Current student here and would like to help with a few clarifications.
The hold list and waitlist are definitely different. I think the previous poster that mentioned the hold list is referring to the waitlist/alternate list. I know people that came off of both, the hold list will land you an acceptance faster and will likely move sooner. If you received something in the mail you were probably on the waitlist - not the hold list that the other posters are mentioning.
That being said if you are on the hold list your chances of getting in are probably great. Waitlist chances are good as well, especially the top 25% or so. There is always a fair amount of waitlist movement every year, that hasn't really changed over the years. I think this is mainly because the bar for receiving an interview keeps increasing and everything else has stayed fairly proportional (waitlist movement, outright acceptances, etc). So it is definitely harder to get an interview each year, but once you are in that pool of people chances of a final acceptance are probably the same as previous years. There will still be people dropping acceptances for MD schools, schools closer to home, etc.
In terms of realistic advice for people planning on applying next year or reapplying, etc - you need to have balanced ECs that show your interest in medicine (research is great too) and a basic understanding of what being a DO entails. Grades are obviously important - especially for this school. Realistically, the path of least resistance to an acceptance for most people would be a 3.5+ and 28+.
If you are on a hold or waitlist, keep in touch with them and you can also send an LOI. It definitely doesn't hurt. Best of luck to all of you!
