<p>I was just at a seminar for my local University of Cincinnati. They spent the whole day bragging about how UC “invented” the co-op program, and how great it is, and how you shouldn’t go to a school that doesn’t have a good co-op program, and how the work experience really pays off later.</p>
<li><p>Is any of this true that any of you have found?</p></li>
<li><p>Does Rice have a good co-op program for Engineering?</p></li>
<li><p>If not, how hard is it for Owls to find a job after college? I would assume pretty easy because of the caliber/prestige of the school (something that UC doesn’t really have), but you guys know better than me…</p></li>
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<li>I haven't found that this is true. The thing is, Rice students learn quickly and they learn well. Throw them in a work experience for the first time with no prior experience and they'll learn very quickly. Companies know this. Rice spends its time on teaching things in a classroom setting because they know that Rice students will learn how to hack it in a work environment really quickly, and they want the students to have a very solid academic understanding to build upon.</li>
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<p>Co-ops are a good part of an education, but there's SO much to learn in an engineering education, and there's just so much basic material that must be covered. Universities have to pick and choose. It's good that UC likes their co-op program, but it's by no means essential to an engineering education.</p>
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<li><p>As I'm sure you've gathered, Rice doesn't have a specified co-op program, though never rule anything out as an impossibility when you go to Rice. I worked two days a week at a firm during the second semester of my senior year. That, and since it wasn't for college credit, I got paid 20$/hr! ;) Anything is possible.</p></li>
<li><p>It is not hard at all for conscientious Owls to find a job after college with an engineering degree. Rice students are especially heavily recruited in Houston, and the Rice name carries weight elsewhere, too.</p></li>
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<p>Thank you Amy, that was very helpful, after every sentence or so of your post, I would think of a follow-up question, and sure enough, in next sentence you would answer it. </p>
<p>I wasn't sure how much of UC's sales pitch to believe, which is why I came here of course, but now that I think about it just about every school I have been to has some sort of selling point like that. GA Tech had a similar bragging speech about their awesome Co-Ops, whereas Rose-Hulman's pitch was more about being educated by real teachers, not TAs, etc. It's interesting, and since people my age are relatively new to this college world, we are easy to fool. Thanks for helping to clear that up!</p>