We asked our son to apply to our alma maters bc they are highly ranked (top 25) and we felt legacy status might help, though they are not exactly what he is looking for in a college. He agreed to apply. In exchange, we said he could go to admitted students weekends at all places he wanted in April to determine choice. We would never force him to attend either of our schools, but we wanted to keep the option open. And ultimately it only cost him an afternoon of writing and is about $100 for app, test scores, etc.