Early February is a peak season for college entrance exams. Many high school students take exams for a few universities, as a degree from a "good" university goes a long way toward entering a good, established company and good career. Many believe that if they fail to get into a good university, their chance for a good career may be lost forever. So how do they and their parents decide which schools to apply for?

With a declining number of students, some high schools appeal to parents by touting a good track record for sending students into good universities. How do they advise students and parents on which universities to try for? Some tell them to select the ones with the highest probability of gaining admission, using hensachi (deviation value.) This tactic implies that students should stay in their "assigned" group according to deviation value, and should not step out and apply at universities where they have a low chance of getting accepted. The people around these students do not suggest that they take a "Why not?" or "go for it" attitude, and they are conditioned not to even give it a try. In other words, there is no dame moto in their selection process.

Recently I have encountered several occasions where the dame moto mentality was missing. "Dame moto" literally means that you lose nothing even if you do not get what you ask for and thus "why not?" and "go for it." I see the lack of this mentality show up in other contexts with Japanese people — such as during a competition, applying for a scholarship, seeking an award or asking for better options or treatment.