Hi there! I am a sophomore at Pratt in Duke and unfortunately, however hard i worked, I scored C in one of my subjects and B in the others pulling my GPA slightly below 3. I had similar situation in my freshman year as well and worked double hard this semester but the results remained the same. I am very much worried if I can get admission into any summer internships as the minimum GPA requirement seems to be 3. I am interested in research and engineering internships in BME. I seem to be good at research, but poor test taker as I seem to be messing up in the exams in spite of working day and night. 1) Are there any BME internships out there that will still consider me? Would be it be ok to still apply for those internships that ask for GPA > 3? 2) Should I quit BME 3) Am I hopeless to be able to qualify to get into grad school or get a job? 4) Am I not even fit for Duke? 5)What skills should i develop now to be able to qualify to get into grad school or find a job after undergrad at this rate? I am disappointed with myself and confused about what I should do now. I would greatly appreciate any advice.
What you’re going through is not all that uncommon. Duke students in high school are all top of their class, highly motivated, and successful. When you get to Duke, it can be a punch in the gut, particularly in challenging science, math, and engineering courses. You’re “competing” against other very intelligent highly motivated students (Duke is not a cut-throat place, but professors still teach / curve to the abilities of the class), which can put some very intelligent, motivated people towards the bottom of the pack. That doesn’t mean you can’t do it or should quit. I would encourage you to make a schedule of your time, take advantage of your peers in study sessions, perhaps get a tutor (Duke offers them for free in many courses, there is no shame in it), and keep up the positivity and energy.
Yes, hope is not all lost in getting an internship, but it might be a bit more challenging. I would apply to internships regardless of GPA cutoffs - the worse that can happen is they reject you, which you’d be doing to yourself anyways by not applying. As if you should quit BME or not, I’d ask yourself if it’s an area that you enjoy. Classes do tend to grade less harshly as you get into higher levels – not because the material is easier, but simply because some of the group has been weeded out. Engineering and BME (especially at Duke!) is HARD. Nobody should claim otherwise (except a few otherworldly people who somehow just soak everything up without effort). It will battle test you for the future. Honestly, a career after going through Duke BME can seem like a piece of cake in comparison. My coworkers/other friends thought I was crazy when I said how easy my first job was coming out of school compared to Duke BME…It definitely teaches you good skills. But there is a reason that Pratt has nearly a 30% transfer out rate to Trinity; it’s damn hard and not for everybody. I wouldn’t say just because you’re not performing optimally in engineering courses that you’re not a fit for Duke as a whole though. If you’re enjoying the social experience and everything else, definitely stick around. Unless you are incredibly unhappy or are feeling unfulfilled would I consider transferring from Duke.
The skills you should develop are time management, problem-solving, and analytical skills. This will serve you well whether you stick in engineering, go to grad school, or find a job. (most BMEs do NOT stay in engineering incidentally). If the job market stays this hot, I almost guarantee you that you’ll find a full-time position somewhere as a BME with around a 3.0 GPA, but it will be harder than somebody with a 3.5 GPA. There are many smaller companies that don’t really care about GPA. I work for a management consulting firm that doesn’t care at all…(If you are sub 3.0, I wouldn’t put it on your resume even though Duke career services will say you need to put it on every application). You’ll have to shine through exhibiting other skillsets, and hopefully, your GPA will continue to improve, and skillsets will as well to make you marketable to a variety of disciplines and careers.
Hope that helps. Good luck with everything!
Thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words, which gave me some hope, motivation and energy to continue to try and not give up. Thanks a lot.
+1 @bluedog. Also adding that GPA is only important for your first job (or for grad school). After your first job no one really cares what your GPA was in college.
Instead most corporations look to see how you progress while on the job. They’ll look to see if you’ve been given steady promotions and increasing responsibility. This is definitely much more impressive than having a good GPA.
Thanks a lot! I feel hopeful. I am searching for summer internships in BME or may be programming but find most of them asking for GPA > 3.0 for eligibility. I would greatly appreciate any advise you may have regarding which summer internships may accept with < 3.0. I have good research experience in high school and at Duke.
Getting an internship as a sophomore is hard. A friend of mine who has a 3.9 in MechE has been struggling to get offers. Your best bet is to leverage personal connections OR look for Duke-sponsored research programs, which may be less competitive.