College co-op programs

For some students a co-op might the perfect program for them to learn what working in their industry of choice would entail. Co-op programs (also called experiential learning) allow students to have hands-on industry experience at various points within their college years. Unlike internships which are often during the summer, or part-time during the academic year, co-op programs usually substitute academic quarters or semesters with actual work experiences (more details about the differences between quarters and semesters here). This level of real-world experiences may prove to be invaluable especially for students who are uncertain about their anticipated career.

At some schools a co-op program may extend your college years from four year to five but considering that the co-op is both paid and you are not paying tuition while you are in it, participating may for some be a net benefit, even financially.

EIGHT questions to explore when you are evaluating a school's co-op program:

1. Do they have relationships with companies of interest to you? Do your research, investigate where current students intern and if those companies are of interest to you.

2. Are co-op experiences built into your major or are they instead an aspect of career services available to you only upon graduation?

3. Does your major participate in the co-op program? Not every major at every school has industry relationships to provide co-ops.

4. Are co-ops required or suggested for your major?

5. Is the co-op typically paid or unpaid?

6. How many students are typically offered positions after their co-op and what types of positions are they?

7. Is there a specific number of semesters or quarters you are required to participate in a co-op?

8. Do co-op experiences exist overseas or only domestically?

There are a number of schools with robust co-op programs, and while many of these schools below have strong engineering programs, often other programs participate in the co-op program as well. Here is a list of 60 engineering schools with co-op programs. The schools below have co-ops in programs in addition to those in their engineering programs.

Cornell University
Drexel University
Elon University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Northeastern University
University of Cincinnati
Rochester Institute of Technology

For a student who wants to gain experience in their major before committing to it as a career a co-op program might be just perfect. There is no right answer here, only what will benefit you.