Chances at a chemical engineering internship as sophomore?

irishhillside
Sat, 20 Oct 2012 00:02:07 +0000

I’m trying to be proactive about the internship hunt - mentioning to professors that I’m looking, attending career fairs, applying to anything and everything I can find online. But I feel like I have an unfair advantage because I have zero connections in industry. My mom is an accountant and my dad is a miner. My hometown is in the middle-of-nowhere Midwest with no engineering companies nearby. I attend school in New Jersey so I’m close to a lot of big companies like Campbell’s, General Mills, DuPont, etc and I’ve attended all information sessions that these companies have held at my school as well as submit a resume/cover letter.

I’ve managed to keep a 4.0 my first year, although that is likely to change a little after this semester. I hold an elected position for my school’s AIChE, captain of a recently formed ChemE car team, Honors student, and active in volunteer work.

I’m really confident in my achievements academically, however, I feel like I’m lacking in the practical department. I can use Excel, Word, and Powerpoint like everyone else, but I’m clueless when it comes to AutoCAD, programming, etc. I have never worked anywhere remotely related to engineering. I’m currently a university tour guide and spent this last summer in a customer service related position. My coursework has been mildly relevant. My university does a clinic program, so I’ve worked on some projects with sustainable energy, biodiesel, etc. However, by the end of this year, I will only have had ChemE classes in mass/energy balances and fluid mechanics.

I guess my question is, will companies look me over because I have no connections and a lack of experience?