<p>I am currently a community college student in Florida and I am thinking about transferring to the University of Florida as a ME major or possibly a dual ME/AE major. My question is how do co-ops and internships work if you go to a university that is in the middle of nowhere? Do you relocate and take a couple of semesters off? Is it better to go to a less prestigious university that is in a better location, like USF? I am open to the idea of going to a different university and that includes going out of state, assuming that I could get in and get financial help. I would like to go to Stanford( lol ), but I'm fairly certain that I couldn't get in, even with a 4.0 GPA, and that UF is the best school that would accept me. I am also interested in doing undergrad research and doing a minor. I am not 100 percent sure if ME is right for me or will get me a job. I need help, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to tell me about your major and college experience that too would be very helpful. Thanks</p>
<p>You will relocate for the summer. Stick with UF.</p>
<p>Engineering internships are almost always paid internships, and paid well. UF is highly recruited from, and has one of the best job placement centers in the country, with technical job fairs every Fall and Spring. Your engineering advisers will help you prepare for these fairs, and these are where you get “recruited” for your internships. The internships can be located all over the country, and some companies actually pay to relocate you and put you up in subsidized company housing for the semester you’re interning. You will often take a semester off from classes to do internships, and the College of Engineering sees this as normal.</p>
<p>Don’t pass off trying to get into UF out of fear of lack of internships. In many people’s opinion, UF has the best engineering school in the state. It’s certainly the toughest to get into, though, so don’t assume you’ll get in just because you put your app in. Get top marks at your community college, and especially try for A’s in your pre-engineering classes.</p>