<p>I’m sorry, but I’ve seen trophy-hunting behavior, and this certainly sounds like it. It might be something else, maybe, but it quacks like a duck. I agree that it probably won’t affect OP, but I’m not prepared to say that it couldn’t possibly have a harmful effect. It might.</p>
<p>The bottom line is that somebody accepted EA should–ethically, in my opinion–withdraw apps from any schools that he knows he wouldn’t attend over the EA school. It’s remotely possible that the “friend” really can’t decide between Harvard and all those other schools, but it is really pretty unlikely.</p>