<p>So I'm a graduating high school senior and I'm currently thinking of which school to attend for undergrad.</p>
<p>Basically, one of the schools I'm considering has a really good co-op program. We study 4 months and work in a related field 4 months until we graduate.</p>
<p>So, from you guys' experiences, would I be able to have good research opportunities if school is interrupted every 4 months? Also, for applying to grad schools, is work experience important and does the working time count as research (or does research experience have to be not paid at all)? </p>
<p>Thanks in advance for your help.</p>
<p>P.S. I hope I made everything clear. This is my first post in graduate school sub forums</p>
<p>Dude, search the forums and you will find this a common question repeatedly addressed.</p>
<p>Work (or co-op) is not the same as research, unless your job is to do research for publication. In your grad application research is better (generally) than work, which is better than backpacking through Europe.</p>
<p>Repeated interruptions are NOT good for research - most serious research groups I’ve known expect undergrads to be there more or less 12 months out of the year, just like the grad students. However, if this is typical for the school it will be less of an issue - they’ll be used to it.</p>
<p>Finally, you’re in high school - concentrate of finding a school where you will be happy and academically successful. If your school is not named DeVry, you still have a shot at a decent grad program down the road, so worry about the next 4 years and figure out the rest later.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>This probably depends on the field. The undergrad in my lab could legitimately get a substantial portion of her project done in 4 months, (transfecting an siRNA, demonstrating efficient knockdown, characterizing effects in model system) but as is the case, undergrads make numerous mistakes and really would benefit from having more time to get things done and learn their way around. I guess what I am trying to say is, think about getting a lab job rather than an independent study credit or coop program or whatever this is. If the co op program is important in your field (obviously you mean engineering) then do it in addition to a lab job.</p>