DoubleO1

All of this stress about the alternate list at Texas Tech, but as it turns out I have been accepted off of it! However, I have also received notification of acceptance to another institution which now presents the dilemma of evaluating my options and making a tough decision (something I genuinely could not imagine having to deal with about three weeks ago). Regardless, a good dilemma to have, indeed. Best of luck to everyone out there. I stand as proof that people are offered admission after being placed on a waitlist.

I received feedback from Texas Tech University Health Science Center this afternoon via postal service. I opened my mailbox to find a (considerably) thick letter from the University, and was immediately overcome with good feelings. Upon opening the letter, I came to find that I was not accepted outright, but that I was being offered "alternate admission." Following my interview, I was clear on the fact that the department required a couple of prerequisite courses for me to complete before beginning in the fall. This information was explicitly stated on a document included in the letter. Upon reading this, it was my initial impression that the university was offering me a "conditional" admission, the conditions being that as long as I had these prerequisite courses completed by August 15, then my admission would be guaranteed. However, after reading the enclosed documents several times over, I have come to a different conclusion: that this offer is merely the equivalent of a waitlist position. Does anyone have any insight as to what "alternate acceptance" really means? Is it simply a way to "soften the blow" of not being accepted outright, but being waitlisted, so to speak? I have contacted the department for clarification, but I am so very eager to figure this out at this exact moment in time. Give it to me straight.