What makes you think so? It seems to be a department-wide email that i received and not a field-wide email. And they clearly said first round of finalists. I'd assume submission date is already considered. Alphabetical order (of name) is probably a long stretch. 😞
I got the update email about their timelines for phd admission saying that they have sent out first wave emails to finalists for interviews and will send out more over the next few weeks.
Subtext: you are not good enough for first wave
😞
Another advantage that an american has is that there is really little barriers to calling and chatting up with the departments or just having connections.