<p>I know this has been asked before, but I'm getting a lot of mixed numbers. How much would I get from 3 sessions of co-op? particularly for a pharmacy/ physician's assistant major? I'm trying to factor in co-op $$ to see if I can afford this school.</p>
<p>My son is an engineering middler…his coop 1 paid $18/hour, coop 2 will be 18.50/hour. Remember, too, you don’t pay tuition while on coop.</p>
<p>I’m going on my first co-op (mechanical engineering) starting in the summer for 17.25. During my co-op prep course, my adviser was saying the average first co-op salary for engineers usually ranges from $15-18</p>
<p>Its probably a long shot , but do you know by any chance the average starting co-op salary for Biology or Biochemistry students?</p>
<p>At Welcome Day they told us basically the best students with the highest GPAs get the highest paying co-ops. Is that true?</p>
<p>Our student will be doing his first co-op starting in July so he just went through the hiring process. They do put GPA requirements on the top jobs in CS. Fortunately he got one of the top jobs…and he’ll be earning over $25/hour. We were very pleasantly surprised!</p>
<p>And so I assume he did very well in his classes up to that point? Congratulations, that’s great!</p>
<p>Engineers tend to make the most. CS and nursing also make more than average. Pharm probably on the higher end of average. So far, the salaries posted are in high-paying majors. I think averages in general are closer to $12-$15, and you can safely assume you will make something around there. If you are in these majors, you can assume you’ll get more, but otherwise, please don’t think you can make $25/hr, because salaries that high in other majors are extremely rare.</p>
<p>As for the question of bio/biochem. Students who work in non-research generally don’t get paid super well (think $8-$11). Students working in research get paid depending on if they choose academic labs (usually these are at Brigham&Women’s/Harvard) or Biotech/Industry (usually in cambridge or suburbs). Academia pays around $11/hr, biotech pays around $16.</p>
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<p>This is the last time ever, ever, ever, that I will break down co-op costs. From here on out I quit and you all will have to just use the search button!</p>
<p>Averages for co-op are about $12-$15. This will come out, after taxes, to being about $400/wk +/- maybe $50. That’s $1600/month, around $9500/6 months. That sounds like a lot, except that living is expensive.</p>
<p>Say your rent costs $850/month, living expenses $350/month (a low estimate!!!), that means you pay $1200/month just to get by, and you’re saving $400 a month = $2400 over 6 months.</p>
<p>$2400 is a nice chunk of savings for a college student. If while in classes, your parents pay your rent, you can get by for a while on that $2400. But, obviously, if you were paying rent while in classes, that $2400 is not going to go very far. Again, these are all averages. Some students make $10/hr, so they make a lot less than this, some students make $20/hr, so they make a lot more. How much you save is also dependent on how much your rent costs and how much you spend on life every month. </p>
<p>This is why you can’t expect co-op to make a dent in tuition. It’s also why a lot of us have a part time job while in classes, or rely on parents to give us money for living costs.</p>
<p>Lastly. If you think you will have trouble affording NEU, you probably will. Co-op is not likely to make NEU affordable. Living in Boston is very expensive-- any financial advantage from co-op is negated by the absurd rent in this city.</p>
<p>Yes, calsccr9, he has done very well in his NEU classes. Also was an outstanding HS student and came to the co-op interview process with some great summer work experience and lots of self-taught skills. We are very proud (and thankful) parents! : )</p>
<p>So, Emily, you are right. He is definitely not your typical first co-op applicant and expectations should not be set based on his experience. I only chimed in to answer the question about higher GPAs getting the better jobs. From his experience, it certainly rings true, but I would be remiss if I didn’t give credit again to his major, CS, as that obviously also has a lot to do with the pay scale.</p>
<p>yeah, it is a good point that high paying co-ops go to top students. A good GPA is important in a lot of fields for getting the good co-ops. Also, try to get in some work experience before your first co-op, which will help you be more competitive.</p>
<p>One additional point on the GPA question: Many of the top job listings actually have a GPA cutoff requirement…unless you meet that requirement, you can’t even apply for the position.</p>
<p>It all depends on the job. If you really want to apply for a job, some co-op counselors will send your resume to the companies despite a lower GPA. However, the company may or may not give you an interview. Its different for every company and every job.</p>
<p>i got a $25/hr for my first Co-Op position. oh im a CHE major</p>
<p>Finance and Accounting majors with top GPAs also typically make 20+ dollars an hour. I’ve even heard 30+ for the trully exceptional job.</p>
<p>I can promise you, $20+ for finance and accounting majors only go to the TOP firms. This isn’t just top students, you also have to go to a really top finance or accounting firm. Most people at my accounting/finance company had really good gpas (mine was above 3.8) and we only made $17. The Big 4 public accounting ones (very very hard to get) made high 20s. But just because you have a good gpa and are in accounting doesn’t mean you’ll get above 20.</p>
<p>I suppose I should have clarified; 2nd and 3rd coops for Finance/Accounting with 3.5+ GPAs. One of my friends got 19 with a 3.2 GPA on his first coop. There’s certainly a networking component too.</p>