r/EngineeringStudents

What the fuck did I do wrong. I got 100% on both exams on their test gorilla website, after doing the assessment within the day given to me, then at 5am I get a notification saying I was no longer a candidate, I didn't even interview with a person.

Would it be unreasonable to ask where I went wrong??

Hey everyone,

I’m a rising senior in MechE and just got my first summer internship offer at a very small startup. The pay is $16/hr, which feels low for an engineering student a year away from graduating.

Context:
* No prior engineering experience, and this is my last summer before graduating.
* No other offers on the table.
* The opportunity came through a professional networking connection. The interview was just a casual conversation (no technical screening) where they basically said, "We can find a spot for you."

Because it was so informal and came through a connection, I’m worried they think they expect me to take whatever they offer. I understand that small startups have tight budgets and can't match big corporations, but $16/hr is tough to swallow in a major metro area.

Do I have any leverage to politely ask for $18/hr, maybe $19, or should I just take the low pay for the sake of the resume boost so I can land a better co-op/job later?

Thanks!

Why is it hard to read just when exams are approaching, and you feel not even 40 percent prepared

Mechanical engineering

Initially I wanted to opt for mech, thought I'd balance it towards technical side as well, CAD and python programming, a couple of projects and internships.

But then my father is an Electrical engineer, and like mostly the people i refer to for guidance stuff are computer branched or electrical.

One of my uncles is at a reputable position in vestas, electrical engineer himself. He told me the options with core mechanical engineering are extremely limited, and not very financially viable. Instead to go with electrical circuital branches and opt for semiconductor related in masters, or simply go for computer science related in bachelor's

I'm in a dilemma that mech has a very niche future coz everyone is saying so, telling me electrical has a better scope, go for semiconductors or something

Tbh not really that interested in circuital branches, but then I barely know stuff regarding what are taught and stuff so I might be prematurely taking a decision.

I wanted to ask people abt the derogatory viewpoint everyone has related to mechanical

Like I had planned to further master in mechatronics or robotics, even AI vagera was available.

I'm genuinly HELLA confused rn because I don't want to end up in a position where mere paas career options hi na bache, like an irrelevant degree

Even better if one could tell this from India's POV

I Had a Mid B for most of the semester, showed up to every lecture, did the work. I had like an 81% when I took my final and... I completely threw. Like 1985 MJ, It was BAD. I was sweating and partial-credit maxing for that entire test. No like, you have no clue, I was skipping every other question because I was blanking so hard. I plan to take Calc 1 and 2, but i'm lowkey slow. Like I'm an actual Neanderthal bro... Anyways, I just wanted to vent here and ask if I should even attempt Calc 1 in this state.

I just completed my first year of engineering, I am in a chemical engineering and biochemistry duel degree program. I have a 4.0 cgpa which is around a 1.3-1.6 gpa. And will be put on probation. I need a get a 6.0 cgpa by the end of the next 2 semester (winter of 2027). I will be needing to get B+ and A's for all of my classes from now on. My parents dont believe I would be able to do it. (idk if I can either)

I am so worried, idk what to do. I genuinely think I ruined my life. My parents is so disappointed and they think that I am a total failure. I feel like i just wasted a bunch of money and time.

This all may sound super cringy, but I just graduated, and for the last several days have been contemplating whether it’s worth making a post on LinkedIn about my graduation and the new job I have lined up. Part of me wants to since I’ve never posted before, and I really want to become more noticeable to more recruiters and potential managers, but I also just…don’t really know what to say in my post that isn’t cookie cutter. Literally everyone is making the same graduation posts right now.

Does posting on LinkedIn actually give you any benefits compared to someone who comments? I comment pretty frequently and get a lot of impressions. Just wondering.

I'm in a weird situation and have no perspective of college life so please pardon my ignorance. I just graduated highschool.

I have completed Calc 1 pretty easily, taken Calc 2 at a non-accredited school (so I'd have to re-learn vectors and series since it's been a while, but afaik I don't need them right away so I can do that at the same time too.)

I want to get ahead before college, and was considering signing up for Multivariable Calc, Differential Equations, and Linear Algebra. Some teachers at my school have told me that they all share a generic pre-req of Calc 2, so I could do it all concurrently.

