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!

[caliotter3]

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.

There you have it. Diversity at work.

[llg, PhD, RN]

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 :)

They usually want to target multiple groups -- gender, age, race, ethnicity, etc. So, the "next person on the list" depends upon which group you are looking at. Some people will fall into multiple groups. That makes it even more complicated.

[thinwildmercury]

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.

wow, that sucks.

[One1, BSN, RN]

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'.

It's understandable that from a waitlisted student's perspective this way of forming diversity in a cohort seems less than appealing, but it does in fact form a diverse cohort. By being able to form a cohort from a blank slate, this system (which is the same system by which the schools decide which students to offer admission) enables the school to form a group that has different educational and professional backgrounds, healthcare experiences, and life experiences. Different ages and demographic backgrounds will bring different perspectives and thought processes into the group. This should, ideally, allow every student to grow from personal and interpersonal experiences throughout the duration of the program.

Just sayin'.

[Cathylady]

End of story.

llg wrapped this thread right up.

I really didn't know the answer to this question when I posted this thread but now I do.

Thanks.