I am currently a Civil Engineer at Lafayette. I just completed my first semester of sophomore year. First semester of freshman year, I had a 3.75, second semester of freshman year I was at a 3.56. First semester of sophomore year was hard for me. I had a concussion and something traumatic happen to me at the end of freshman year that made it hard to come back for sophomore year, so I ended up with a 2.76 for this past semester. My cumulative is a 3.23, but I am worried about this past semester and how that will affect me, particularly if I want to get a job at a competitive company. Is a 3.23 high enough for good internships? Is this considered a good GPA for my major and school?
Usually as long as you have at least a 3.0, you will not get rejected by the automatic filter.
So 3.23 is considered good for my major?
Without knowing the particulars of your department’s grading practices, I would say that a 3.23 is noticeably above average for an engineering major. It is good, but not exceptional. It is good enough to be considered for graduate schools and jobs, but not enough *on its own * to be competitive for the most selective graduate schools and jobs. And internships.
First, remember that you still have lots of time before you graduate to pull your GPA higher if you want to go for those top-tier positions. Don’t panic because of one weak semester.
Second, remember that no one selects anyone for anything based on GPA alone. Get some internships, join some professional societies and clubs, do some research. Your GPA shows how readily you acquire knowledge under certain circumstances, more important is showing what you can and will do with it.
Most of the top companies I’ve seen 3.25 as a base for internships. Some as low as 3.0. A 3.23 is def good enough to make min qualifications. Focus on having practical experience with clubs and projects and with a bit of luck a 3.23 shouldn’t be a problem.