I think "competition" and "competitiveness" amongst students as to who goes or went solo first, etc, is a dangerous thing and should be discouraged by smart CFIs. This can be done by placing a realistic minimum of say 20 hours (for helicopters at least) before sending someone solo. Yes, I know there are many who are capable of solo well before that, but it makes sense to take a student well past the minimums and, in the case of helicopters, take him or her further in to the syllabus and make them safer.
Insurance companies will love you for it for starters!
In 37 years of flying of which for 32 I have been an Instructor, I have yet to see a significant number of students who necessarily benefited in the long run from going solo early, or in fact turned out to be any a better pilot for having done so - quite the contrary in fact, in some cases. Lets face it, "first solo" in a helicopter at least, is a risky event at the best of times and we should do all we can to make it as safe as possible..