Troubled Engineering Student--should I give up?

I graduated from high school with a 3.5 GPA and entered the Biomedical Engineering department in my university. After one semester, my GPA is a pitiful 2.7 (an A in one class, C in Calculus, and B's in the rest). Some of my professors were tougher than my peers', but I felt I could have done better. It's not like I don't try hard, though. I keep all my notes organized, do the homework on time, and ask for help from tutors or TA's when I can.





This semester, I have B's in all my classes so far. However, even if I can manage to raise my GPA up a bit, I still feel there's no way I can get an internship, co-op, or any kind of training experience. I'm really interested in something to do with genetic engineering for my career and I'm not a person who usually gives up, but I want a reality check so I don't waste money going through a degree I will perform too pitifully in for people to hire me.





Should I keep going or reconsider my major? Any advice is welcome.

Troubled Engineering Student--should I give up?
It depends on how badly you want it.





I graduated with a 2.8 in Civil Engineering - according to you, I should be considering slitting my wrist, jumping off a building, or changing careers to feeding animals at the zoo.





Grades only mean something when you are: 1) competing with a bunch of other students for the same job right out of college; 2) entry into grad school; or 3) you make it mean something.





Why do I say all this? The last two years, I was entrusted to run a civil engineering company in my area. I was the boss, the head engineer - this is supposed to be reserved for the best and the brightest, right? No - again, students perceptions get the better of them, what you can do matters more than what your grades were. As I would interview students, it was amazing the number of students who had extremely high GPA's, but couldn't think their way out of a cardboard box. My best employees were the ones in the 2.5 - 3.0 range - they were usually active in other areas and lower grades were most often a symptom of boredom, not inability. I have a few brainiacs, but they are few and far between. The "brainy", the ones with the high GPA's on average seemed emotionally stunted.





I have since gone back to public sector (excelled in private sector, but I didn't like the hours). I work with a guy who is obviously smart - is a transportation engineer, and is going to Grad School in off hours working on his MBA, and is considering law school. But, talking to him is like dealing with a 16-year old waiting for the next Star Wars prequel or Star Trek convention.





My point is this - if you love the field, then stay with it. Your first job, or coop, or internship, should you get it, may be a crappy one. But after that, what matters is performance. What your grades are after the first job, even where you got your degree from will mean next to nothing. Put together an impressive resume/curicculum vitae - that will be the impressive part.





Good luck - and if bio-medical engineering "ain't yo' thang", there is starting to be a shortage of civil engineers. There's nothing like driving by one of your completed projects, knowing everyday that people see it and/or use it, and thinking "I did that."
Reply:I am in the engineering field as well, and the first couple of semesters I had the same problem. But, after preparation I am now one of the top students in my career. If engineering is what you like, do not let your grades make you think that that is the knowledge you have. A grade is just a grade, what is important is what you do when a problem comes up, and what steps you take to resolve it. Working at an industry is way different then studying at school, grades arent everything... but its really good that you worry about them.
Reply:Sounds like you know the answer already.





There is a tendency in this country to elevate to the level of incompetence. They call it "reaching for the stars", I call it "having one's head in the clouds".





Ask yourself if you would rather be a crappy lawyer or a superstar paralegal? A crappy doctor or a superstar RN?





Check out the prospects of being a genetic counselor or pediatric nurse specializing in genetic diseases. Or helping people during pregnancy, etc.





At least you chose a field that is booming- you will be fine. Think of all the suckers who thought that there was plenty of opportunity and room for growth after law school! Cubicle slaves with 100k in debt...
Reply:If you really like this field, stick with it. Consider hiring a part time tutor. If you're struggling through and not enjoying this, go to something you enjoy doing. Life is short.
Reply:It's a personal decision, of course.





Do you think you can raise yourself to a competitive level in your current major through lots of studying? If not, then another field would be the way to go.





Have you considered a trade instead of a white-collar engineering position? I'm studying building systems engineering technology right now. I could do well in a more difficult program, but the job prospects in the HVAC/refrigeration trades are amazing, and the pay's great, and it's got enough of a barrier to entry that the field can't get flooded. At the same time, if you start now you could have a tradesman's ticket and be making a very nice salary before you even get your first entry-level "real" engineering job. There's nothing wrong with a good trade, especially with the way white-collar jobs are fought for in our society. By going a different way, you can benefit from scarce labour in an essential business; and instead of scoring at the bottom of your university classes, you score maybe at the top of the simpler technologist training. (My average right now is 95-97%, which ain't bad at all and the courses are still interesting.)
Reply:Sounds like you are a second-semester freshman. DON'T GIVE UP YET! My grades in my first year were C's too and I was feeling overwhelmed. It is tough making that transition from highschool where you are near the top of your class into college where that lower 50% of the student body isn't there anymore. Also realize that many of the classes you take freshman and sophmore years are "weed-out" classes and designed to be tough, getting rid of the marginal students. Try one more year and then analyze your position.





And yes I did graduate in engineering and have had a wonderful and rewarding career.
Reply:grades are just numbers. it wont tell who we really are. engineering is tough, but dont give up!
Reply:If you are biomed, don't really expect internships that quickly. You are pretty much almost in the same boat as pre-meds so go for your research and labs, which would be hard to get unless you have 3.5+ GPA. I would say the major most like yours would be a chemical engineering degree. Any other engineering would require you to probably take some other classes.
Reply:Well if you have Bs in all your classes then you are better off then other people. I mean people that are completely lost have already dropped out probably and if you really have a grasp on the stuff you are learning then you should definitly stay.
Reply:the most important thing is your GPA in your last 2 years. thats mainly what employeers/grad schools look at. Also, a lot of emphasis is put on recommendations from your professors. If you can do well your last two years (3.0+ gpa) and get good recommendation letters from your professors, you can get hired. As for the internship/co-op, just apply to them all and see if you get lucky. if not, its not the end of the world. i definately wouldn't quit. maybe you could talk to your classmates and figure out what it is they do differently than you.





i know it might seem like you're in a hole right now, but trust me, you aren't that bad off. you can easily recover from this.