So @Scorpio40 … First, thanks for the laugh. I so get it - you get into this process of applying and then waiting, make it a part of your daily ritual, and then at some point, just can’t give it up!
Second… Most schools will go to the exact # of kids the have openings for. This is often a phone call which starts "congratulations ". It quickly progresses to “are you still interested?” and if the answer is yes, it goes to “let us have a decision in 24 hours”. At that point, paperwork goes out and you have a relatively short time to pay the deposit (which is also the chance to decide to stay put where you have already deposited.). If this breaks down anywhere along the way, they go to the next kid on the list. The school is trying to get all its seats filled ASAP so they have the right mix in the class. This is why they may only call boys, or kids who have indicated an interest in x, or who do y.
But as the kid who planned to go to Haverford gets off the WL at Chicago, it creates a new opening. And now, they may need a girl to fill that spot. So there isn’t “another round” of decisions, just plugging holes, a few at a time. It really is impossible to read anything into this.
They may, at some point, let people know the WL has closed. This may not be for everyone on the WL, but if they are approaching full and have an idea of where they don’t have a need, they’ll often say so.
I know one kid who got off a WL in August! But along the way, kids get more committed to where they have planned to go - maybe they have attended an orientation or welcome event, picked classes, talked to their advisor, met roommates. And maybe they get excited about the option in front of them rather than the WL. So yeah, you can wait for the last pieces to fall in place - andthis year, that may be more drawn out than in a non-pandemic year. But at some point, it really will feel like enough is enough.