[Corsa GT]

I've read various threads on the forum, and talk to Kevin (Trackbird) frequently, and just figured this would be a good place to put my question out there. I can't very well get it answered if I don't ask.

I'm fresh out of high school, and currently plan on going to Kettering University (the former GMI) in the fall. My question is this: What exactly goes on during an average day for you guys? I'm talking automotive mechanical, of course. I love playing around with my Miata, thoroughly enjoyed my short ownership period of an LT1 TA, and have been learning intensively about cars in the last few years. I always find myself wondering how something could be improved when tackling a problem, or processing a variety of ways to attack a problem. I strongly feel this is something I want to do, and could enjoy doing for quite some time.

What I don't want is to be sitting in front of AutoCad for 10 hours a day, 50 weeks a year. This is not saying I don't want to use something like that weekly, even daily, just not all day every day. I'm not an artist, either, much past giving poor representations during dinner on napkins (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) . I see myself wanting to be with a few other people, bouncing ideas back and forth, finding shortcomings and improvements on each other's. I don't mind working the often required late hours, nor do I mind traveling. I'm not sure how much it really matters, but when I recently took a questionnaire through school a few months ago, asking me about my interests, interaction habits, and other personality traits, engineering was high an the list of recommended occupations.

With all of that out of the way, I come back to the initial question: What is an average day like? Is there any advice you can give me about this field? I appreciate any and all input. (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[94bird]

would it be in my best interest to try and achieve a ~3.3+ GPA and focus on other things, or get a (nearly, or outright) 4.0 and use the remaining time for other items?

It's pretty important that you get an overall GPA above 3.0 for your first few years after college (maybe 5 years). After about that time frame I do truly believe people are judging you by your work performance rather than what you did in school.

My GPA was 3.3 in college. It was almost 4.0 in high school (don't quite remember what it was). Things ARE much different in college. There are weed-out classes in the freshman and sophomore years and I had one in my senior year too (controls - ugh (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/rant.gif) )

As I get older in life I've realized there is a definite balance in life. Study hard while you're in school but remember not to focus solely on learning things in class and books. When you leave class make sure you have time to have some fun and most important of all learn by doing things first hand, not by solving formulas. I basically do not use ANY formulas in my work anymore. I still use what I learned by working on my own car and hanging around the race track.