I know how hard the courseload is, but I feel like it would be worth it to get ahead in college. I'm mostly worried about the re-learning Calc 2 part. Does anyone have any input?

Hello everyone. I am on summer vacation and I'm using the time to investigate what to study for college. I've always felt like I'm a very ambitious person, but when I push my-self too hard I tend to burn out and lose interest in things. I've built interest in multiple things like music, psychology, engineering, chemistry, math. But I never really committed really well to either of them to truly explore it and if its what I want as a career. I often picture myself in the future on the field but I unmotivated myself from exploring the topics more by focusing on the negatives. What I need is engagement, and starting this summer I've begun to change that by every day re learning math courses, grammar, building routines but more relevant to this post, learning if I truly like engineering. However I'm having a bit of trouble, I can't really find a whole lot of info on YouTube that truly tells me if I like it or do I just like the dream of creating things, solving problems and commit a big part of my life to it. For some reason I relate the professions that I'm interested in with fame or social recognition or that I will do it for the rest of my life so I discard them. But I know its not true anymore. Most people change mindsets every ten years and what I need to find now is a major that I'm currently interested in and if I think I will enjoy it, but with a plan and not just dive straight into it. Any advice would be appreciated.

For starters, this is a post about me seeking mental and moral guidance. Please help.

I’ve spent 3.5 years in community college due to financial reasons, and unsure about engineering to begin with, and nervous about the class load feeling like i won’t have enough time to work or have a social life. I graduated December 2025 with a 3.7 gpa with an associates in engineering science and a campus job on my resume, a few classes like diff eq really kicked my butt and I somehow got lucky and passed with a B because of curves (I went almost 2 times a week to office hours and made it clear to my prof I don’t know anything).

Fast forward now to the end of spring 2026 semester I just finished my first semester of university pursuing electrical engineering. I took an ac circuits analysis course where i had a professor I couldn’t understand both her speaking or handwriting and I was BY MYSELF IN THIS CLASS JUST ME. Every assignment I did I relied on ChatGPT to guide me and while it did help me it wasn’t enough for me to learn. This professor ended up giving me 100s on every assignment including the final and projects and she really messed up my whole perception of myself (mind you I took dc circuits analysis and passed with an A and had a great professor and group of friends to study with).

The more I think about it I also realized how much of my previous years at CC I also forgot (many calc things and few other topics) just because it’s been a few years of using some formulas. I also realized how lazy of student I was and because of how AI I use to help with homework. I’ve been in a downwards spiral about my self-esteem and cry a lot and cannot let it go once I start thinking about how I think I fucked up my schooling. I feel like my imposter syndrome is at its peak. I feel like I also chose the wrong school to pursue EE since its program is new and I’ve made no EE friends at campus.

I don’t wanna quit because I feel I’m too far in to stop, I’ve told my mom how awful I recently felt and she says I need to calm down because eventually it will all work out in the end. I have a passion to be an engineer but I don’t want to be a failure to my parents who’ve tried their hardest to give me a better life than they have. My biggest fear right now is to be a failure to them.

I think I’m a good student and I know I can do it. I’m spending my summer relearning AC circuits by downloading all the class material and watching YouTube videos and getting some math review in too.

Can someone please tell me if im fine, overreacting a lot, or cooked?

I genuinely feel stuck. I can stay consistent with other things, but studying is like torture. I sit down and my brain just refuses to engage. It's not that I'm lazy I *want* to study but it feels damn near impossible to lock in.
Here's what I've noticed:
Even at the library, I can't focus. It feels boring and like nothing is sticking
It takes me way longer to understand material than it seems to take others
Studying feels empty in a way that other things don't
I have exams in 1 week and I'm panicking because I don't know if this is:
A study method problem (I'm studying wrong)
A major problem (I picked the wrong field)
Something else entirely
**What actually works?** Has anyone dealt with this? What changed it for you?

Also is not about the amount of time I study even with the podomoro technique it feels very hard.

I’m currently a high school student trying to decide what to major in. For the longest time, I’ve been leaning toward chemical engineering, but lately I’ve been wondering if it might be better to major in chemistry first and then branch into other pathways later on.

