I really think it's poor form on the behalf of parents. I wouldn't like it if my parents were dead set on me going to a certain school. Besides, one can't guarantee acceptance to any good school these days so why get your hopes up before you even know where you get in?

As a parent, I have certain schools that I think would be good for my offspring but I only suggest these schools as schools to check out, not ones that are set in stone. I think creating those kinds of expectations just leads to stress and child-parent fighting!