I'm in my 2nd year of college, and depending on how much overload I can take, I may even be able to graduate in May 2008. I would like to find an internship at a large corporation for next summer.

Here's the problem though. Most companies would like interns to have a GPA of at least 3.0. Mine is only 2.6 but for the last semester (Fall 2006) I had a 4.0. Basically I got my act together. Would companies not even consider me because of my low cumulative GPA?

I'm getting out of school in the first week of May. When should I start sending out my letters? Should I write them up right away and send them off, or should I wait another month or two? Who would I sent the letters to? The HR department?

Anyone have any other tips, or knows of a place who would be interested in having an IT intern from May-September 2006?

 

why did it take you so long to "get your act together", I'd say start overloading on BS classes just to get your gpa up. They arent going to look at you much differently if you do mediocre in every semester except your last. I had a similar problem with getting into pharmacy school, but it consisted of a year of C's and 2 years of A's and it still didn't help as much as I would have hoped. I didnt get in the first year I applied, but I did in the second. They saw that my last 60 credits were a 3.8 but when you averaged it, it was like a 3.0. So basically, no, one semester of A's isnt going to help you much.

 

By the time I graduate I can potentially have a GPA in the 3.3-3.5 range. 3.5 wouldn't be too bad, and I doubt any company would look down on that.

 

right, but they arent looking at you when you graduate. They are looking at you around a year or so before you graduate when you apply. That's what Im trying to tell you. I applied to pharmacy school in Fall 05 to get into Fall 06... When they are looking at my application though, it will be from Fall 05 and prior even though by the time Fall 06 comes around my GPA was going to be a lot higher. They didnt take me. Now when they looked at me at Fall 06, my GPA is grand, but now i still have to wait a year to Fall 07 to start school. The only advice I can give is to load up on BS classes to boost your GPA. I took 26 credits last semester. Do as much as you can where you can raise your gpa with bs classes without lowering the grades in the classes that count.

 

Your college will have an intern placement program. Companies contact and co-ordinate the program with them. Internships generally earn you credits. Talk to your school. How hard it is to get in and where you get in will depend on how many positions are available and how many people apply. If you go out and seek an internship yourself you are basically looking for a job. Those with the best grades will get internships at the best companies. They are important because those companies may come back to recruit you prior to graduation depending on how well you do.

 

I used to be responsible for hiring our Intern class each year. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but anyone with a GPA lower than 3.5 wouldn't get a look. Our internship was VERY competitive and paid very well.

The ONLY way someone with a low GPA would get into my class was if they had a personal "in" with one of our executives. Try doing some networking and see if you have any contacts within companies.

 

I've already checked with our department, and they don't really have any internship programs. It's actually kind of said, but nobody seems to give a shit in our computer science department. All the faculty members seem to be too preoccupied with doing their own research, so that's out of the question.

 

I actually do have an "in" with someone who works for a Fortune 500 company. He has a fairly senior position in the IT department. When I saw him a few weeks ago, he asked me what my plans for the summer were. I told him that I had none yet. He then told me that his boss already began talking about hiring an intern for the summer, and he would like to recommend me. Last week I gave him my resume, and I'm waiting to hear back. I'm guessing everyone is just too pre-occupied with Christmas. If it does work out, then I will choose that option, but I can't exactly put all my eggs into one basket and not do anything else. I will go ahead and start looking on my own as well.

 

I'd say you have a fairly good chance at an interview. That's your place to really shine and show your mettle. You're also correct in that most people are on cruise control during this time of year. You should start hearing something after the holiday season.

During this time you'll want to prepare answers for the inevitable "Why is your GPA so low?" question. In the end, most positions are filled by people with connections, drive and a great personality.