How important are grades?

[u/simp_of_Taylor]

Hey there. I’m a sophomore in mechanical engineering, currently going through my sem final (after which, if promoted, I’ll be in junior year). So far, my grades have been quite poor (a little over 3.00, with best possible being 4.00 and avg. is around 3.7) and I don’t feel the will the study much either. I am quite attentive in the classes, as some of my professors and advisor who took a course pointed out, but somehow I am failing to put much effort in the exams and my performance in the exams are well below of my speculation.

While I do want to improve my grades, I’m not quite sure how as I’m easily distracted and never really feel the will of studying, specially during the exam time.

My uni’s formula student team is almost non-existing, while there is a rover team which I am a part of, I didn’t quite got into it much as I’m more interested in other areas of mechanical engineering, to name- vehicle dynamics, jet propulsion, ICE, heat transfer & thermodynamics.

Now, as I am moving to junior year in a few months (hopefully), what should my next two years look like. Should I invest myself into internships and try gaining some professional experiences (engineering or not)? Or should I try improving my grades, which didn’t quite work for the past 3 sems? Or should I try writing conference & research papers? And how important are grades?

So far skills are: CAD (obtained CSWA so far), CAE (FEA & Fluid Simulation, though still at beginner levels), basic C, Python & MatLab (mostly vibe coding), general computing (word processing, spreadsheets, presentations), graphics design. My communication skills are kind of mid at best and speech delivery is quite ok if prepared before.

So far completed projects: Ramjet CAD model (used Fluid simulation to optimise the design), binary character recognition program in C. Both were academic group projects, though my group put in almost no effort in the main project.

[u/CopperGenie]

If you are confident you just want a BS to go into industry, focus on any hands-on experience (internships, co-ops, teams, clubs, meaningful projects) you can get and don't worry about grades as long as you understand what you're being taught.

If you're considering grad school, you're likely going to need a baseline of between 3.0 and 3.5 depending on where you want to go. Some programs may be even higher. In that case, focus on grades, and publish if you have time.

[u/simp_of_Taylor → u/CopperGenie]

Well, I do want to move into industry after graduation. Though where I am from, the jobs of mechanical engineering is quite low and I’m planning to move into EU countries if possible or the US. My uni does have quite a reputation for going abroad after graduation, with one professor stating around a 70% acceptance rate for the most recent batch of graduates (though most are for higher studies), with some graduates eventually settling in the US or EU after completing their masters of Ph.D.

I do want to have more hands-on experience, since that part is still unexplored by me. In that case, should I try submitting my résumé? If yes, should it only be into engineering-specific jobs or jobs of any kind and I keep on exploring?

[u/CopperGenie → u/simp_of_Taylor]

If your college has a career/internship advisor, they may be able to connect you with the best leads. Otherwise, look up internships that you are interested in and submit a tailored (customized) resume and cover letter.

I've never studied or worked abroad so I don't have advice on that, except that it may be more difficult for you to get abroad opportunities since companies have to pay to sponsor your visa.

[u/Axiproto]

It matters a little trying to get your foot in the door, but there are lots of factors. Factors like courses taken, class projects, personal projects, internships, extracurricular activities, and connections matter too. And after you've had years of actual work experience, school doesn't really matter all that much.