Why don't more students look at co-op programs especially with the down economy????

Parents Forum
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<p>We are specifically looking for schools with co-op programs. We were so impressed with the fact that your child can graduate with a resume if he does a co-op. </p>

<p>It does add a year to schooling, and I find it hard to get around the idea that a young adult can adapt from working to school on alternating semesters, but the school assures me that it can be done.</p>

<p>Funny, I didn’t even think about whether student has to pay fees, housing, during their co-op semesters. Obviously, they’ll need to put a roof over their head and food in their bellies, but do they have to pay tuition as well?</p>

<p>If your child has a scholarship, and most do only cover four years, will you be paying full price for your fifth year? Looks like that’s the time to try for those research jobs or other on campus jobs, or that may be the year we take out the big loans.</p>

<p>As someone who graduated from college with no career advising, I can tell you that I wasted quite a few years going from job to job, trying to find what I could do with my biology BS degree. I finally at 25 went back to school to study court reporting, and while I’ve been doing it for 20 years, it does pay the rent, I would much rather be doing something with the degree that I worked so hard to attain. </p>

<p>BTW, Pierre, Clemson is a fantastic school, wonderful reputation down south, and I somehow found a link that indicated that there are career fairs where major corporations, such as GE and Lockheed, come to campus to recruit. </p>

<p>Good luck in your college career there!</p>

<p>Almost forgot. My sister works at Lockheed in Virginia, and she hires interns as part of her job capacity. She said that students from out of town are housed at local universities. Pretty good deal, from a parents’ point of view. At least you know they’re safe and not living with a stranger they found on Craigslist.</p>

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<p>Montegut, I was accepted to Northeastern and received a $14,000/year scholarship. The terms of the scholarship said that the scholarship covered eight SCHOOL SEMESTERS. So in other words the 4 years only counts for the 4 years you are in school and the co-op semesters do not count as your scholarship. </p>

<p>Students at Northeastern do not need to pay tuition during co-op. Some companies give students housing if they are living away from the college or home. If you are co-oping close to home, you can obviously live at home or if you are co-oping near Boston or wherever the co-op college is, you can pay room/board for the college. However, if you want to work somewhere else, you may be responsible for living costs yourself. </p>

<p>But anyways one day you’re gonna be on your own so you might as well learn during college!</p>

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<p>In D’s case, Northeastern’s financial aid package was the smallest of the schools that accepted her, and she was a little surprised not to get into the Honors program, so I suspect they are indeed attracting a lot more applicants these days and becoming more selective than in recent years. My understanding is that the quality of the co-op jobs differs greatly depending with the student’s major. I’ve heard many stories of students relegated to doing gofer work that doesn’t give then any worthwhile experience and making paltry sums. No doubt the economy is having a big effect on the quality of co-op jobs.</p>

<p>When I was a college student in the Boston area in the early 70’s, Northeastern was considered a mediocre school of interest only to poor kids who couldn’t afford to attend college without the co-op program. (Financial aid was a lot harder to come by then.) It’s so interesting to see how the various institutions have morphed with the growth of the college population.</p>

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<p>I dunno-my S. chose a more expensive school over in state and higher ranked because of Co-op. And other reasons too, including choice of major and less drastic funding cuts, but Co-op was a decisive factor in his decision.</p>

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<p>I agree. My dd just graduated from RIT with a BFA in graphic design. A recruiter once told her that he ignores resumes of GD applicants who don’t have coops/internships. In fact, he said he gives preference to those applicants with 3 internships because in his experience, employers find these students are much stronger and already know the “ropes”. They are ready to get down to business and are more adaptable, having worked with more than one boss or in different types of environments. </p>

<p>My DD made sure she had work experience in her field before graduation. In additon to holding the typical college jobs (tour guide, notetaker, store assistant/artist), she also completed two paid internships/coops and an internship for college credit - as well as studying abroad in Italy one summer. The work experience was invaluable and despite this economy, it helped her graduate with a job already secured. The NJ company she interned with last year hired her back with a substantial salary increase now that she has her BFA. Most of her non coop/internship friends are struggling to even get interviews at this point. Her cousin went to a small LAC and he was able to get a paid internship (coop) at an accounting firm. They extended the job and he has made great $ and is now headed to grad school for accounting. So, you can find these jobs even through a LAC, but it’s harder and the schools may not help as much. </p>

<p>Being at RIT, she has seen friends and roommates come and go on coop (10 week qtr). It’s really no big deal socially - kids stay in touch via facebook, webcams, and cheap travel. Many visit on occasional weekends or choose to live on campus and work nearby. Some choose coops abroad; others choose to coop near their hometowns to save money. Some kids choose to coop together in a new location. At RIT, some majors are required to complete 3 coops; other majors (like GD) dont’ require coops/internships but most top students do them regardless. </p>

