I was kinda wondering what the logic behind these admission decisions was. I have been accepted to 3 schools so far and must decide shortly what to do. Most of you folks are probably in the same situation...

But what surprises me is how some schools offer really short deadlines. E.g. Berkeley gives some of its candidates a week to decide. Either you're in or you're out.

Obviously, we're assuming it's the good candidates who get their acceptance decisions earliest.
But it has an almost perverse effect.

One school assumes you're great so they pressure you into making an early decision. Assuming you've applied elsewhere you might reject that decision because you're still counting on, say, Harvard accepting you.

You take a gamble and it might not pay off.

It's almost as if being a great candidate counts against you. The likes of Harvard and Yale should really speed up their admissions process, cos all it does is put some people in a tight spot. And for no reason. They know they are the two best schools and practically nobody will reject them if approved. Why not live up to the hype and act accordingly?

For instance, I have no reply from Berkeley. I have applied there.
No reply from Harvard. I have applied there.

But unlike some people I don't have to make up my mind about Berkeley yet.

This situation is totally nonsensical.