<p>Looking at my choices for colleges, it seems to come down to RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), WPI (Worcester Polytechnic Institute), RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology), Stevens Institute of Technology, and University of Maryland. I know that RIT and Stevens both have strong co-op programs and they are integrated into their curriculum which i know is good to get work experience, but is it really that valuable? Correct me if im wrong but i believe that U of Maryland, RPI and WPI have much better reputations than RIT and Stevens. For example i live very close to Stevens, just a train ride away, yet most people have never even heard of it. Although i know that those are most likely not going to be the people hiring me when i apply for jobs in the future. But i also do know that RPI, WPI and U of Maryland have co-ops but not worked into the curriculum like RIT and Stevens, nor do i know how good their co-op programs actually are. My main question is, is a very good co-op experience, like at RIT, more valuable/helpful to get a job than the reputation of say RPI and their co-ops/internships?</p>
<p>Very good option to have. But not necessary. Go where you like.</p>
<p>Students at RPI, and WPI do just fine with summer internships to gain work experience. But some people prefer having the longer co-op periods. It is a matter of personal preference, not what is “best”.
Go with the school you like the best based on criteria that matter to you.</p>
<p>the value of a co-op it is debatable . do not choose a school on that, go where you think you will fit in best and thrive.</p>
<p>Son, double engineering major was at a school that promoted summer internships. (Did not have semester do-op programs). Did internships between soph and jr years and jr and senior years. Also, active on campus and had a paid internship doing research with grad students (he was undergrad) during the school year. Had three job offers upon graduation this past May. (All job offers were made from Fall job fair and subsequent interviews as well as a job offer from past internship).</p>
<p>Co-ops are great. Most will lead to five years to graduation. Housing can be a problem if you leave and come back unless you’re co-op is close to your current school housing. </p>
<p>Either way you will be fine. RPI WPI have great reps. We wanted my son at a school with more girls as we worried he’d just stay inside on the computer all the time with less socializing and also a school he could remain at if he changed his major. Thought he’d love RIT but hated it upon seeing it. Apply and make some visits.</p>
<p>coop jobs tend to be longer than internships, and on a longer assignment you can be given more responsibility and interesting work than you can if you just have 2 months during the summer. But doing something is MUCH better than doing nothing. Students tend to prefer coop jobs if they want to earn money to help pay for school; the tradeoff is it usually takes 5 years to finish college (which will not matter in retrospect when you’re in your 30’s, but might seem like a big deal at 18). Also it is easier to find coop jobs; far fewer people are willing to take a semester off college than are willing to work during the summer. Savvy students use this to get internships at top companies; when hiring for summer intern positions you make a stronger case if you already have work experience, and the coop can give you that.</p>
<p>Although I personally think the Co-Op programs are worthwhile, I have little data to prove that. In fact, if you look at mid career salaries, there doesn’t seem to be a correlation between the Co-Op programs and the school rankings.
1 Harvey Mudd College
$135,000
2 California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
$127,000
3 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
$118,000
4 Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly)
$117,000
5 Stevens Institute of Technology
$112,000
6 SUNY Maritime College
$109,000
7 - tie Colorado School of Mines
$105,000
7 - tie Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
$105,000
9 Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)
$104,000
10 Cooper Union for The Advancement of Science and Art
$103,000
11 - tie New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (New Mexico Tech)
$102,000
11 - tie Clarkson University
$102,000
11 - tie Georgia Institute of Technology
$102,000
11 - tie Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
$102,000
15 New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT)
$101,000
16 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT)
$99,800
17 South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
$99,500
18 Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT)
$98,200
19 Massachusetts Maritime Academy
$98,100
20 Missouri University of Science and Technology (MST)
$95,100
21 Case Western Reserve University
$94,000
22 Kettering University
$88,800
23 Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech)
$88,600
24 Michigan Technological University
$88,400
25 Wentworth Institute of Technology
$87,700
26 Milwaukee School of Engineering
$87,500
27 Lawrence Technological University
$86,800
28 Southern Polytechnic State University
$85,100
29 Montana Tech of The University of Montana
$82,600
30 Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
$81,500
31 Xavier University of Louisiana
$75,700
32 Devry University
$71,800
33 Pennsylvania College Of Technology
$62,400
34 ITT Technical Institute
$61,500</p>