if it's planned to be so. If a school uses such practices to ensure diversity they are actually practicing in discrimination. Just sayin'.

[caliotter3]

If they don't give out this info, then no one can cry foul if they should find out that they were bypassed for some reason or no reason.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Another reason is that some schools identify applicants by type rather than by order. If a first-choice student declines the admission offer then they might want to offer the spot to a waitlist applicant with similar demographics, grades, work experience, etc, rather than just call number 1 on the wait list. The schools I applied to all seem to emphasize diversity in their cohorts.

Good luck to all of you who are still waiting!

I was on an admissions committee several years ago ... and that is the real reason we did not have a strict number system. When someone declined admission, we went to the next person on the list who fit the key categories of our diversity targets -- not necessarily the next person on the list.

I now work for a hospital and we are under similar pressure in our hiring decisions.