Northeastern University

Since most of the posts on this site are about academics I thought that it would be useful to provide some information about Northeastern’s vaunted co-op program which is rated #1 by US News & World Report. As some history, Northeastern was one of the first schools in the country to develop a co-op program. Northeastern’s program began in 1909 with just a few employers. Today, there are over 3000 employers in the program worldwide, including Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft, Disney, John Hancock, Fidelity, Raytheon, EMC, and Reebok and major investment banks like Merrill Lynch. The majority of the employers are very loyal to the school and some have been participating in the program for more several decades.

Here are some co-op tips:

TIP #1 RESEARCH:

Research the positions very carefully. Ask your co-op advisor for the names of other students who co-oped at the position that you are applying for. If you can avoid it, do not take a job at a place where you will not be happy! The key is to find the right fit.

TIP #2 NEGOTIATE YOUR SALARY:

Keep in mind that the majority of co-op salaries are negotiable. Do not sell yourself short. Before going on an interview, ask your co-op advisor how well you stack up against other candidates. The primary factors to consider are prior work experience (i.e. other co-ops, GPA, oral/written communications skill etc). I didn't get paid below $16.00/hr after my sophomore year because I negotiated my pay well. Some of my other friends who worked for the same companies and didn’t negotiate their pay earned less that I did.

TIP #3 CO-OP IS REALLY WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT.
My first co-op was fairly boring, but this was only because I never asked my manager for increased responsibility or maybe I did not prove that I could do some of the more sophisticated work. I did not make the same mistake in my second co-op; I sought out more complex work and proved that I could handle the increased responsibility. By my third co-op, I was managing several employees some of whom where recent college graduates with no work experience from places like BU and BC.

If you are bored, ask your supervisor for more work. Be proactive. If that doesn't help, try to come up with a special project to work on. Tell your boss that you really want to learn how to _______ (fill in the blank) or would be interested in learning about_____. Remember that Co-op is a learning tool. But in order for the program to work properly, both the student and supervisor need to work together to make it a good experience. If the supervisor is not living up to his/her end of the bargain, the student should take the bull by the horns and get the supervisor to give him/her something substantive to do. Don't just sit there and wait for work to come to you. All companies reward people who are proactive.

TIP #4 NETWORK:
Network, Network, Network. Get to know all the important people in your office on a first name basis. Look at these people as potential references for grad school, other co-ops, and post grad jobs. After you have completed your co-op stay in touch with these people via email etc.

Here is a list of some of the more interesting co-ops at Northeastern:

NASA:
http://www.nupr.neu.edu/6-04/holly.shtml
The White House:

http://www.nupr.neu.edu/6-04/lennox.shtml
http://www.nupr.neu.edu/8-03/melissa.html
BBC:
http://www.nupr.neu.edu/6-04/bbc.shtml
Atari:
http://www.nupr.neu.edu/11-04/ataricoop.shtml
Boston Red Sox:

http://www.nupr.neu.edu/10-04/soxco-op.shtml

Microsoft:
http://www.admissions.neu.edu/employers.html
Goldman Sachs
http://www.cba.neu.edu/cba/index.cfm?nav=0&page=85
Good luck! Northeastern’s co-op program is excellent!

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000