<p>Hi all!</p>
<p>I was wondering what Northeastern's community is like given students come and go on co-ops, study abroads ect. I know that other universities deal with the same transitions; however, Northeastern is probably effected more because of its emphasis on co-ops. Is there still a campus feel? How are the student activities effected? Can you still have leadership roles in clubs even though you won't be on campus for a semester? Is it harder to make friends and keep old relationships? </p>
<p>Thanks!!</p>
<p>I will say this-- I think NU students are better adapted to the comings and goings of fellow students. Someone I studied abroad with, from another school, had a really hard time adjusting back when she returned to her college. My group of friends at NU, however, was much more understanding and excited for me,</p>
<p>Student activities, clubs, bands - they’re all geared up for the come and go of co-ops and study abroad. A lot of activities are in the evenings, so you will still be able to be involved even while on co-op. But if you take a semester off because of co-op or study abroad, it’s totally normal. A lot of clubs even do leadership positions by semester because of this.
I am just coming back from an international co-op and haven’t seen my friends in about 8 months, but I’m really excited to be back and don’t feel like we’ve drifted apart too much in the gap. College friendships tend to be durable if well-made.</p>
<p>Nanotechnology said it best- activities and such aren’t affected because the majority of NU students go on co-op. I haven’t been on co-op yet, however since co-op is a large part of NU culture, I would assume that it wouldn’t affect relationships too much.Yes you can have leadership positions even if you won’t be on campus for a semester.One of the clubs I’m in has a person on their E-Board who is doing a co-op in Jordan, and they showed us pictures of her and told us how she was doing on her trip, at the first meeting. So yes, everyone is very supportive and leadership is definitely possible if you go on co-op. You can even be an RA and go on an international co-op, you just suspend your RA-ship for a semester.</p>
<p>As the above two posters have said, coop is part of the culture at Northeastern. Virtually all students take part in coop or some other form of experiential learning. The university is geared for it.</p>
<p>Some posters on CC say that at many schools you can do coop, at least in engineering and business. This is true but there you would be the outlier. You would be outside the mainstream.</p>