u/Wizardz23

Hello everyone, I’m going into my final year studying Electrical Engineering with a minor in Physics, and I’m currently looking for full-time and internship opportunities after graduation.

I recently noticed that Stanford is hosting a Quantum Career Fair this October, and I’m wondering whether it would be worth flying to the Bay Area to attend. I’ve attended six semesters of career fairs at my university in the Midwest, but most of the employers are focused on industries like biomed and construction. My university also has relatively few opportunities and resources in quantum computing and optics, which are the fields I’m interested in.

Because of that, I’m considering traveling to Stanford to attend the career fair, meet engineers and recruiters in the quantum/optics industry, and hopefully build professional relationships that could potentially lead to referrals or job opportunities. Would this be a worthwhile investment, especially given the cost of flying to California? Or would I be better off applying to the positions online and pray that I get at least an interview?

I'm a senior in EE specializing in photonics, quantum computing, and signal processing. I wanted to know if there's any jobs in NYC or any walkable cities where I wouldn't need a car to get by? I wanted to stay away from the south since I couldn't handle the humidity there. I know that NYC is known for fintech, but at the same time, I feel like I would enjoy living there due to the fact I don't need a car and exploring different cultures and how diverse it is. If NYC isn't the question, what other city should I consider based on my specialization and my degree career path in quantum optical communications/engineer?

I’m a senior studying EE. I’ve applied to a shit ton of internships with basically no luck. So far, I’ve only had five interviews, and I haven’t heard back from any of them yet.

For the past 5–6 months, I’ve been doing research with a professor in the Mechanical Engineering department, focusing on ultrafast optics and plasma physics for 2D materials applications. I initially wanted to apply to REUs, but since my GPA is relatively low, I don’t know how feasible it would be for me to get into an REU program at this point. At the same time, I’ve been building up connections with engineers at various companies. Eventually, one of the engineers I’ve known for a while is giving me a referral for a spacecraft company. However, I’ve heard some horror stories about this company, particularly that they have a 9-9-6 work culture. I don’t know if I want to burn myself out this early, especially since my long-term goal is to go to grad school and pursue a PhD in EE or Applied Physics. I’m also considering taking a 1–2 year gap after graduation before starting a PhD.

I’m also considering going to the Quantum Career Fair at Stanford later this year to look for job opportunities that are more aligned with what I actually want to do. My school’s career fair is alright, but it’s mainly construction and biomedical companies, which have little to no correlation with the areas I want to go into. I’ve been dealing with a heavy dose of imposter syndrome because I keep seeing my peers and friends doing internships at their companies, whether they’re in-state or out of state. I keep thinking to myself, “Damn, I wish I could build up the industry experience that my peers are getting.”

With senior year coming around the corner, I’m getting increasingly concerned about whether I’ll be able to secure a full-time new-grad job before graduation or within a couple months afterward. I’m worried that if I can’t find a job relatively quickly, I could end up in a financially unstable situation that would be really hard to dig myself out of.

I know my research experience is good, and I think it would look solid for academia and potentially national labs, but I honestly don’t know how it looks to industry recruiters. I know the job market is beyond fucked right now, so I’m trying to figure out what I should realistically do as a backup plan.

Should I just start focusing more heavily on applying to grad school, national labs, and research-oriented positions? Should I take the spacecraft job if I get the referral, even if the work culture really is as bad as people say? Or should I consider delaying my graduation by a semester so I have more time to build up experience and improve my chances of landing a full-time job?

I’m just trying to figure out what the smartest move is for my final year. I don’t want to panic and make a decision that fucks me over later, but at the same time, I don’t want to graduate with no job prospects and have no backup plan.

I’m a senior studying EE. I’ve applied to a shit ton of internships with basically no luck. So far, I’ve only had five interviews, and I haven’t heard back from any of them yet.

