Hello all. I have been heavily considering northeastern, but I have one huge question: what exactly is the co-op program? I don’t fully understand what it entails. I would like to go on to medical school and became a doctor, so I was wondering if the co-op program would be helpful or detrimental to my future plans. Any advice would be extremely helpful. Thanks!
http://www.northeastern.edu/coop/
In no way will it be detrimental
Co-op lets you get research and/or clinical experience to build up your resume for medical school applications. Because of the really early application cycle for med school as well, don’t 5 years also makes it easier to have a complete application ready to start the fall after you graduate.
Thanks to both of you for the helpful advice! I will definitely do some more research and explore this opportunity more.
(Disclaimer: I’m copying most of this from my comment on a similar post)
I just graduated from NU with a biology degree and am applying to medical school now, and I have told numerous people that I have no idea how anyone survives this process if they go to another university.
The main reason for this is the co-op program. You should read more about it on the website, but it basically allows full-time students to apply to explore and work in jobs in their field for 6 months rather than taking classes. Most students at NU do at least one co-op and up to three, switching back and forth between classes and working. I truly believe that I got clinical AND research experience (both very important to med schools) through my co-ops that I would not have been able to find anywhere else. For example, for one of my co-ops, I was able to work directly with newborns at Brigham & Women’s Hospital - a paying job that I would never have been qualified for at another university, unless maybe I was a nursing major.
The experiential education you get at NU (primarily through co-op) is hard to find elsewhere, and in my opinion, gives med school applicants a HUGE leg up. These types of experiences are the ones that make me glad I went to NU. Good luck with your decision!