---
title: ▍Our Achilles Heel
created: 2026-06-13
modified: 2026-06-13
authors: Ted Lamade
category: Essay
tags: []
---

> I was reminded of this recently after speaking with a young man who is navigating the college admissions process. He had been accepted to several very good universities, but not his first choice, which happens to accept fewer than 6% of applicants.
>
> In an attempt to alleviate some of his angst, I asked him a simple question:
>
> “How many high schools do you think there are in the United States?”
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> He guessed 12,000.
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> The actual number is closer to 25,000.
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> I then asked him how many valedictorians there are in the U.S.
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> He understood the point. Roughly one [valedictorian](https://www.google.com/search?q=valedictorian) at each high school, so 25,000 in total.
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> Considering that the Ivy League enrolls approximately 15,000 freshmen each year, in theory, 40% of all valedictorians don’t have a spot. Once you account for international students, even fewer do.
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> Yet every year, students and parents across the country are devastated by rejection letters from elite universities.

> Viewed purely through the lens of probability, many of humanity’s greatest achievements look irrational.
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> No rational calculation alone would have inspired those leaps.
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> Something else was required.
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> But what?
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> Passion.
>
> […]
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> Many of humanity’s greatest achievements began with someone willing to pursue a dream despite the odds.

> If you love learning, study hard. Chase your dream school. Take the [APs](https://www.google.com/search?q=Advanced+Placement) and advanced classes. But if the acceptance letter never comes, your efforts will not have been in vain. The education you gain and continue building throughout your life will matter far more than the name at the top of your diploma.
>
> If you pour countless hours into a sport you love, but never earn a scholarship, it won’t have been a waste. You will have experienced victory and defeat, learned what it means to be a good teammate, and chased a dream.
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> Your favorite team may never win a championship, but the memories of rooting for them will last a lifetime.
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> And if an investment you believed in fails, you will have learned a lesson every successful investor eventually does: <mark>even the best are wrong much of the time.</mark>
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> The key is understanding **why** you’re doing something.
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> <mark>If you’re chasing a dream because you genuinely love the pursuit, the odds matter less.</mark>
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> <mark>If you’re doing it solely for status, recognition, or some promised outcome, disappointment is almost inevitable.</mark>