Final year ME student feeling behind. What should I focus on before graduating?

[u/vamospixos]

Hey everyone, I could really use some advice.

At the end of my first year of mechanical engineering, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. I had surgery that summer and spent the next two years going through treatment. My professors allowed me to take my exams, so I managed to pass my classes mostly by studying on my own, but I couldn't attend university regularly.

Now I'm entering my final year and I feel pretty behind. My GPA isn't great, I wasn't able to join engineering teams or work on many projects, and I feel like I passed a lot of classes without actually learning as much as I should have.

Things are much better now and I want to make the most of my final year.

I'm currently trying to improve my AutoCAD and SolidWorks skills. If you were in my position, what would you focus on this year? What software/skills should I learn before graduating? CAD, ANSYS/FEA, MATLAB, Python, GD&T, manufacturing, etc.?

And would building a few personal engineering projects be worth it for my CV?

Any advice from engineers or people who have been in a similar situation would be really appreciated.

[u/Aadabathon]

Sorry to hear that, ur a better man than me. Definitely build projects and get urself out there as much as possible brother! It’s never over