Seth Godin offers us "Reject the tryanny of being picked"
It's a cultural instinct to wait to get picked. To seek out the permission and authority that comes from a publisher or talk show host or even a blogger saying, 'I pick you.' Once you reject that impulse and realize that no one is going to select you–that Prince Charming has chosen another house–then you can actually get to work. If you're hoping that the HR people you sent your resume to are about to pick you, it's going to be a long wait. Once you understand that there are problems just waiting to be solved, once you realize that you have all the tools and all the permission you need, then opportunities to contribute abound. No one is going to pick you. Pick yourself."
The college admissions version of that looks like this.
Ylondra says
Isn’t it common practice for an athlete seeking an athletic scholarship to wait for an offer letter from the athletic director/coach to attend college on an athletic scholarship?