Anyone with knowledge of how these schools compare regarding engineering programs and in regards to their coop programs.
Purdue is co-op optional but has a very well supported program. My D is in her 2nd year there and starts her co-op this summer. She has a special co-op advisor, there is an office of professional practice that does workshops and seminars, and the career center is amazing for resume help, perfecting the elevator spiel, and mock interviewing. If students want to just do summer internships, Purdue brings 800+ companies to campus every year. The career fair is incredible. We’ve been super impressed!
Feel free to PM me if you have Purdue specific questions.
Northeastern offers the same in terms of co-op advisors, workshops, mock interviews, and resume help. I can’t confirm first hand but would think RIT offers the same given its co-op focus, which you should be able to confirm on their website. You’ll find all 3 of these schools on this list for a reason: https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/internship-programs
From a notoriety/prestige perspective my experience is that it goes Purdue>Northeastern>RIT but with relatively small gaps. Purdue’s engineering program is known to be particularly tough but very rewarding postgrad, though engineering program will be easy. In the end you’ll get a solid engineering education from all three with solid experience upon graduation.
As always, with comparable options, cost and fit can be big factors. Purdue is probably the most traditional college experience here, Northeastern is very much a city school, and RIT is a tech school vibe. In many ways those are bigger differences here than co-op/engineering programs between these.
My son is a first year at Northeastern so he hasn’t done a coop yet. The coops are built into the system so he’ll be assigned a coop slot, second semester sophomore year or first semester junior year, this spring. He will take a coop preparation class the semester before he does his first coop.
I’d agree with @PengsPhils that the different schools will have different vibes based on location. My son wanted to attend a medium sized college that is not in a small town. Boston was a big part of the draw of Northeastern. The engineering admitted students day was quite helpful in making his final decision to attend Northeastern. We stayed an extra day so he was on campus on a bustling Monday which sealed the deal.