[Whitebread]

Hey guys, I hope everyone's holidays are happy and healthy.

I'm feeling a little down about school and my summer job opportunities. I want to get an internship this summer but I feel my grades will hold me back. I'm an Engineering student at Cornell and I'm having a hard time doing well on the prelims and final exams I need to take for my classes. With these tests worth 70-80% of my final grade, not being able to take tests well is not helping my grade point average. Making one or two simple mistakes can really hurt your raw score. With low mean grades and small standard deviations you can really find yourself in a bad situation if you aren't able to hit the mean grade with your test scores. On top of all this, class mean grades are curved to 2.8s or lower so scoring above a 3.0 is difficult. Comprehension and effort aren't the problems so I'm pretty frustrated because I don't feel my grades reflect my knowledge or intelligence whatsoever.

Anyway, the reason I'm posting this is not to vent about my academic problems, I would really like an idea of how Ill fare come April when Ill get a response from all the companies at which I will be applying. I don't yet have an updated resume but I will give you a quick breakdown of whats important.

Sophomore Mech E
GPA: about 2.7 cumulative
Second year Cornell FSAE team member
Previous work experience involves only retail work

Ill probably be applying to General Motors (since they sponsor my schools FSAE team), Sensata, Toyota(same deal as General Motors) BMW and a few other companies.

Everyone at school claims that only graduating is all you need to shoot for. I can understand why they say that because it's hard to do well and the competition is fierce. But how can any of them get jobs? I've been hearing that most companies wont hire a recent graduate with a GPA below a 3.0. And Cornell's average is a 2.8.

For you engineers and HR people on the board, how do I stand? I'm really worried Ill end up working at Lowes again this summer and even worse, I'll have a hard time getting a job after graduation.

Thanks.

 

[SuperNothing]

Nothing specific for your situation but all the internships I have looked at/participated in had a minimum 3.0 cutoff. However if you interview well and can get them to speak to you in person that can really help. I always find that the interview is where I really shine. You get to know the company and they get to know you more than your resume and transcript could ever tell them.

 

[appophylite]

It doesn't hurt to talk to someone who works at the companies (if you know someone). They can put in a good word for you and that, very often, can help.

This is actually the first I've heard of cutoff's for summer internships. There are a lot of guys I went to college with at UAF who had lower than a 3.0 GPA and still went to summer internships with big names like Boeing, Honda, etc.

 

[tennisets]

It can definitely be hard. I went through the same thing last year as my GPA is just below a 3.0, and many companies list a 3.0 average as a requirement.

Unfortunately Northwestern's average in the School of Engineering is about a 2.5, leaving many people with difficulties.

It will probably be very stressful for you to find a job, but work at it hard enough and you'll find something. I'm lucky in the sense that I love where I work (Illinois Tool Works Signode), and that since I'm a Co-Op student I'll be working there on and off for the next two and a half years until I graduate. For example, I'll be working there from March through September, about six months.

Just keep looking, and if your school has any help available definitely utilize it. However, I will warn you that most of the large, "popular" companies will have a 3.0 cutoff, so you may find yourself working somewhere no one has heard of. On the other hand, don't let that deter you, since many of those companies are wonderful places to work if you just give them a chance (Signode is a case in point, for me).

Hope this helps a little, and don't worry too much. You're being smart and starting your search very early, I'm sure you'll find something!

 

[Whitebread]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tennisets /img/forum/go_quote.gif It can definitely be hard. I went through the same thing last year as my GPA is just below a 3.0, and many companies list a 3.0 average as a requirement. Unfortunately Northwestern's average in the School of Engineering is about a 2.5, leaving many people with difficulties. It will probably be very stressful for you to find a job, but work at it hard enough and you'll find something. I'm lucky in the sense that I love where I work (Illinois Tool Works Signode), and that since I'm a Co-Op student I'll be working there on and off for the next two and a half years until I graduate. For example, I'll be working there from March through September, about six months. Just keep looking, and if your school has any help available definitely utilize it. However, I will warn you that most of the large, "popular" companies will have a 3.0 cutoff, so you may find yourself working somewhere no one has heard of. On the other hand, don't let that deter you, since many of those companies are wonderful places to work if you just give them a chance (Signode is a case in point, for me). Hope this helps a little, and don't worry too much. You're being smart and starting your search very early, I'm sure you'll find something!

Did you actually apply to any of the companies who held a 3.0 as their GPA cutoff? If so, I'm guessing they all said no without a second thought?

 

[tennisets]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whitebread /img/forum/go_quote.gif Did you actually apply to any of the companies who held a 3.0 as their GPA cutoff? If so, I'm guessing they all said no without a second thought?

