<p>My son needs to decide between universities that offer a 4 year BS in chemical eng.without the coop requirement (Penn, Rutgers, Pitt) or RIT that offers a 5 year BS with the coop requirement. He appears set on RIT but I am worried that he won't be able to get his degree if he can't find a coop in the present economy. Also the cost and time are greater for RIT. I would appreciate any comments that would help the college decision this month. Thanks</p>
<p>My DS is doing a 4-year chemE degree. I think that I’m only willing to pay 4 years! And summer internships or research experience during the schoolyear can take the place of some of those coop requirements.</p>
<p>You would still only be paying for 4 years worth of schooling. I made enough on my co-op sessions to pay for my last 2 years of school. I don’t know how the current economy is affecting the ability to get co-op jobs, but the experience was valuable to me in terms of money and job experience. I worked 3 very different types of engineering jobs and could get a good sense of what I liked best.</p>
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<p>This is one of the reasons my S chose a 5-yr co-op program. He is also studying ChemE at Northeastern and their co-op/experiential learning model seems to truly match his own learning style (more hands-on, less academic). Of course, his situation may be a little different from that of many engineering students since he also has Asperger’s and our (my)hope is that co-ops will also provide him a chance to learn valuable social skills that he will need in the work place, in addition to 18 months of work experience before he graduates (co-ops are often 6 months long compared to internships which are usually much shorter, but for someone with Aspergers, 3 months is barely long enough to become familiar and comfortable with a new place or for others to get to know you). </p>
<p>Another big factor for us, again because of Ss Aspergers is that many co-op employers frequently have long-standing relationships with their partner colleges, and view co-op students as more than just interns; they are seen as well-prepared short-term employees who employers will seriously consider for permanent employment after they graduate, and at schools that have strong co-op programs, a high number of engineering students are offered jobs with their co-op employers, often even before they graduate. </p>
<p>Engineering is a field where actual work experience counts and co-ops can often provide this more than internships. Of course, the quality of co-op programs can vary from school to school and some programs are little more than internships; its not for all students but I was surprised to discover how common it was in the engineering field. Even if the OPs S chooses one of the other schools, he may seriously want to look at their co-op programs as well; Penn State, for instance, has a very strong co-op program that hundreds of students participate in each year, even though it is optional. </p>
<p>For my S, having co-op built into his curriculum has been more beneficial for S because it forces him to move outside his comfort zone and seek out the opportunities to gain the social and work skills he will need to succeed while being provided resources to prepare him for this along the way (at NEU, engineering students is required to take a 1-semester course before doing co-ops where they learn how to write resumes, practice interviewing skills, and meet with advisors to select positions to apply to; and advisors must approve and are the ones who actually submit their applications to employers since the school wants to make sure that the students are qualified for any position they apply to). </p>
<p>I suspect there are lots of other engineering students that can benefit from the co-op model (which is probably why we see so many programs :))</p>
<p>Thank you so much for all the replies since my post of yesterday. This is what I was hoping for from this site. Much appreciated!</p>
<p>Demand for ChemEs has not slumped with the economy (I know because I am one). In fact, with the projects being targeted by the government there should be an up tick in engineering jobs in the next couple of years.</p>
<p>Either way your son goes should be fine. Also, it may take 5 years even in a 4 year program.</p>
<p>schools with a 4 year program may also have a co-op opportunity. I don’t know if its changed, but when I was a student the Cornell Engineering co-op program was the following-</p>
<p>summer after Soph year- take a full load of classes
fall of Jr year- coop
spring of Jr year- second semester Jr full load of classes
summer after Jr year- coop</p>
<p>It was tough taking 5 courses over the summer but it was also fun to spend the summer in Ithaca. I got paid for coop but I didn’t know the salaries of the offers ahead of time, so I chose the job based on its merit.</p>
<p>I know this isn’t a school the OP has under consideration, but wanted to add the info for others and to see if other schools had a similar program.</p>
<p>Go for the Coop. I am sure they have programs in place to help kids find a coop. The experience is invaluable, not necessarily as experience, but gets the companies exposed to the kid. Much easier to find a job when he does graduate.</p>
<p>Just one piece of advice: Try to focus the search for a coop in a job/industry he is interested in. If he gets a job with a petroleum company, but really wants to work for a pharmaceutical firm, then he will be tracked for petroleum jobs, not pharmaceutical jobs.</p>
<p>I have mixed feelings about co-ops. </p>
<p>I worry about the college “experience” being broken up by spending two semesters off-campus. This can impact housing which housing options the student gets.</p>
<p>The money in engineering co-ops is very good, but the student is delaying his/her “real” and better-paying job by a year, so that is not a slam-dunk.</p>
<p>Summer internships in engineering may be more difficult to find than a co-op arranged through school, but pay very well and are viewed much the same by employers.</p>
<p>I think that the co-ops can help the student learn about the workplace and may make the coursework more meaningful. Personally, I view the 4-year plan with good summer interships as a good compromise.</p>
<p>Both my S and his wife were in co-op program with very good results, since most kids went to work after graduation to one of those places. Also, it made easier for us to streach paying for S’s college, since he supported himself during “working” quarters. His program allowed only 1 summer off - after freshman year. They had to be either working or at school during all other summers.</p>
<p>You can easily do 1 coop at NU in engineering (or 2 depending on how many APs you are bringing in)</p>
<p>We are hiring most of our new engineers from our co-op candidates. Very rarely now do we hire candidates who only have 1 or 2 summer internships. This is simply because we get to know the student and they get to know us and that helps us each evaluate the fit.</p>
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<p>On the other hand, it could take up to a year for a graduate to find suitable employment. This is especially true with students who have no prior experience. Plus, there is a good chance the coop graduates start at higher salary.</p>
<p>For engineers, coop is a good way to go if cost is not reallly a factor.</p>
<p>Co-ops were created in large measure to help students PAY for college. So if money is a factor a school with a good co-op program is a very good solution, especially in engineering where the co-op pay tends to be good. Co-ops can also offer highly unusual opportunities - a Northeastern University student I know is doing her co-op in Paris! They also help students better define their professional interests/skills, as well as establish invaluable professional contacts. Finally, many students enjoy the break in school, especially in some of the demanding science/math/engineering programs – and then they enjoy getting back to the classroom once 9-5 loses its luster 
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<p>But in a field such as chemical engineering it may not make much of a difference: these students will likely find well-paying jobs even without the co-op experience. I think in this case it would be safe going with a student’s gut feeling as to which program would fit him/her best.</p>