<p>What is the whole deal with the primary/alt college thing? Is the alt a college that "backs you up", so to speak, if you don't get in to your primary? Or is the alt like a double major thing?</p>
<p>the alternate choice means that if, for any reason, you are not accepted into your primary choice college, you would like to apply to that second college. the primary choice admissiosn officers, however, have the choice whether to accept you, flat out reject you (in that case, your entire application is rejected), or defer you (so they forward your application to the second choice). the prim/alt. option does not give you a better chance to get into cornell. if you REALLY feel like you are a good fit in both, than apply. but if your first choice is COE because you want to be an engineer, it wouldnt make sense to have the hotel school as your alt choice. thus, you would only apply to COE because it meets your academic needs.</p>
<p>Ah, thanks CUAmbassador. So I should use that option if and only if I have equal interests in two areas of two separate colleges within Cornell, correct?</p>
<p>yes. Also, it will not increase your chances. Less than 2% of all apps that are rejected from the primary choice school get forwarded to the alt school, and of those, only a small percent get accepted.</p>