<p>i know coop is a great opportunity and everything, but i'm really not sure it's for me. i want to graduate in four years, and that will be a lot more difficult with coop.</p>
<p>i was wondering if anyone here did not do coop (or knows someone who didn't).</p>
<p>how did you fulfill the experiential learning requirement?</p>
<p>You can’t <em>not</em> take co-op at northeastern. You can, however, do a four year program with only two co-ops and, I believe, classes during each summer. I think I may have read somewhere you <em>might</em> be able to fill that requirement with study abroad, but if you really don’t want to take co-op, then I’d suggest not going to Northeastern.
If it helps at all, I believe you can get a co-op at a research institute as an assistant instead of at a “real” business, which can help if you want to go to graduate school.</p>
<p>I don’t think you are required to do a coop. Your experiential learning may come from your senior capstone project. Not too sure though.</p>
<p>"Our alumni consistently cite real-world learning as the element of their education that enabled them to move into leadership positions in their careers. Thus, unique among colleges and universities, Northeasterns core curriculum requires all undergraduates to pursue at least one integrated experiential learning opportunity that includes formal reflection on how the experience expanded their knowledge and understanding. Students may pursue co-op to fulfill this requirement, but can also partake of dynamic opportunities in research, service learning, study abroad, clinical and professional practica, and internships.</p>
<p>Other elements of Northeasterns core curriculum include participation in a First-Year Learning Community; required courses in a variety of knowledge domains and in mathematical thinking, writing, and cultural diversity; and a Senior Capstone Experience. Visit the NU Core to learn more."</p>
<p>So, at least one research, service learning, study abroad, clinical / professional practica, or an internship, in addition to the senior capstone project.
Dang.</p>
<p>Some majors require co-ops, but many do NOT require it. You can fulfill your experiential requirement with a senior thesis, directed study, or independent study and graduate in 4 years.</p>
<p>The large majority of us do co-ops. I can only think of one person who didn’t co-op, but she was involved in research throughout college (even got published in a textbook), and graduated in 3 years. A good friend of mine had planned on doing 4 years without co-op, but wound up doing one anyway, and is still able to graduate in 4.</p>
<p>You’ll be in a small minority if you don’t do co-op, people here are pretty enthusiastic about it, and it’s a big part of the feel at this school. But not going on co-op isn’t unheard of, nor does it make graduating much more difficult.</p>
<p>they specifically said at welcome day that coop wasn’t required for math majors, though they didn’t talk about other options.</p>
<p>i definitely know that coop isn’t required. there are also the global experience and undergraduate research options. i was just wondering if anyone could share their non coop experiences.</p>
<p>and i’m already committed to northeastern and love it.</p>
<p>thank you everyone for your advice.</p>
<p>with the visits i’ve had to the school, i’m aware that everyone’s pretty passionate about coop. i’m certainly not anti-coop, and i am considering it. but as a math major, i’m not entirely sure of my career goals yet. and i’m simply not as enthusiastic about the coop as everyone else, though i adore the school.</p>
<p>there’s a good chance i’ll participate in coop, but there also may be a good chance i won’t. thanks for your advice.</p>
<p>Woah. Co-op is NOT required at all for all majors. Economics, for example, doesn’t require co-op at all. For all they care, you could graduate in three years with AP credit and not take a single co-op related class at all. It depends (as Emily said) on a requirement that is determined by the major. For Economics, it is fulfilled by the senior capstone. For other majors, it would HAVE to be done with co-op. Pharmacy kids, I believe, must do co-op. But depending on your major, you might not have to do BOTH the capstone and co-op/research/etc. Just check the registrar’s catalog for the major and it’ll show when you need to take.</p>
<p>And I know how you feel. I’m not too big on the co-op idea either, and I really want to graduate in as short as time as possible. So what I’m doing is keeping a good eye on making sure all the classes I take are aimed towards requirements for graduation, and doing two co-ops.</p>
<p>A few of the science majors do research as a sort of co-op. I know a bunch of rising sophomore chemistry students that are spending the summer working in labs for the chemistry department, and I know a rising senior that did a co-op last year along side students researching for their PhDs.</p>
<p>There are some cool math opportunities for you though as a math major. It is definitely possible for you to intern with a sports team or media team and do a coop as a statistician. I’m not sure if the position exists, but that would be a very interesting thing for you to pursue if that interested you. Especially if it does not exist right now and you created the job, that would be a pretty unique experience for you to put on your resume.</p>
<p>My son was interested in coop because he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. His thought that he would use the coop experiences to experience different types of work that his degree might qualify him for, so that he would be better prepared to decide on a career.</p>
<p>Thats exactly what I did…I had a nice internship at a pharmacuetical company and really really enjoyed it but now I’m cooping at a materials science coop just to make sure that pharma is what I really want.</p>