<p>My brother is applying to various Co-op positions for spring semester. He's a sophomore now and he likes the idea of doing co-op, given the job situation in today's market. I've never been a fan of co-op and think it's better to do finish school in 4 years than extending it for one extra year by doing a co-op. I just wanted to know what others thoughts on that. Are there any advantages of doing co-op than internship? Are co-op less competitive than internships (that was one of my brother's reason to choose co-op)?</p>
<p>It really depends more on the company. Getting a co-op with a company like ExxonMobil or any major player will be competitive to get.
Co-ops generally tend to be a little less competitive to get than internships. But when applying for full time positions, employers treat both the same, period. It’s all about the skills you have developed and your academic achievement.</p>
<p>A co-op is longer than an internship, so you can get more involved and develop more skills. I go to a school that emphasizes its co-op program very heavily, and I will have completed 3 co-ops by the time I graduate. I feel like my 6-month experiences are a lot more like real life work experiences than I would get in a summer internship.
I also started out with the plan to graduate in 4 years, but I decided co-ops would give me a lot more opportunities to experience the field and be prepared for what I’ll be getting into, as well as having serious research experience to put on my resume.</p>
<p>@andy09, what makes you say that “employers treat both the same, period”? I would think a more extended position would be seen as having a greater benefit.</p>
<p>I think this article makes some good points about the benefits of co-op:
[Campus</a> View: Rethinking higher ed reform through co-ops](<a href=“http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/09/26/college-university-obama-affordability-reform-column/2871047/]Campus”>Campus View: Rethinking higher ed reform through co-ops)</p>