It does feel absolutely shattering at the end of your UG course, when you end up with a low GPA. You just feel helpless and bitter, observing a lot of your class mates celebrate their good GPA, discuss prospective internship offers they have in hand, and get even more bitter/frustrated as owing to your not so stellar GPA, you might miss out on some quality internships.

So if you are in a soup, wondering about internships, future prospects then this essay is for you.

The good news is, that even with a subpar GPA, you can still aspire for a good internship programme. You will need to tweak your CV a bit. Read on to find out how…

 

Highlight Your Extra Curricular achievements ( If you have any) : Potential recruiters want to see candidates with potential. So if you are somewhat lagging behind in grades, you can make it up, with some great ECE ( Extra Curricular Activities) . Highlight if you have been the president of some activity club, if you have won national competitions or led teams in national contests, if you have done some interesting volunteer work at a form or an NGO. In short point how you excelled in something, as the recruiters will assume academics was not on your priority list.

 

Highlight Relevant Skills : Engineering course is ultimately a skill based course. If you can show that you completed some relevant projects ( and performed well), honed some valuable skill – like a programming language, you will earn some brownie points.

 

Check GPA requirements of each firm : Before even considering internships, conduct a thorough check on the eligibility criteria for internship programmes of different firms. If they have a defined GPA cut off ex : 3.7 and your GPA doesnt come close, then avoid needless heartbreak, and refrain from applying. Search and apply to firms which don’t have a specific GPA criteria.

 

Explore Alternative Routes to Internship : If you haven’t been offered on campus internship, simply take time off and hunt for off campus internships. Visit websites like Internshala for available relevant internships.

 

Volunteer For Free : If the companies visiting your campus is refusing to offer you an internship ( because of GPA cut off) then offer to volunteer for free. Volunteering will be pretty much like an internship ( minus the stipend) and if you can perform very well, this will turn into an internship or pre placement offer even. You will also get a recommendation letter.