For the past 5–6 months, I’ve been doing research with a professor in the Mechanical Engineering department, focusing on ultrafast optics and plasma physics for 2D materials applications. I initially wanted to apply to REUs, but since my GPA is relatively low, I don’t know how feasible it would be for me to get into an REU program at this point. At the same time, I’ve been building up connections with engineers at various companies. Eventually, one of the engineers I’ve known for a while is giving me a referral for a spacecraft company. However, I’ve heard some horror stories about this company, particularly that they have a 9-9-6 work culture. I don’t know if I want to burn myself out this early, especially since my long-term goal is to go to grad school and pursue a PhD in EE or Applied Physics. I’m also considering taking a 1–2 year gap after graduation before starting a PhD.

I’m also considering going to the Quantum Career Fair at Stanford later this year to look for job opportunities that are more aligned with what I actually want to do. My school’s career fair is alright, but it’s mainly construction and biomedical companies, which have little to no correlation with the areas I want to go into. I’ve been dealing with a heavy dose of imposter syndrome because I keep seeing my peers and friends doing internships at their companies, whether they’re in-state or out of state. I keep thinking to myself, “Damn, I wish I could build up the industry experience that my peers are getting.”

With senior year coming around the corner, I’m getting increasingly concerned about whether I’ll be able to secure a full-time new-grad job before graduation or within a couple months afterward. I’m worried that if I can’t find a job relatively quickly, I could end up in a financially unstable situation that would be really hard to dig myself out of.

I know my research experience is good, and I think it would look solid for academia and potentially national labs, but I honestly don’t know how it looks to industry recruiters. I know the job market is beyond fucked right now, so I’m trying to figure out what I should realistically do as a backup plan.

Should I just start focusing more heavily on applying to grad school, national labs, and research-oriented positions? Should I take the spacecraft job if I get the referral, even if the work culture really is as bad as people say? Or should I consider delaying my graduation by a semester so I have more time to build up experience and improve my chances of landing a full-time job?

I’m just trying to figure out what the smartest move is for my final year. I don’t want to panic and make a decision that fucks me over later, but at the same time, I don’t want to graduate with no job prospects and have no backup plan.

I’m a senior studying EE. I’ve applied to a shit ton of internships with basically no luck. So far, I’ve only had five interviews, and I haven’t heard back from any of them yet.

For the past 5–6 months, I’ve been doing research with a professor in the Mechanical Engineering department, focusing on ultrafast optics and plasma physics for 2D materials applications. I initially wanted to apply to REUs, but since my GPA is relatively low, I don’t know how feasible it would be for me to get into an REU program at this point. At the same time, I’ve been building up connections with engineers at various companies. Eventually, one of the engineers I’ve known for a while is giving me a referral for a spacecraft company. However, I’ve heard some horror stories about this company, particularly that they have a 9-9-6 work culture. I don’t know if I want to burn myself out this early, especially since my long-term goal is to go to grad school and pursue a PhD in EE or Applied Physics. I’m also considering taking a 1–2 year gap after graduation before starting a PhD.

I’m also considering going to the Quantum Career Fair at Stanford later this year to look for job opportunities that are more aligned with what I actually want to do. My school’s career fair is alright, but it’s mainly construction and biomedical companies, which have little to no correlation with the areas I want to go into. I’ve been dealing with a heavy dose of imposter syndrome because I keep seeing my peers and friends doing internships at their companies, whether they’re in-state or out of state. I keep thinking to myself, “Damn, I wish I could build up the industry experience that my peers are getting.”

With senior year coming around the corner, I’m getting increasingly concerned about whether I’ll be able to secure a full-time new-grad job before graduation or within a couple months afterward. I’m worried that if I can’t find a job relatively quickly, I could end up in a financially unstable situation that would be really hard to dig myself out of.

I know my research experience is good, and I think it would look solid for academia and potentially national labs, but I honestly don’t know how it looks to industry recruiters. I know the job market is beyond fucked right now, so I’m trying to figure out what I should realistically do as a backup plan.