I applied to Northrop Grumman and didn't get an interview, and I interviewed with Boeing and with S&C Electric, both of whom turned me down.

 

[zoomjohn]

Must you get an internship? How about a paid/volunteer research fellowship? I specialized in nano-materials and did a summer student volunteering in a renowned lab at my school, and end up getting paid part-time throughout the studying semesters plus two subsequent summers full-time as a research assistant. At the time the professor didn't even asked me about grades. I sent out emails to a lot of labs and pick/chose the ones that I thought were promising. I end up choosing that lab and got on the project that was my second choice. Looking back, the financial situation and the responsibility I took on worked better than my first choice.

 

[Whitebread]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoomjohn /img/forum/go_quote.gif Must you get an internship? How about a paid/volunteer research fellowship? I specialized in nano-materials and did a summer student volunteering in a renowned lab at my school, and end up getting paid part-time throughout the studying semesters plus two subsequent summers full-time as a research assistant. At the time the professor didn't even asked me about grades. I sent out emails to a lot of labs and pick/chose the ones that I thought were promising. I end up choosing that lab and got on the project that was my second choice. Looking back, the financial situation and the responsibility I took on worked better than my first choice.

I thought about it, but design work usually interests me more than research. I will look into it though.

 

[Arainach]

What kind of engineering? Mechanical?

It's a bit late in the season to start applying. I have friends who have already got accepted with Toyota. I'm on the second round of interviews with Microsoft and a government agency. Google wanted resumes in by November at the latest for top consideration. Etc. Not sure if the companies you're looking at are much different, but they've certainly been accepting applications for a while now.

 

[Whitebread]

The ones Ive seen started in December. I figured it would be ok to wait until winter break for every company im interested it. And yes mechanical.

 

[tennisets]

Oh, one more thing to think about: although big companies are appealing, you may find that you are given much more responsibility earlier at a smaller company. Just something to think about.

Also, to clarify, I'm a EE, not a mechanical engineer, so that may change the perspective of my advice a little bit.

 

[Professor Thump]

Don't sweat it too much. Focus on obtaining your degree. You can do ANYTHING if you are persistant! If there is something you want to do, pursue it and you will be successful, but don't expect for it to happen right away; good things take time.

One thing that is important though is getting good job experience in the area you want to pursue. Work experience will speak as loud as your degree. Don't fret so much about the grades either. Just because people get good grades does not mean that they can apply themselves to a job.

As far as internships, you want to doggedly pursue the company that you want to intern at. If you can't get a paying job volunteer in the field you want to work in. Willingness and determination are more of interest to an employer.

Hang in there... I think you are going to do just fine.

 

[zoomjohn]

Also, btw, a few of my friends actually went to startup companies and/or companies where the professor was involved in the management and decision-making posts. The reference they got was enough to get them in because I know that some of their GPA aren't 3.0
Good luck!
Quote:

Originally Posted by Whitebread /img/forum/go_quote.gif I thought about it, but design work usually interests me more than research. I will look into it though.

 

[appophylite]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tennisets /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oh, one more thing to think about: although big companies are appealing, you may find that you are given much more responsibility earlier at a smaller company. Just something to think about. Also, to clarify, I'm a EE, not a mechanical engineer, so that may change the perspective of my advice a little bit.

That wouldn't be too far off the bat. With a smaller company, you may actually have a better chance to 'spread your wings' My first engineering job was with the campus nano-tech department and I got a project about 3 weeks into the summer. A friend with a GPA lower than mine got accepted over me to work for Boeing and says all he got to do over the summer was stare at technical drawings and make sure they were correct with all the right connections and stuff.

 

[Whitebread]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Professor Thump /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't sweat it too much. Focus on obtaining your degree. You can do ANYTHING if you are persistant! If there is something you want to do, pursue it and you will be successful, but don't expect for it to happen right away; good things take time. One thing that is important though is getting good job experience in the area you want to pursue. Work experience will speak as loud as your degree. Don't fret so much about the grades either. Just because people get good grades does not mean that they can apply themselves to a job. As far as internships, you want to doggedly pursue the company that you want to intern at. If you can't get a paying job volunteer in the field you want to work in. Willingness and determination are more of interest to an employer. Hang in there... I think you are going to do just fine.

Thanks professor, good to hear.

I think the largest problem and the biggest blessing in this situation is the plethora of companies and positions I could apply for. Picking the large companies within a field that I am interested in is really really easy. Finding those small firms in a small town is whats going to be difficult. I think I'm going to take a step back this weekend and reevaluate exactly where I want to be this summer.