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Im a senior mechanical engineering student and I can echo most of the stuf manias says. I have come up with a few mantras / techniques that are helpful. I have spent 2 years in the aerospace industry as an intern so I kinda know my ass from a hole in the ground.
1.) Math is your friend. Always remember that. Even if you suck at it you can still be very successful, just need the perseverance to work through it.
2.) Getting your degree is 85% hard work and 15% talent the way I work at it. Succeeding at a job is more 50-50 though and be prepared to encounter shit you have never even imagined. Your undergrad serves only to give you the basis of how things work, generally in very simple conditions. That differs big time from how things actually work which leads me to my next point . . .
3.) Never do the bare minimum. Any chump-o can go to class and get ok grades, but in an interview this generally means nothing. My employer didn't even ask for my transcripts. He went straight to asking me what I have designed and what experience I had, which is something you dont get in a classroom. Myself, manias and warwagon have all worked in Formula SAE and this is a big plus. Any extra project is good, SAE sponsors the coolest ones like FSAE, Mini Baja, Walking Machine, Clean Snowmobile Challenge, and a slew of others. Take advantage of these programs, they will teach you volumes more than you learn in the classroom.
4.) Never ever give up on shit. Unless of course you got into Engineering for the cash. Then get the hell out, the only good engineers I know are the ones who love there job. I deal with these kinds of idiots every day, one being on my Senior Design Team.
Other than that be prepared to work your but off. I didnt really answer all of your questions but these are the things i feel are important
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