Got an email and I'm an alternate. Any idea how many alternates there are, how many they usually take off the waitlist, and whether they'll tell us what place we are on the list?
I am also an alternate, so I would echo prevet's questions. I am also wondering what people think about alternates attending the Information Sessions.
The letter that I received appears to indicate that alternate candidates who have attended an information session will be more likely to receive an offer of admission (should an accepted student decline) as compared to an alternate candidate who had chosen not to attend. Obviously, though, paying for travel to Ithaca would be expensive, and it seems like a gamble without an offer of admission (though I guess you could conceptualize it as "the cost of an interview" or something).
I would very much like to attend and learn more about the school (not to mention improve my chances of admission), but I am not sure I can afford the trip, and I don't want to travel there and fall in love with the school if the chances that I will be admitted from the alternates is close to zero.
Additionally, does anyone know what the odds are that an alternate candidate would receive any funding if admitted? I have heard that Cornell is (in general) more likely to award scholarships than other veterinary schools, but it seems unlikely that an alternate candidate would be able to hope for this.
Finally, given that the decision deadline is universal, I am sure that a lot of people do chose to wait until April 15 to make their school decisions. What happens if you have already accepted elsewhere and are offered a spot as an alternate? Do you just lose your deposit if you chose to accept the new offer? Or are you unable to accept due to your acceptance of the original offer?
Sorry. Lots of questions...
