Agreed in working hard and making sure you maintain a GPA of at least 3.6 and above - this is not too difficult to achieve.

I regretted not working hard in poly; even though things worked out for me in the end because I made it to a low tier local U, worked hard, did as many internships as I can and got into a grad program before graduation.

Life will definitely be easier and more doors will be opened if you work your ass off during poly, get into a good local U, intern as much as you can. Learn skills that are relevant in the future.