<p>Hello,</p>
<p>I am a 4th year Mechanical Engineering Major at the University of California Irvine. When I was first applying to college I wanted to major in petroleum engineering. The only schools that I knew had the program in california were USC and Stanford. I didn't have the grades for stanford and I didn't have the money for USC. I chose UC Irvine for mechanical engineering in hopes that I could eventually apply to graduate school in Petroleum engineering. I am now feel like I made a big mistake because my GPA is 2.6. I can only blame myself for having a low GPA, but it does not have to do with effort or dedication. I have definitely worked as hard as a I can and have received mostly B's in my upper division courses but I feel that if I had the interest I have in Petroleum engineering in Mechanical I could've done a lot better. At this point I don't think I have a very good chance of getting into any Petroleum engineering schools. What I am going to do as my last attempt to raise my GPA is take an extra year and add on double major with Materials Science Engineering. One positive thing I do have going on for me is that I currently have a paid research position and have completed my own research papers in Mechanical Engineering.</p>
<p>I guess what I am seeking is advice on which schools I would have a chance at getting into for Petroleum Engineering. I would also like some type of motivation for getting through the rest of my undergraduate education because I feel like my time and effort has not gotten me very far.</p>