Well, a “likely letter” can have the adverse effect of driving kids to another school. My “high-stat” student hasn’t gotten one, but she has other really good scholarship offers. Wanting this whole deal to be decided, and having not gotten a “likely letter,” she is close to accepting a bird in the hand and be done with it. If there were no “likely letters” she would begrudgingly wait until 3/30. Now, she is convinced she will be rejected, so why wait?