I am a junior undergraduate studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. I currently have a 2.915 GPA (not including my second junior term). the average ME GPA at my school is a 3.2, and I do not believe that that is skewed. I had big dip in my grades in the smack-dab middle of my undergrad. I believe that I can bring my GPA up to a 3.0 by graduation, as my credit load will be lighter than it was in the past - I know this is an excuse, but the primary reason for my GPA is that I attempted to take 4 ME classes two semesters in a row, which was a big mistake. At my school it is not recommended that you take more than 3 ME in a single semester.
I am seeking honest opinions (please be as blunt and as brutal as possible, and just to account for the worst scenario, lets say I graduate with a lower GPA than I have now, like a 2.7) as to how fricked I am, and also any advice that you could provide me with as to how I approach job searching after graduation. Try for only small companies? Are post-graduation internships a possibility? Also, and this is a dumb question Im sure, but is there any possible way I can get past human resources? I acutally do have a couple good things goin on my resume, including research with engineering professors at U of M and experiece/leadership positions on engineering design teams. I have heard that HR basically only looks at GPA, but I think that my chances would be a little better, although still really bad, with an engineer, as opposed to an HR representative. And out of curiosity, assuming I can perform well in my senior year, how does a two semester dip in grades look on a transcript, in comparison to either a steady increase or decrease in grades throughout the four years of an undergrad? Thank you for any input you are willing to provide
Basically, when applying to jobs with a < 3.0 GPA, you should expect to get fewer interview calls than a similar person with a >= 3.0 GPA. But once you get to an interview, it will be your interview performance that matters.
So if you have a < 3.0 GPA, you need to apply widely in hopes of finding employers that do not auto-reject a < 3.0 GPA before the interview, prepare as well as you can for each interview because you will get fewer interview chances, and be more willing to accept a less ideal first job.
But try to bring your GPA to >= 3.0.
Thank you for your feedbakc, I appreciate it
This is mostly right. Getting to the interview with a hiring panel is the hardest hurdle. However, there’s situations where HR rules at a megacorp or government job may require X number of candidates be interviewed for a position, even if the manager has someone in mind.
Spend some time at the career center to get help with job search, writing a really high quality resume, and practicing interviewing. Those are some of the things they are there for.
Just don’t put your GPA on your resume if they don’t ask for it… Your GPA is not THAT bad. Many, many people at my engineering firm had terrible grades (I’m talking 2.0-2.3) and went to low-ranked schools, and I work for a pretty reputable place in the Midwest. You live in Michigan; I imagine the culture is not drastically different from where I am (Missouri).
I would also try to gain as much work experience as possible. I don’t mean prestigious academic experience like research stuff – I mean, actually go and intern at a company (no matter how crappy it is) and gain work experience that way. If no one will pay you, do it for free. I started out making $15/hr off a Craigslist mechanical designer job with a guy who worked out of his basement (it turned out to be the best stepping-stone I could have possibly imagined).
Do you speak German or Chinese? Those two languages are extremely sought after in the ME industry for obvious reasons.
I suspect that ultimately, companies just want to see what you can do. I don’t even have a degree yet, but I gave them my SolidWorks portfolio and got hired in like 1 day.