Perfect isn’t better.

This happens every year.

Once there was a student whose mom insisted that he only attend Yale or Berkeley. But the student was not strong academically (mostly Bs and Cs). We use predictive tools to give advice so we predicted that if the student was admitted (strong “if”), they wouldn’t receive funding. So the parent said he would just do high school over again until he was…perfect. I wish I were kidding.

Another time there was a student who had straight As except for a B in AP Chemistry. He had an A but someone else cheated on the final exam and the school’s honor code meant that everyone failed the final. I said that it actually look good, like he had to work for his otherwise perfect GPA, SAT score, and AP exams. He was admitted to the Ivy League in a very specialized program.

We’ve met thousands of kids over the years. Many approach us because they are chasing perfect. Perfect for them means a certain college, a certain major, a certain life. But the thing with chasing perfect is you never actually reach it. You’re always chasing.

If I can get even more philosophical for a minute, chasing perfect is the dilemma with social media, diet culture, dating apps, relationships…The idea is that there is always something better. It leaves people feeling incomplete. I fell into a black hole once listening to contestants on some dating show. They would say, “He’s my perfect match. He’s the right height and has the right hair color.” And then they would be surprised when it didn’t work out five minutes later.

Instead, we need to chase fit for our whole human self. Our very imperfect human self. What person do I want to growth with? What body supports the lifestyle I want to have?

With regards to college, fit means the campus that supports your unique learning style, won’t put you in debilitating debt, will push you in healthy ways, and respects who you are in that moment.

In education, we know that there are a lot of things that can’t be learned in a classroom. They’re learned in the field and on the court. Athletes understand something the rest of us forget: there is no such thing as a perfect performance. There are only performances under specific conditions. Maybe the weather cooperated. Maybe your teammates were locked in. Maybe you slept well. Maybe your body didn’t ache that day. Even when you break a record, it’s not “perfect.” It’s simply the best expression of your preparation at that moment in time. And records don’t last; someone else will break them. The point isn’t to achieve something untouchable. The point is to get 1% better. To adapt. To recover. To try again under new conditions. Growth, not perfection, is the game.

Chase fit.

Perfection is a moving target.

Fit is a foundation.