There was a point in college that I didn't apply for a scholarship because I didn't have the 3.0 GPA requirement at the time, I had like a 2.95
About 7 months later I found out that a student with a 2.2 GPA had received the scholarship because so few people had applied, they were able to give them to everyone who applied, regardless of qualifications. That was the moment I realized that not everything is written in stone and even if you don't stand a chance, you still should make an attempt at pursuing things.
Indirectly, since then I have encouraged all my friends, both men and women to apply for jobs or things that they are interested in, regardless of qualifications. Sometimes interest/passion alone can help get you a job, or perhaps they will create a more junior position just for you; it is not unheard of to do such a thing.
Since I learned the lesson, there has probably been at least 7 different times in my life, that a rule/qualification was bent or changed that benefited me, because I simply tried for it.