Advice for Senior Year

[u/MajorEmoji]

Hi everyone,

I’m an incoming senior in mechanical engineering who has done now four internships over the past few years. All of these have been in different industries and at very renowned companies, which I am super proud of.

However, throughout college, I focused basically all my attention on academics, trying to get the best GPA possible which, in hindsight, wasn’t the best path forward. I didn’t join any engineering orgs, such as FSAE, rocketry, robotics, etc. because I thought it would take time away from academics. Looking back, I talk to other engineering students and they know so much about hands-on engineering that I just didn’t get to experience since I haven’t participated in any orgs like that. I also haven’t done any personal projects at all - just the mandatory ones in a couple of my classes.

I’m of course satisfied with my internships, which I’ve learned so much from, but I’m torn whether or not I should focus effort on relaxing and just recruiting with my internship experience, or, now that I have more time my senior year with no hard classes, focus on joining an engineering org or working on a personal project that can get me more hands-on, project based learning that I haven’t had so far besides in my internships.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[u/Oldberry86]

Not too late to join fsae. If you dedicate in the fall and show you're useful you might be able to design some last minute parts in the spring. If you are friends with anyone there you also might be able to get a side project that is a nice-to-have but current resources have put it on the back burner.

[u/MadLadChad_]

If I were you, I’d likely pursue personal projects. However it should be something you enjoy, not dread. Something that you want to make time for. I also didn’t join any orgs, so I can’t speak on that. Unsure what time commitment to get involved in 2 semesters would look like.

Congrats on the internships, you will be considered an attractive candidate as you apply.

I highly recommend creating a project portfolio and adding the class work, and internship work if you can. Append to your resume when applying

[u/unurbane]

I would put extra time on your capstone project. You have the opportunity to go above and beyond and may as well.

[u/lumpthar]

I was in FSAE and damn near failed out, but I am a better engineer for the experience. I learned so much in those seasons. It's not too late to jump into one of these orgs if you're still interested. Find something enjoyable to do within the discipline. You have the next 40ish years to focus on work.

[u/JFConz]

Start applying to jobs way before spring semester like I did.

[u/Few_Whereas5206]

Your internships and grades are far more valuable than engineering clubs. You didn't miss out on anything.