Getting into Engineering Grad school w/o any internships?

<p>Hi</p>

<p>I'm an undergrad student in aerospace engineering and I'll be graduating without any internship or research experience. With this considered, I was wondering my chances for getting into a grad school (any grad school).</p>

<p>My GPA is actually pretty good (3.63) and I belong to multiple honors societies. I also assume my GRE scores will be pretty good. So my question is: Will the fact that I don't have any internship/research experience present me from getting into grad school (for an MS, not a PhD)?</p>

<p>i was AE too. i only had a 3.2 with no internships or research and got into u wash, ucla, and georgia tech (3/4).</p>

<p>i only applied for the MS programs though, no PhD.</p>

<p>Thanks for this thread. Son will probably be following this scenario. He’s in an honors program at an OOS state flagship, and because of this, he’s got a heavy course schedule with his mechanical engineering major. No time in the day even if he wanted to do research. Has class literally from 8 am to 6 pm, sometimes 8 pm, most days. In the summer, he’s having to take chem as a prereq, and since he wants to do biomedical engineering for grad school, he’ll likely take bio courses in the summer to boost his chances for acceptance into a BME program. We’re hoping for an over 3.0 average, as it’s required for his scholarship. We’re lucky he has a full scholarship, so he doesn’t have to work during the summer to pay his tuition, but we know many kids who do have to take on “regular” jobs that they’ve held through high school to help pay college costs or even put gas in their car. Many friends lifeguard during the summer or coach a local swim team, not related to their engineering majors. We’re concerned, also, as there is no industry in our area, and son will not be able to make job connections during the summer, either. </p>

<p>Should we just let him stay with his current plan of action: get his degree at the full ride OOS state flagship, take summer courses locally to improve biomed grad chances, and hope for grad school acceptance that will hopefully get him job connections? Son will not likely go past a MS, and would probably prefer a non thesis program as well. The undergrad is not a “ranked” school, so it’s not likely he’ll get admittance into grad school just based on undergrad prestige. There is also no BME at undergrad, so he can’t just continue there. The ME program at his undergrad school is mostly focused on the automotive industry, where he has absolutely no interest.<br>
Is there any hope for him?</p>

<p>

Really? So he has class 10 hours a day? Assuming each 3-credit course meets 5 hours per week (very unusual, but sometimes you get 1 credit for a 3-hour lab), he’s taking 30 credit hours? </p>

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…and he hasn’t even taken Chem yet, standard for first-semester engineers?</p>

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That doesn’t mean he can’t work, and quite frankly, he should. It’s pretty standard for engineers to have some kind of work experience when they graduate from college/graduate school. It’s also relatively easy for engineers (compared with any other undergrad major) to get internships/co-ops, so your son will be at a pretty big disadvantage when he’s competing for jobs if he doesn’t work. </p>

<p>

What’s the problem? I’m doing an internship this summer 720 miles from my parents’ house, and 791 miles away from my school.</p>

<p>I guess I just don’t understand the issue. You’re saying “will our son be ok graduating without research/work experience?” and then the reasons you give for this being the case (“he can’t research because he’s in class 50 hours per week” and “he can’t work because there isn’t industry near our house”) both seem impossible to me.</p>

<p>Where do you live where there aren’t companies employing engineers, Montegut? My first internship, as I recall, was with a small company that made only a specific widget. I commuted from my parents’ house that summer.</p>

<p>No, of course, he’s not in class 50 hours a week, but yes, he does have many one hour classes that meet for three hours. So, he may have a two hour break, where he has to eat and run to the other end of campus.</p>

<p>As to no industry in the area, why do you think he went OOS? If there was industry in the area, he’d go to a local place and make the connections. Of course, he has no interest in staying in our state, Louisiana, wisely so, so he’s hoping to make connections out of state. </p>

<p>I’m sure he will have to go away from home to do an internship, and I’m hoping he’ll be willing to do so sooner than later. Right now, we’re dealing with a homesick freshman who only wants to stay home for the summer, and while I’m happy to have him home for a few months, I know it’s going to hurt him in the long run, career wise.</p>

<p>Shazbot, thanks for the info! That is very encouraging news. I’m planning on only applying for a masters, not a PhD. </p>

<p>I’ve been unsure whether I will be able to get into grad school with no internship or research experience. I have tried for internships but I’ve been unsuccessful. So your story provides some hope for me. Furthermore, you got into some really good grad schools. How long ago was this? Did you have some other “stat” or credential that helped your admission chances?</p>

<p>^^^I, too, am encouraged by Shazbot, and would love to know how he accomplished his goal. Those truly are great schools. UWash is excellent, with Boeing there, and such a beautiful area. I do hope you consider that one. Good luck and congrats!</p>