Should I just start focusing more heavily on applying to grad school, national labs, and research-oriented positions? Should I take the spacecraft job if I get the referral, even if the work culture really is as bad as people say? Or should I consider delaying my graduation by a semester so I have more time to build up experience and improve my chances of landing a full-time job?

I’m just trying to figure out what the smartest move is for my final year. I don’t want to panic and make a decision that fucks me over later, but at the same time, I don’t want to graduate with no job prospects and have no backup plan.

Hello everyone, I'm going into my senior year studying Electrical Engineering with minors in Physics and Astrophysics. My main research and career interests are RF engineering, photonics, quantum information science, and signal processing.

I'm currently doing research on the optical characterization of nanoscale materials before and after plasma treatment. The project has turned out to be much more focused on 2D materials and plasma physics than I initially expected, but it's been a great experience. I started this research relatively late (during my junior year), and I'm also hoping to continue it through a UROP project this coming semester if I'm accepted. Ideally, I'd like this work to eventually lead to conference presentations or even publications.

My biggest concern is my GPA. I currently have a 3.01 cumulative GPA and a 2.63 major GPA. Most of the damage came from my lower-division EE courses, when I was dealing with a series of personal and mental health issues that significantly affected my academic performance. Since then, I've improved quite a bit, but not enough to fully recover my GPA. I still struggled in Semiconductor Devices and Analog Electronics, but outside of those courses I've earned mostly A's, A-'s, and B+'s in my upper-level EE and physics classes, including Physics III and Intro to Quantum Physics. I've also been a TA for Signals & Systems and Applied Electromagnetics since my junior year.

Even if I earn mostly A's and A-'s in my senior year, including technical electives and graduate-level courses, my cumulative GPA will probably only reach around a 3.2 by graduation. I spoke with one of my professors about graduate school, and they were pretty blunt. They suggested that I either pursue a terminal master's program or delay graduation and retake several courses, saying that my GPA would make it very difficult to get into a PhD program otherwise, even for mid-tier schools. Unfortunately, delaying graduation isn't financially realistic for me because of the additional tuition costs.

To make matters worse, I wasn't able to secure an internship this summer, so I'm worried about being behind compared to other applicants and might potentially end up not getting a full-time job either, which could potentially lead me being homeless (which I'm scared about). I'm planning to take a 1–2 year gap after graduation, hopefully working in industry or national lab while continuing to build research experience.

Ultimately, I want to pursue a PhD in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or Quantum Science & Engineering, with research focused on quantum photonics, optical communications, or quantum optical devices. My long-term goal is to start a company based on the research I pursue in graduate school or work in the satellite communications or consumer electronics/semiconductor industry. I've also considered applying internationally, particularly to universities in Canada or Australia.

Given my situation, what would you recommend I focus on during my senior year and gap year to become a stronger PhD applicant? Would continued research, conference presentations, publications, strong recommendation letters, and industry experience be enough to offset my GPA? Has anyone here successfully gotten into a good PhD program for their research fit after a rough undergraduate record?

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been in a similar position or who has experience with graduate admissions in EE, Applied Physics, or quantum engineering.

Hello everyone, I'm currently going into my senior year studying Electrical Engineering minoring in physics (technically) and astrophysics, although I don't think i'll finish my physics minor since I don't think i'll take thermo (due to conflicted schedule). But I took intro to quantum physics and all the intro to physics classes (I, II, and III). I'm also taking Upper Division Quantum Mechanics, Modern Physics Lab, and maybe Nuclear and Particle Physics this coming year. What I'm currently specializing is Photonics and Quantum Information Science (Want to do Optical Quantum Communications or Quantum Optical Devices). I'm currently doing research in the Mechanical Engineering department for characterization of nanoscale optical materials before and after plasma treatment (more Material Science based). But then I realized that I want to do a PhD in either Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics/Physics, or Quantum Science & Engineering since the research fields that I want to go into would align more into those fields. But since my gpa is 3.01 (very low due to sophomore year level EE courses), what should I do to improve my chances to be more competitive for the PhD program? I'm also considering to take a gap year to work in the industry (satellite communications or consumer electronics) before doing grad school. Also, would the transition from a Bachelors of Electrical Engineering to Applied Physics/Physics PhD be possible or would it be more marketable to do Electrical Engineering PhD? My end goal is to make a startup based on the research that I'll pursue in the future.

