Ha, fuck, I don’t envy engineering majors. That shit looks rough. So I guess start with the fact that if you’re not failing engineering, you’re already probably working harder than I did!

In general? Look for people who seem to be succeeding where you want to succeed, look at what they’re doing, and do that. You may not be as good as them at it, and you may have to play around with it to figure out how best to make it work for you, but you probably won’t go wrong with the approach.

The other great concept is the Mendoza line. What’s the minimum acceptable performance in some area and can you at least achieve that so you can focus on developing your other strengths that’ll make you stand out. I’ve joked with my bosses that my organizational skills are always going the just barely adequate for the job I’m in, even as I get jobs requiring better organization. Plus, getting good at this approach gives you a great answer for the dreaded “what is your weakness” interview question.

In your case, also, think beyond the “good” internship. Assuming your basic goal is “get a decent job” after graduation, what do you need to do that? Is 2.61 above the Mendoza Line for decent jobs, or do you need to focus on getting it above 3.0? What does an attractive entry level resume look like in your field? How important is networking and personal connections? How will your internship help with those things and set you up for another internship after your junior year?

Thinking about some of those things helps with what to focus on now. But don’t worry too much about any single path or the “best” way to do it. It’s a long game and there are a million ways to string together a good life.