<p>Does choosing an alternate college at schools which allow you to do so (ie, cornell, lehigh, etc) hurt your chances to your primary choice? Like could they possibly say "hey... management is tight these days, but since he applied to arts and sciences, just let him in there!!!"???</p>
<p>Thanks for the help</p>
<p>absolutely not. They look over your file under your first choice and if you are not admitted there then you file is transferred over to your alternate college choice where you are again looked over.</p>
<p>at Cornell, it may. </p>
<p>i talked to an Admissions officer at an admissions session, and he said that the expect the Primary/Alternate applicants to be EXCEPTIONAL. i believe they even put that in bold words on the application. it's not a program where you can just "cast your lot" at multiple colleges and see which one accepts you. the guy basically said that if you are a Primary/Alternate applicant and your application is subpar or just average, it will basically be thrown out. </p>
<p>the exact wording:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Only exceptional candidates with a serious intellectual passion satisfied by the alternate choice college or school will be considered for admission by the alternate choice college. The decision to consider an application is at the discretion of the admission committee in the alternate choice college.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I think maybe he's saying that the standard is still very high for these alternate colleges (for example, so people don't think it's easier to get into agriculture, get in there, and then transfer out or something). I'm not positive it would still hurt your chances..</p>