<p>I go to a small and unknown school. I had a 4.0 for my first three semesters, majorly because I was taking GERs. A few B's took me down to 3.9, but this semester, I earned a D in an Honors Intro. to Research class where we are taught the principles and processes of research. I am now at a 3.791 and will get only a 3.81 when I have a 4.0 this semester. My initial plan was to make up for the obscurity of my college by having a 4.0 by the time I applied to graduate school. </p>
<p>Well, I am a computer science major and I am interested in control systems research at the PhD level. I did some research in electric vehicles last summer and i have been conducting research with a mathematical biology professor for 4 months now. In essence, I have one more chance (this summer) to get research experience relevant to my proposed research area, which wil fall under electrical engineering or mechanical engineering in most schools. </p>
<p>What should I be doing now to enhance my chances at top engineering schools? I feel like almost every decent school is beyond my reach because of my "insufficient" background. How do top engineering schools view GPA vis-a-vis rigor of undergraduate program and relevance to future graduate research area? How badly will my 3.8 from a not too rigorous school count against me and what can i do to rectify this?</p>