<p>I just finished the Junior year of my chemical engineering program and I currently sit at a very mediocre GPA of 2.8. I have applied to almost 50 different internships in my state and neighboring states and have not scored an interview to one. I have asked professors in the department about joining their research groups and two replied back asking for my resume and then did not reply after I sent it to them.</p>
<p>What should I be doing this summer to increase my chances of landing a job after graduating next year? I am willing to do absolutely anything, including any volunteer work related to the field but I don't know how I would search for opportunities to do so besides directly emailing engineering companies at their "contact us" emails listed on their websites and asking if they needed a volunteer.</p>
<p>Any help or suggestions would be really appreciated I have been extremely stressed out about this for weeks. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>The obvious is pretty helpful: relearn the material to understand it better, search harder, and the like. 50 applications isn’t enough when you’re under the threshold of engineering GPA (3.0).
Why is your GPA low? Knowing that is helpful.</p>
<p>I’m still searching for more to apply to but there seems to be less and less now as expected but will continue to do so.</p>
<p>Is relearning the material in order to perform better in the next courses?</p>
<p>I admit I could have put a lot more effort into school in the first couple years but this last year I definitely put in the work but ended up with almost all B’s which did not affect my GPA that much. I have a lot of room for improvement in my study habits. I also came into college with a pretty ridiculous amount of credits so I have not had any elective classes or lower level intro classes like physics 1 or calc 1-3 to pad my GPA with.</p>
<p>Definitely a combination of both. I cruised through high school taking only AP and IB courses scored high on all the exams with very little effort. I should’ve realized sooner that college is not the same.</p>
<p>Basically, you’re only in trouble if you find yourself unemployed for multiple years because to some, that makes you “unemployable.” Search hard, work hard, and you should be able to get by.
Also, if you have some sub-GPA (ex: major GPA) over 3.0, then use that for your resumes. You’ll be less likely to be insta-declined.</p>
<p>Go ahead if you really have to, but you’d REALLY have to supplement it with meaninful internships/research.
Which basically means, keep looking. Ask for positions not explicitly offered if you must.</p>
<p>Try to get an internship with a local company that does not put much constrain on the GPA, just be super persistence and you shall get something. It’s kinda late now for this summer, but also co-ops during fall are less sought for, so you can definitely think of doing a co-op.</p>
<p>I’m in a similar situation as you are. I’m a mechanical engineer sitting at a 2.8 overall GPA. I applied to lots of internships this summer and a couple research positions but never heard back from them. Obviously a lot of it has to do with my GPA. </p>
<p>You still have a whole year left and that is a lot of time. Is there any type of extra-curricular at your school you can get involved in that involves chemical engineering? I’m involved in Formula SAE at my school, where we design, build, and test a race car from scratch each year. To some employers this would make up for a weak GPA. If you can find something similar it would be valuable experience. </p>
<p>But if you can get your GPA up to a 3.0 which is pretty plausible with hard work you will be set. Remember you haven’t ruined you life at all, you are at a disadvantage not being at a3.0 but it surely doesn’t prevent you from getting a job. Maybe not the one you want, but if you work hard you can certainly move up the ladder.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice guys I will definitely pursue a coop and really look out for any extracurriculars to get involved in. Since starting this topic I have applied to over 20 more internships in neighboring states. How would one go about finding local ones that do not care as much about GPA as you have mentioned?</p>
<p>Because of the credits I came in with I now have space for “extra” classes to fill out my schedule to the minimum required amount to be a full-time student. Last year I used those free hours to get minors in chemistry and biochemistry but there are no more “quick” minors that only take a couple classes to get (coupled with the classes I already have to take in my chemical engineering program.)</p>
<p>I was planning on using my two remaining extra classes (I get one per semester) to take easy elective courses to get easy A’s but are there any classes that would make a student more marketable such as a course for a certain programming language?</p>
<p>I am a ChemE and my undergrad gpa was worse than yours, I had no internships or co-ops through college, and I am now an engineering manager at a biofuels R&D company with an MBA (from a real brick and mortar ranked school) and a nice salary. So, no, you haven’t ruined your life. In fact you have learned a very valuable lesson.</p>
<p>When I got out of school I got a job in operations at a large biotech company. I played that game for a while, moving up the ranks, always asking “how can I bring more value to myself by contributing to the value of the company”. I eventually moved out of operations into process engineering, an easy step to make if you have the engineering degree and a good track record and troubleshooting problems. A couple years there and I moved into design, an easy step to make if you learn how to facilitate change. A couple years doing design work and you should be prime for executive training for business or go on your own at night, and when you graduate; management.</p>
<p>Learn as much as you can when working. More importantly, know how to get along with people and how to instigate change. Your gpa is only good for that first job. Luckily for engineers, operations doesn’t really care about your gpa if you have an engineering degree… and spinning operations experience into an engineering role is easy and makes sense. I now manage engineers who want the process engineering roles that focus on operations so that they can become better designers.</p>
<p>Not to sound cheesy but thank you very much your story is very inspirational and motivating to me. That quote of “how can I bring more value to myself by contributing to the value of the company” is exactly my mindset at any job I’ve ever had and really all I want to do this summer is get an opportunity to prove my worth. </p>
<p>If you don’t mind me asking, how exactly did you portray yourself, a completely ordinary engineering grad with no prior experience, as someone who was a better fit for that first operations job you got than all the other applicants who most likely had internships or better academic scores?</p>
<p>My son had a under 3.0 GPA in ME. His really bad year was his sophomore year. His GPA was rising and was over 3.4 for his upper level classes. He never got any kind of internship with his low GPA.</p>
<p>What he did do was work a summer unpaid doing research at school under one of the professors. When looking for a job after graduating, he emphasized his upper division GPA (but being honest about his overall GPA). He also avoided applying to any larger companies that would have a strict GPA cutoff (ie., wasn’t worth his time).</p>
<p>He got hired by a small company in their R&D division doing just what he wanted to do. Turns out the research he did (that he really liked doing) was just the kind of experience they were looking for.</p>
<p>So I would believe that all is not lost for you either. However, it is nose to the grindstone time.</p>
<p>Have you considered grad school? I had a 2.7 undergrad (physics, many years ago), then spent 3 years in the Marine Corps after graduation. I learned self-discipline in the Corps, and after my stint went for a Masters in EE at the same school as my undergrad. I got my MSEE with a 3.8 GPA and never mentioned my undergrad GPA on resumes.</p>
<p>I have been wondering the same thing. I just got my AAS in Electronics Engineering. I finished with a 2.94. Underestimated and didnt take college serious enough and got into trouble. Then I slapped myself and got almost all A’s the last few quarters and still fell just a little bit short. I may be able to retake one class to get above it but still.</p>
<p>I walk across the stage in a couple weeks and theres nothing but uncertainty. It sucks/.</p>
<p>So quick update on me personally, I luckily ended up with an unpaid internship at a small company in my state and have been working there for a week now. I will do my best next semester and try to see if I can help a professor out with research during my last school year.</p>
<p>Now that I do have something industry related to put on my resume, would it be worth it to try to take a lot of easy filler classes to pad my cumulative GPA up to a 3.0?</p>
<p>Thank you all very much for your encouragement I feel much better about the situation I’m in now even though I know I still have a lot of work ahead of me and will probably still have to struggle to land that first job.</p>