Hello everyone, I'm currently going into my senior year studying Electrical Engineering minoring in physics (technically) and astrophysics, although I don't think i'll finish my physics minor since I don't think i'll take thermo (due to conflicted schedule). But I took intro to quantum physics and all the intro to physics classes (I, II, and III). I'm also taking Upper Division Quantum Mechanics, Modern Physics Lab, and maybe Nuclear and Particle Physics this coming year. What I'm currently specializing is Photonics and Quantum Information Science (Want to do Optical Quantum Communications or Quantum Optical Devices). I'm currently doing research in the Mechanical Engineering department for characterization of nanoscale optical materials before and after plasma treatment (more Material Science based). But then I realized that I want to do a PhD in either Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics/Physics, or Quantum Science & Engineering since the research fields that I want to go into would align more into those fields. But since my gpa is 3.01 (very low due to sophomore year level EE courses), what should I do to improve my chances to be more competitive for the PhD program? I'm also considering to take a gap year to work in the industry (satellite communications or consumer electronics) before doing grad school. Also, would the transition from a Bachelors of Electrical Engineering to Applied Physics/Physics PhD be possible or would it be more marketable to do Electrical Engineering PhD? My end goal is to make a startup based on the research that I'll pursue in the future.

Hello everyone, I'm currently going into my senior year studying Electrical Engineering minoring in physics (technically) and astrophysics, although I don't think i'll finish my physics minor since I don't think i'll take thermo (due to conflicted schedule). But I took intro to quantum physics and all the intro to physics classes (I, II, and III). I'm also taking Upper Division Quantum Mechanics, Modern Physics Lab, and maybe Nuclear and Particle Physics this coming year. What I'm currently specializing is Photonics and Quantum Information Science (Want to do Optical Quantum Communications or Quantum Optical Devices). I'm currently doing research in the Mechanical Engineering department for characterization of nanoscale optical materials before and after plasma treatment (more Material Science based). But then I realized that I want to do a PhD in either Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics/Physics, or Quantum Science & Engineering since the research fields that I want to go into would align more into those fields. But since my gpa is 3.01 (very low due to sophomore year level EE courses), what should I do to improve my chances to be more competitive for the PhD program? I'm also considering to take a gap year to work in the industry (satellite communications or consumer electronics) before doing grad school. Also, would the transition from a Bachelors of Electrical Engineering to Applied Physics/Physics PhD be possible or would it be more marketable to do Electrical Engineering PhD? My end goal is to make a startup based on the research that I'll pursue in the future.

I’m currently going into my senior year, and I’ve been struggling with something that has affected nearly every part of my college experience for the past two years.

During my sophomore year, I was a member of an ECE student organization that had a student lounge where I regularly studied. Around the same time, I introduced myself to a girl who was in this physics 3 class that I took. I simply wanted to get out of my shell and make more friends. Most of our conversations were about class, homework, internships, and career opportunities. Sometimes I would talk to her before class started.

