<p>Just a few questions for current students or whoever else might know.</p>
<p>In the Princeton Review, I read that advisors are practically useless and generally unavailable for students because they simply have way too many kids to 'manage'. Is this true and if so, is it difficult to get by without them? This scares me a little as I am considering pre-med. </p>
<p>For the co-ops, I also read that some students have a difficult time getting one and some may end up with a "no-op" for a few months.... If you are "on the ball", so to speak, and are aggressive in getting involved with internships should you have much of a problem? Also, how does the current economy impact the chance of getting a successful co-op? An unpaid position is alright I suppose, as long as it's worthwhile. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>In terms of advising, I think part of the problem, at least for me, is that you have a lot of advisers. I have an adviser within the college of arts and sciences (whose only job is to be an adviser), an adviser who is faculty in my department, and a coop adviser. The coop adviser is probably the one that I know the best, because I have to work with her when I am looking for a coop. I suppose I could have that relationship with my faculty adviser, but NU keeps changing who it is, and I don’t even know who it is until I have to talk to them about something. I don’t know if they are supposed to inform me of that, or if it’s the school or the department. There are faculty I like and have a good relationship with, and once one of them happened to be my adviser. I’m not actually sure if he technically still is, though, since I haven’t need a faculty adviser sign-off on anything recently. And yes, I do realize that that makes me sound like the most confused person ever. That said, when I’ve needed to talk to an adviser about something, I’ve usually gotten pretty quick responses.</p>
<p>In terms of coop, I know one person who didn’t find a job, and decided to take classes and do coop the following rotation. I don’t know her well so I don’t know the circumstances. It’s basically like applying for a job, though. Your adviser will help you identify jobs and send your resume to them, but you need to show up and have a good interview. I’m kind of bad at interviewing, honestly, and I found my first two coops way at the last minute (in June) but I’ve just secured my third. I think it can be stressful, but most of the time you will find a job. If you’re willing to be unpaid, it’s even better. (though I think that only helps with some majors)</p>
<p>Eh, I’ve gotten by with minimal advising, and I’m someone who has switched majors (twice) and taken a semester off. Class selection and graduating isn’t super difficult, especially with degree audit (on myneu, which tells you degree/grad requirements and what you’ve taken/still need to take) so I haven’t needed much guidance. Basically, advisors aren’t going to contact you or hold your hand, but if you need to talk to them, you just make an appointment or e-mail them. I’ve always found them to be really helpful.</p>
<p>Gail Begley is the pre-med advisor, and the biochem professor. People seem to really like her and she’s supposedly a good advisor, so you have her to go to for anything pre-med. Plus there are bajillions of pre-meds here so you’ll be able to get lots of information from your neurotic classmates.</p>
<p>Eireann’s right about co-op. Sometimes you find them very last minute (I found my january co-op mid-december!) but you’ll find one. This is talked about a lot here: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/northeastern-university/703960-neu-faqs-answered.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/northeastern-university/703960-neu-faqs-answered.html</a></p>
<p>The economy is definitely having an impact on finding coop jobs but that is more of the student’s fault than the company. A lot of jobs are just offering students less money or no money at all compared to previous years. Students tend to avoid job that don’t pay/have really low pay rates (shouldn’t happen but it does). Thus there is increased competition for the remaining jobs and there are definitely more students than there are amazing coops. That is generally where people tend to end up with a “no-op”. The other case where that happens is some sophomore will overestimate their abilities and apply to only jobs that tend to go to upperclassmen. </p>
<p>If you make an attempt to stand out, though, you will definitely get a coop job. I co-authored a chapter last year in a “green chemistry” textbook, have gone to national ACS meetings, and have worked two years at a pharmaceutical company. I was offered interviews at almost every job I applied to (8-10 companies). According to my co-op advisor I was the first student in the college of engineering to get a job. Basically, get involved early, ask professors to do research (if you’re going premed, you might have a different co-op situation than the rest of us, but try to get involved in some bio research lab) and you’ll be just fine.</p>
<p>I might be misinformed but doesn’t health sciences/nursing/pre-med students all have 100% placement for coops? I think i heard this on the tour I could be wrong</p>
<p>Doubt it… I don’t know anyone in sciences who hasn’t been able to find a co-op but I’m sure it happens. Luckily there are tons of hospital/med school/biotech jobs around, so there’s a good selection of jobs, but some people get screwed into office jobs at clinics or in research, and some people get screwed into grunt lab work, etc.</p>
<p>No one is guaranteed a co-op job. It’s up to you to be a qualified candidate and the kind of person that employers want to hire. Redsox made many good points: Experience is key. Redsox was an ideal employee thanks to significant experience and solid ECs that proved an interest and dedication to the field. People like this always get jobs and they always get good jobs.</p>
<p>It’s probably close to 100%, but if someone is REALLY unemployable (student’s fault), then there’s nothing the magical co-op gods can do about it.</p>
<p>I haven’t worked much at all other than a job at a deli when I was 15 and a few weekend jobs when I was 16 because I don’t really need the money. Is it going to be hard to find a coop because I haven’t worked? Would getting a job this summer help my resume a lot even though I don’t really want one?</p>
<p>Hmm i’m pretty sure employers want to see initiative in your desired field. I would try and do something this summer that interests you. It can’t hurt and if anything can only make you look better when they see your resume. I lucked out and got an internship this summer with a regional finance firm.</p>
<p>There was one chemistry major last year who didn’t find a co-op, so they were given a co-op working in a chemistry lab at school.</p>
<p>And I agree about the number of advisers being annoying. My subject advisor refused to answer questions about co-op, and I had to look up my faculty college of arts and sciences advisor to see if my transfer went through…</p>
<p>I didn’t mean to make it seem like you NEED to have experience to get good jobs. One of my good friends worked at unilever and ended up getting a job at Proctor and Gamble in the duracell division and is going to have great experience. Yet other people also had internships in their fields but didn’t have solid gpas and ended up getting jobs, but not top ones. Another friend had absolutely 0 experience (except working at a restaurant) and got a very impressive job at Genzyme. It all depends. Having experience in your field BASICALLY secures you a coop but not having experience does not exclude you from getting a coop. Make sense? As emily said, the only people I know who didn’t get jobs either applied to jobs out of their reach like I said or had horrendous GPAs.</p>
<p>Thank you :). Very helpful.</p>