How many professional football teams have achieved a perfect season (no losses)? One. The 1972 Miami Dolphins. And even that had an asterisk: they lost 3 preseason games.
Dozens of college teams have achieved perfect seasons. Dozens. I’m sure there are lots of sport-specific reasons for this (basic statistics notwithstanding, there are many more college teams than pro), but it illustrates a point:
The best team isn’t just better than everyone else. They’re perfect. At the college level, be perfect to be champ. Be perfect to get drafted. If you’re not perfect, you’re out. We’ll find someone who is.
We’ve gotten so worried about being perfect!
There are lots of reasons students don’t earn perfect scores in classes. Unfortunately, companies looking to make a hire now have such a large pool of applicants that, much like the difference between pro and college football, they can pick people with “perfect” scores.
And many are narrow-minded enough to do it.
That’s a shame, because an imperfect GPA could indicate a lot more than “slacker.”
I know students with spouses, kids, and full-time jobs who are in the 2.5-3.0 GPA range. These are the hustlers I would want on my team.
How does a student beat this?
Ask Joe Anderson, the un-drafted wide receiver who stood outside of a pro stadium with a cardboard sign which read “Will run routes 4 food.” Was he actually starving? Not for food. He did something off-beat that helped recruiters see his entire story. And he got signed to play pro football.
But he backed it up with more hustle, more hard work, and more determination than everyone around him.
You’re more than a number. Recruiters need to see you as a person, not a number. It’s up to you to help people see it. Tell your story!
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