Ugrad research assistant position

[leright]

I currently go to an engineering university double majoring in EE and physics. I hope to attend graduate school and pursue a career in academia and research. My university normally isn't big on research, but the ME and civil engineering programs do a bit of research (carbon fiber reinforcement in bridges, and automotive stuff). The university has just received a pretty large fuel cell research grant and opened a new fuel cell research lab. The research professor running the lab is looking for an ME research assistant and an EE research assistant and I am interested (I'm not sure if I want to go into fuel cell research long term though...I am actually most interested in semiconductor and solid state electronics). However, the minimum GPA requirement is a 3.75 and I have a 3.34. From your experience, do you think this will be a major problem? I am going to go to the prof heading the program on Monday about this, but I would like your opinion.

I also have not had any experience with fuel cells before (don't know anything about them yet), but I do have a chem minor and I am a dual major in EE and physics. I also hadn't attended any of the alternative energy group meetings, and I am sure there are EEs that have that have higher GPAs.

However, I really would really like this position since it at least gets me some research experience under my belt. I am going to definitely get into a research team at another university for an REU/SURF next summer (hopefully in solid state electronics or physics), but this summer I want to do this.

I just started an internship with Takata Corp. (safety systems for the automotive industry), but I don't think it provides the kind of experience I need to meet my research goals, and grad schools would rather see the research assistantship.

What do you think?

 

[JasonRox]

I currently go to an engineering university double majoring in EE and physics. I hope to attend graduate school and pursue a career in academia and research. My university normally isn't big on research, but the ME and civil engineering programs do a bit of research (carbon fiber reinforcement in bridges, and automotive stuff). The university has just received a pretty large fuel cell research grant and opened a new fuel cell research lab. The research professor running the lab is looking for an ME research assistant and an EE research assistant and I am interested (I'm not sure if I want to go into fuel cell research long term though...I am actually most interested in semiconductor and solid state electronics). However, the minimum GPA requirement is a 3.75 and I have a 3.34. From your experience, do you think this will be a major problem? I am going to go to the prof heading the program on Monday about this, but I would like your opinion.

I also have not had any experience with fuel cells before (don't know anything about them yet), but I do have a chem minor and I am a dual major in EE and physics. I also hadn't attended any of the alternative energy group meetings, and I am sure there are EEs that have that have higher GPAs.

However, I really would really like this position since it at least gets me some research experience under my belt. I am going to definitely get into a research team at another university for an REU/SURF next summer (hopefully in solid state electronics or physics), but this summer I want to do this.

I just started an internship with Takata Corp. (safety systems for the automotive industry), but I don't think it provides the kind of experience I need to meet my research goals, and grad schools would rather see the research assistantship.

What do you think?

If your GPA is that much lower, than I say you most likely won't get it.

I'd try anyways. You should always try.