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On Wednesday, I get to start applying for NASA's summer internships and I'm super stoked about it! biggrin

At first I wasn't even going to try, because I thought the GPA requirement was way higher than it actually is. Turns out, it's only a 3.0, and I've already got that. And they've got tons of opportunities for CE majors, a LOT more than I anticipated, so I feel like I might actually have a decent shot at it.

Granted, I won't know until at least March on whether or not I get in, but still.

I don't even care if they ship me all the way to fiery hell California; I want this bad enough that I'd learn to adapt or melt in the process, haha. lol

Yeah, that's something I thought of, too. I'd love to meet a lot of you guys someday, it's just such a crazy long trip to take without a major reason. But NASA is definitely a major reason. xd

Which part of Cali are you going to? It's not all a giant firey inferno from hell. Mostly just the part that I happen to live on.

But I mean, everyone from Cali would probably just KNOW if I ended up there, because the instant I step out into the sunlight there'd be this radiant white aura that blinds everyone who beholds it. rofl

I swear, I'm whiter than paper. My boyfriend legit couldn't tell I was wearing white tights with my Halloween costume; he actually thought it was just my skin color. LOL Most of you guys are probably decently tan, and here the Midwesterner would show up and blind everyone with her paleness. razz

This made me cringe just a little bit because it made me think of the vampires from Twilight. Sorry, just had to bring that up.

Although, I don't think it would be that bad. My step-mom is pretty damn pale. We like to joke around and say she's so white she's transparent. I think we enjoy that joke more than she does. She came down to Cali once, she didn't go around blinding everyone, though that could be because all the light phased through her and her transparency...

Thanks, wolf. biggrin I dunno, there are a hell of a lot of others with higher GPAs and more programming experience than me out there who are probably going to apply, too, which is a large part of why I wasn't going to try originally. But one of my professors kinda nudged me to do it, because he brought up the fact that just because there are a lot of talented people doesn't mean they'll all try for it. Just like how I was, there are probably a lot of them who aren't even going to try because they have doubts. And it's true. The worst thing they can do is say no, and I can just try again next year. I'll get in someday, of that I have no doubts, it's just a matter of whether or not the universe wants to give me the easier way.
Ah, so I'm guessing you're further north? Knowing me, once I'm in a new state, I'm gonna want to explore the whole damn thing in my off time, so you never quite know if I'll end up in the area at one point. xd

I'm not sure about travel compensation; it's not explicitly stated anywhere. I'm going to assume that I'd have to fund it myself, but since they're a federal agency, I wouldn't doubt it if they did compensate in some way. My dad works for a different federal agency, and the government pays for all of his travel 100% if they have to send him anywhere, including food costs. We also get crazy good health insurance because of his job (even the pharmacists are impressed with how cheap our medicines end up being compared to everyone else's), so the government takes good care of its workers and their families. Another reason I'd love to have an actual career at NASA -- government benefits on top of it being my lifelong dream! Hehe

You'll have to come ride the coasters at Great America. wink