I’ve heard mixed things about chemical engineering, especially regarding work-life balance and how difficult it can be to land a job in the field (though I’m not sure how accurate that is). At the moment, I feel pretty conflicted about my options and I’m unsure about the best path forward.

i need to pick between compsci/chemical eng at a Go8(Monash) in the ideal city vs ece at a Go8(ANU) in a less than idea city vs mechanical/mechatronics/ece/eee at non Go8 (Deakin) decent uni, ideal city

i personally want to do ece, hence why; im also fine with mechanical/mechatronics/eee but i'm not particularly motivated about compsci; i would even consider chemical but idk

note: international student

(Go8: Group of Eight (Go8) refers to Australia's premier coalition of research-intensive universities)

I deadass think I’m allergic to studying bro I be getting sleepy every time I open a book unless I’m studying last minute and that stress hits like an adrenaline rush type shit. I accidentally be taking like 2-4 hour naps mid studying whenever I try to be a good student and catch up w the class. That’s it just woke up from a 2h nap trynna be a good student type shit studying 1-2 weeks before instead of a day. Good summer everyone.

Hey everyone, I need some outside perspective because I’m completely overthinking this.

I’m a 20 year-old rising junior engineering student. I study at a top 5 engineering school. I’m naturally a pretty introverted guy and my only ex actually asked me out in high school, so I have basically zero experience making the first move. Lately, I've been trying to put more effort into myself such as working out, eating better, dressing nicer, and just trying to be a bit more outgoing.

About two weeks ago, I joined an undergrad robotics research lab. There is a graduating senior (22F) in the lab and I immediately developed a huge crush on her. The first time we interacted, I just asked her how to correctly pronounce her name, but since then we've been running some field tests and trials together. She is incredibly smart, always put together, and just has a really amazing smile.

Here is the problem: she is leaving in a few days. She’s moving out of state for the summer to do an internship at a big defense contractor. She is coming back to campus in the fall to start her master's, but she probably won't be in this specific lab anymore.

​Over the last few days, I actually managed to have some normal conversations with her without completely freezing up. Since she moved to the US a few years ago, we talked a bit about her home country and she gave me some recommendations on where to visit. We also joked a little bit about the weather where she's moving. Nothing super deep, but it felt really natural. The craziest part was when I mentioned I hadn't seen the rest of the lab building yet, and she voluntarily offered to give me a tour (she volunteered and there were other people in the room). That gave me crazy butterflies, but I keep telling myself she’s just being friendly to the new guy.

I know if I don't do anything before she leaves, I'm going to regret it all summer and wonder what if. But I also embarrass really easily, and I absolutely cannot make a move in front of our professor or the other guys in the lab. I don't want to make things weird or unprofessional for her on her last day.

So here is my plan. I'm going to find out if her official last day is Friday or Monday. Whenever she is packing up to leave for the last time, I'm going to wait until she says goodbye to everyone else. When she actually heads for the door, I'll grab my bag and just tell her I'll walk out with her.

Once we're in the hallway or walking outside and completely away from our coworkers, I plan to ask for her instagram so we can stay in touch over the summer. After she puts it in my phone, I want to just tell her I hope she has a great internship, and that I'd love to take her out for coffee when she gets back to campus in the fall so she can tell me about it.

​I feel like this makes my intentions clear, but also gives her an easy out if she isn't interested since she can just say she'll be busy. Am I completely delusional for trying this? Is saying I want to take her out too aggressive for a guy who just joined the lab? Please let me know if this sounds like a natural way to do it or if I'm going to completely crash and burn.

TL;DR: Introverted 20M with zero game has a massive crush on a 22F senior in my lab who leaves for an out-of-state internship in a few days. My plan is to walk her out on her last day, get her IG, and tell her I'm taking her out for coffee when she returns for her master's in the fall. Is this a solid, confident move, or way too aggressive?

Edit: Thank you for all the advice and support. I will update you guys once I do it.

Hello! I'm considering quitting my full time job to study EE full time. Does anyone have any experience with this or advice? Is this a good idea?

Extra info: I'm 30 years old and recently returned to college. This is mostly motivated by my desire to finish the degree as quickly as possible. Continuing as I am, with part time school, I'll likely finish in my mid to late 30s, and I don't want to delay it any further. This is only really an option for me because I have some money saved, and my girlfriend or my parents are willing to cover my living expenses while I pursue my degree. I may have to take out student loans towards the back half of the degree