Coincidentally, we were also involved in the same aerospace project club, so I saw her there as well.
About a month and a half later, I was studying in the ECE lounge when I noticed she was there with some friends. Shortly afterward, she left. As I was leaving, a student I’ll call “Guy #1,” who had previously been one of my friends, stopped me and said he needed to talk to me. He told me to leave her alone and not talk to her anymore. I was confused because I genuinely didn’t understand what I had done wrong. He then called me a “stalker” and a “creep.” I was shocked and extremely distressed. After that incident, I dropped physics 3, even though I was doing well in the class since I wanted to get away from the girl and guy #1 as fast as possible, but I did retook it the semester after and got an A. Shortly afterward, I received a letter prohibiting me from the ECE student organization for alleged Title IX violations involving sexual harassment and stalking. I never intended to stalk or harass anyone, so this completely shocked me.

After that, rumors began spreading throughout both the ECE and Physics cohort that I had been stalking and sexually harassing women. According to people I later spoke with, even more serious claims were circulating, including that I had multiple restraining orders in high school. None of those allegations were true. At one point I attended a quantum physics lecture because I was interested in taking the course in the future and one of my good friends was in the class, so I decided to crash in. I sat in the back of the room and completely ignored the girl. However, one of Guy #1’s friends confronted me afterward and accused me of attending the lecture to stalk her (which wasn’t my intention at all, since I didn’t even seen the girl until the very end of the lecture). He directly called me a “sexual harasser”.
As these rumors spread, several friends distanced themselves from me. My mental health deteriorated significantly. I struggled academically, nearly failed two classes, and experienced severe depression. At my lowest point, I even had suicidal thoughts because I felt like my reputation had been permanently destroyed.

Before my junior year, one of the friends who had initially cut ties with me reached out again and we recovered our friendship. He told me he didn’t believe there was enough evidence to support the allegations against me. He also explained that, from his perspective, I had likely missed social cues that the girl didn’t want to continue talking to me. I’m on the autism spectrum, and reading subtle social cues has always been something I struggle with. Looking back, I can understand how my repeated attempts to start conversations may have made her uncomfortable, even though that was never my intention. That same friend later spoke with Guy #1 and his friends. According to him, they continued describing me as someone who stalked and sexually harassed women and even repeated false claims about me contacting a girl’s father on LinkedIn after being rejected in high school. That never happened, I didn’t even have LinkedIn until I was a college freshman.

Later, I became interested in joining a new student organization because it focused on the field that I truly want to go into, which aligns closely with my career goals. When I spoke with the president, he mentioned that Guy #1 was one of the board members. I briefly explained that Guy #1 and I had a difficult history and that I believed he had spread false rumors about me. Looking back, I realize I probably shouldn’t have brought that up. Soon afterward, I was removed from the club’s Discord server and told not to attend events because multiple people were uncomfortable with my presence.

Despite everything, I continued attending career fairs, networking events, and physics networking events because I wanted to build connections and improve my chances of getting an internship since I was starting research. Unfortunately, the same girl also attended some of those events. I made a point of completely ignoring her and never approached or spoke to her. However, I was eventually banned from the Physics Club and its lounge after being told that members had reported me for making inappropriate comments and stalking, allegations that I still don’t fully understand.

Now I’m about to enter into my senior year, and Guy #1 will likely be taking the same elective as me. My long-term goal is to earn a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering or Applied Physics before eventually working in industry.

My biggest fear is that these rumors will continue to follow me beyond college and somehow affect graduate school admissions or future employment, even though I have never been found responsible for the serious allegations that have been made about me.

This experience has left me with severe depression, anxiety, and constant fear about my future. I’m trying not to let it stop me from pursuing the field I’m passionate about, but it’s been incredibly difficult. I’m also trying to avoid unhealthy coping mechanisms like drinking, even though I’ve never consumed alcohol before.

I’m currently going into my senior year, and I’ve been struggling with something that has affected nearly every part of my college experience for the past two years.

During my sophomore year, I was a member of an ECE student organization that had a student lounge where I regularly studied. Around the same time, I introduced myself to a girl who was in this physics 3 class that I took. I simply wanted to get out of my shell and make more friends. Most of our conversations were about class, homework, internships, and career opportunities. Sometimes I would talk to her before class started.

