I am a rising Junior at a top 10 university majoring in mechanical engineering. While I love the work and material… no matter how much time and effort I put into school I can’t raise my GPA much higher than it is (2.5).
I have held a decent internship the last 2 years doing some real mech work and have great references from this company.
At the university, I manage at a student run business and am president of an improv club.
Am I really in deep shit for a job in the near future? I know that a lot of companies have a 3.0 cut off.
My advice would be either drop your course load and take five years to graduate or drop the ECs. Then get a tutor, go to office hours, or join a study group. I know my boss won’t interview a recent grad with less than a 3.0.
A 2.5 GPA shows me that you aren’t really learning the material. For the big companies and many small companies, you are in trouble. A 3.0 advertised cut-off is common and do realize that many companies (mine included) had actual cut-off higher than the advertised value, typically around 3.2 or 3.3 for college grads (higher for internships).
The key to better grades is to study within a study group. You help each other.
You also should be learning the “why” of everything. Learn to visualize how the physics (or chemistry or whatever) works. You need to understand “Mother Nature” and work with her. She can be tough on those who go against her will.
I work as a mechanical engineering intern besides other engineers and have for the past two summers. I have full knowledge of what being a mechanical engineer means in the work force and unfortunately it doesn’t fully tie into what I learn in my classes.
I study in groups and quite often. However the university asks too much of students.