What is an "Unranked Alternate List"?

Question: I applied and interviewed at a school of pharmacy only to be told that I would be an alternate. This school keeps an "Unranked Alternate List" which doesn't make sense to me. That sounds like they draw a lottery every time they take an alternate for a spot in the class which certainly cannot be true. Can you help?


Answer: In reality, there is only a "temporarily unranked alternate list". Of course, the committee will need to identify their best alternates in the event that they need to fill their class.

Here is an example: Rx School receives 1000 applications for 50 seats. After interviews, they send out 50 acceptance letters, 500 rejection letters and the remaining 450 applicants are waitlisted. At this moment, they have an "Unranked Alternate List".

In this case, imagine 25 of the accepted students choose to attend other schools. Rx School needs to review the 450 alternates to find those they want to offer admission to. After sifting through the files (and any additional information provided by the applicants since their interview), Rx School determines the best 50 alternates and sends out 25 additional acceptance letters. The process continues until the original 50 spots are filled.

So, if a school tells you that you are on an "Unranked Alternate List", it probably means:
1) They have yet to rank the alternates because they are uncertain how many spots will need to be filled by alternates
2) You are pretty low in the alternate pool and haven't been ranked
3) They tell everyone they are unranked to avoid applicants asking where they are ranked

I think a lot of times, #3 is the most likely answer. It helps avoid some unpleasant conversations and significantly reduces the number of phone calls and emails the admission office receives. However, as always, I would encourage you to contact the school you interviewed at if you need additional information.