Coincidentally, we were also involved in the same aerospace project club, so I saw her there as well.
About a month and a half later, I was studying in the ECE lounge when I noticed she was there with some friends. Shortly afterward, she left. As I was leaving, a student I’ll call “Guy #1,” who had previously been one of my friends, stopped me and said he needed to talk to me. He told me to leave her alone and not talk to her anymore. I was confused because I genuinely didn’t understand what I had done wrong. He then called me a “stalker” and a “creep.” I was shocked and extremely distressed. After that incident, I dropped physics 3, even though I was doing well in the class since I wanted to get away from the girl and guy #1 as fast as possible, but I did retook it the semester after and got an A. Shortly afterward, I received a letter prohibiting me from the ECE student organization for alleged Title IX violations involving sexual harassment and stalking. I never intended to stalk or harass anyone, so this completely shocked me.

After that, rumors began spreading throughout both the ECE and Physics cohort that I had been stalking and sexually harassing women. According to people I later spoke with, even more serious claims were circulating, including that I had multiple restraining orders in high school. None of those allegations were true. At one point I attended a quantum physics lecture because I was interested in taking the course in the future and one of my good friends was in the class, so I decided to crash in. I sat in the back of the room and completely ignored the girl. However, one of Guy #1’s friends confronted me afterward and accused me of attending the lecture to stalk her (which wasn’t my intention at all, since I didn’t even seen the girl until the very end of the lecture). He directly called me a “sexual harasser”.
As these rumors spread, several friends distanced themselves from me. My mental health deteriorated significantly. I struggled academically, nearly failed two classes, and experienced severe depression. At my lowest point, I even had suicidal thoughts because I felt like my reputation had been permanently destroyed.

Before my junior year, one of the friends who had initially cut ties with me reached out again and we recovered our friendship. He told me he didn’t believe there was enough evidence to support the allegations against me. He also explained that, from his perspective, I had likely missed social cues that the girl didn’t want to continue talking to me. I’m on the autism spectrum, and reading subtle social cues has always been something I struggle with. Looking back, I can understand how my repeated attempts to start conversations may have made her uncomfortable, even though that was never my intention. That same friend later spoke with Guy #1 and his friends. According to him, they continued describing me as someone who stalked and sexually harassed women and even repeated false claims about me contacting a girl’s father on LinkedIn after being rejected in high school. That never happened, I didn’t even have LinkedIn until I was a college freshman.

Later, I became interested in joining a new student organization because it focused on the field that I truly want to go into, which aligns closely with my career goals. When I spoke with the president, he mentioned that Guy #1 was one of the board members. I briefly explained that Guy #1 and I had a difficult history and that I believed he had spread false rumors about me. Looking back, I realize I probably shouldn’t have brought that up. Soon afterward, I was removed from the club’s Discord server and told not to attend events because multiple people were uncomfortable with my presence.

Despite everything, I continued attending career fairs, networking events, and physics networking events because I wanted to build connections and improve my chances of getting an internship since I was starting research. Unfortunately, the same girl also attended some of those events. I made a point of completely ignoring her and never approached or spoke to her. However, I was eventually banned from the Physics Club and its lounge after being told that members had reported me for making inappropriate comments and stalking, allegations that I still don’t fully understand.

Now I’m about to enter into my senior year, and Guy #1 will likely be taking the same elective as me. My long-term goal is to earn a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering or Applied Physics before eventually working in industry.

My biggest fear is that these rumors will continue to follow me beyond college and somehow affect graduate school admissions or future employment, even though I have never been found responsible for the serious allegations that have been made about me.

This experience has left me with severe depression, anxiety, and constant fear about my future. I’m trying not to let it stop me from pursuing the field I’m passionate about, but it’s been incredibly difficult. I’m also trying to avoid unhealthy coping mechanisms like drinking, even though I’ve never consumed alcohol before.