<p>mammall: I don’t think people mean in cases where the student might accept the offer. I think they mean in those circumstances in which the student is positive they would not attend that school.</p>
<p>Of course people were wrong to pressure your D to accept before she knew which school was really better for her to attend. And if it took until April 30, so be it. She had every moral right to wait for $$ offers.</p>
<p>However, if a student has gotten into the perfect school for him/her and knows they’ll attend, it’s helpful to release the others.</p>
<p>In a similar vein, my S refused wait lists that I wanted him to be on, such as Amherst. He was positive he preferred Williams (I wasn’t) and turned down the offer to be on the wait list.</p>
<p>But I think most students would do that. Once they have an acceptance in hand that makes them happy, the wait list is not an attractive option.</p>