<p>In past years many hooked applicants (athletes, large donors, etc) apply early, get a likely letter, and then get officially accpted. Remember, Harvard got rid of early this past year (but they still probably gave out likely letters to assuage stress from important applicants), so they still had early for many many years in the past. 5 from one school from one year (if they usually have 2-3 ED and this was a really good year) isn’t outrageous.</p>