Wrote a first choice letter to a school that is notoriously harder to get into with less spots knowing that if we didn't get accepted and/or were waitlisted, we had a good chance at other schools we applied to.

For the Big 3s, a first choice letter matters, if you are in the top tier of candidates.

When deciding between two similarly stellar students, the one who submitted a first choice letter will be accepted over the one who didn’t.

Only do a first choice letter if it is your real first choice, though. If you don’t follow through, you will burn your bridges with that school - not to memtiom it’s plain dishonest.