In prior cycles, I have not seen a discussion regarding the finer points of the language used in notifications. I really wouldn't read too much into it, since people posting on SDN are not especially careful in their use of phrases like "alternate," "hold" and WL. We all tend to use them interchangeably, since at the end of the day they all lead to exactly the same place.
@someqsaboutstuff receiving a HPAL email that did not include the language in your email about the likelihood of being called is a new twist that was not reported in years past. Unless something changes, none of this tea leaf reading is going to matter, since only a tiny handful or people who reported being in the "highest" of the HPAL reported being accepted the past two cycles!
🙂
@someqsaboutstuff -- can you confirm that your e-mail uses the phrase "high priority"? I only ask because, other than saying HPAL, the language in your e-mail seems to track what they used in prior cycles for the regular "alternate list." So, if your e-mail does use the phrase "high priority," either that might be a mistake, or the omission of the language regarding the likelihood of an acceptance might be. It's also important to remember that these are all just forms. It's not like anyone is individually typing these out, so it's also possible your form just got corrupted before they sent it to you.