"Application Project"

I’m planning to apply to for good engineering schools and then major in engineering. I have a GPA of 3.0 which will be quite hindering. I’d read somewhere that showing great interest and aptitude for a certain field can make the department vouch for you and get you accepted.I’m thinking of doing this by means of building some sort of engineering-related project. How helpful might this be and what kind of project will I need to achieve the desired effect? Will it also need to be major specific(Specific to Mechanical, Chemical…etc.)

It might help a bit in terms of showing your determination to pursue an engineering degree, however, your GPA and test scores, particularly in mathematics and science, will be the determining factor of whether you get into the program of your choice. I would say that the 3.0 will not do you too many favors. It might be that you need to start in a Community College to show you can get strong grades in a college setting and wipe out the High School GPA.