<p>My DD graduated on time, despite doing a summer abroad program, a summer coop and a yearlong internship along with taking classes. The work didn’t slow her down or cause her to pay extra tuition. She did pay tuition for one internship to get college credit, but for the other one, she simply received a salary (no college credit or tuition costs). </p>

<p>The work experience is invaluable and students can choose to coop during the summer qtr, although some students choose to do two coops in a row (if the company asks you to stay). One friend is just returning from Hollywood, another from Europe. Rochester is a fairly inexpensive place to live and so if working (coop/paid internship) in the area, the salary could cover expenses. My dd’s on campus townhouse only cost her about $1100/qtr (11 weeks). Some kids actually pay to hold their spot so they return to the same placement - otherwise RIT will offer you a place wherever there is room and some apts/dorms cost more.</p>

<p>Coops usually pay well - better than normal summer jobs. Last summer, my dd got $16/hr + $2/hr “gas” allowance so $18/hr to work here in NJ, while living at home. Her Rochester internship paid less but she only had to work about 10-15 hrs/week and she continued with her normal class schedule - so she didn’t incur any extra costs. Her engineering friends received about $16-$19/hr in the Rochester area. I expect they get more in bigger cities. OTOH, my son only got $10/hr in NYC doing an internship at a major hospital. Commuting costs and taxes basically consume his salary. He’s hired back this year, and while the experience is fantastic (he even got to go into the operating room), budget cuts will reduce the amount of hours/pay he can receive this summer. </p>

<p>In general, I agree with the OP that coops have a lot of benefits. Some students choose to stay near school, other live at home. Some choose to work in areas outside their comfort zone. It’s a great way to see what it would be like to live and work in California, Chicago, NYC, the south or even in Europe…It’s a great way to experiment before making the “big move” after graduation. My dd would love to work in Europe but is having difficulty obtaining a VISA. In France, you need a job before you can get a VISA so that is making it difficult. Coops make it a bit easier (VISA wise) to work overseas, especially with a qtr system school where the coop usually lasts only 10 weeks or so. Often times, employers ask students to stay for a second coop. I think Dartmouth strongly encourages students to study/work abroad multiple times before graduation and Dartmouth certainly isn’t a tech school.</p>

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<p>MommaJ, i don’t know if you want to disclose this but how much financial aid did your daughter get from northeastern? I had a B average in high school yet managed to get $14,000/year in scholarships and everyone else that I talked to in my school district and out of school district (even on CC) got above $5,000/year in scholarships if they applied early action</p>

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<p>The coop experience is not a magic bullet, but can help. A twenty-something in a family had great coops at Northeastern as a Journalism major, but since graduation has not even been able to come up with a part time job in journalism. He is working as a special needs attendent.</p>

<p>That said, as a hiring manager I would always choose a new hire with real work experience over one who has been isolated in an Ivory Tower. </p>

<p>Other Schools with coop programs built in:</p>

<p>Webb Institute - naval engineering only - 2 month winter job</p>

<p>Memorial University of Newfoundland - Engineering (top 10/usnewworld report for nav arch). Calendar year is divided into thirds; two terms classes, and one term work in step with your whole class. 5 years but 4 years if you come in with AP calc, chem, physics and take a summer intro course. </p>

<p>University of Minnesota - Twin Cities - Mech or Industrial Engineering.</p>

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<p>toadstool, also add on the list that every large university has a co-op program</p>

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<p>My S graduated from co-op many years ago. At that time, most of graduates got jobs at their previous places of internship (during co-op) including my son. For us, it was easier to pay tuition since the quarters that S was working, he was able to support himself. So, we paid only for 2 quarters / year, instead of 3 or 4. Paying out of payroll, it made a difference.</p>

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<p>My D’s FA at Northeastern has nothing to do with money earned during co-op. The school made an offer when she got in, and committed itself to that amount for four years. </p>

<p>It’s true that co-ops are much harder to find in this economic climate, and that these days many co-ops do not lead to a job offer upon graduation. Some fields are better than others - engineering grads, for example, generally do well - and certain areas have been decimated (finance, investment and journalism) in the past year. My D had no problem getting co-op, she had two good offers, but many of her friends had to struggle and/or failed altogether to land something.</p>

<p>Lesson here is, that there are few guarantees in life, including in employment and education - with or without co-op.</p>

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<p>pierre0913, D got $12,000 (and no Honors invitation) from Northeastern with a 3.75 weighted average and 2160 SAT’s. I have heard that there are significant variations in selectivity and aid depending on the major the applicant specifies.</p>