Here is a bit about my experience with a cooperative education program, and how it shaped my career.
As you may know, I went to Stevens Institute of Technology, which is in New Jersey. And like a lot of private engineering schools, it does not have a cheap (or even relatively affordable) tuition. However, what it does have is a program called the cooperative education program. If you have never heard of it, it is a program that extends you undergraduate degree to 5 years, because you take off 2 semesters from coursework and you have 2 full-time internships in those semesters. And yes, these internships are paid. If you want to learn about their program, this link gives you some more detail:
https://www.stevens.edu/career-center/undergraduate-cooperative-education-program-co-op
Stevens is not the only program that does this though, I know Drexel has a very well-known program, as well as Cornell, Hofstra, NYIT, etc. This is a pretty popular program due to its many advantages but not t a ton of people really know about it.
While I am not trying to convince you to go to Stevens by any means, I want to share my experience because I very likely would have been going down a different path if I didn’t do this program. I also was really only able to afford going to Stevens because of this program (it spaced out tuition payments, plus the income I earned went to my rent/expenses/loans).
Here was my itinerary for the 5 year track. Although this was a bit altered because I play a sport in the spring, so I could not have a co-op during any spring semesters.
Year 1 – Meetings / Prep
Your first year you can usually wait until the spring to decide if you would like to commit to the program, and you have to attend a few meetings for basic information, knowledge about the program, hearing from alumni, etc. Then that spring, towards the end of the semester, we had an “interview day” where you can be selected by a ton of companies who come to campus and do rapid 15 minute interviews with students. This day was always stressful, long, and stressful again. If you are well prepared and companies are interested, you may be selected for 1-4 interviews in your day (I’ll write a separate post on my interview tips). Once that’s over, you may be invited for follow up on-site visits/interviews with companies if you sparked their interest.
Year 2 – Co-op Number 1
I as able to commit to my first co-op at Avon Products, a cosmetic company which was fairly local. I was able to start that summer (a semester early) actually, since my hometown was actually only about 10 minutes away from the building (which may also have been why I got the job). I worked on testing and resolving issues with spray and pump mechanics of products like perfume, shampoos/conditioners, and aerosol products. So I worked a ‘double’ summer and fall co-op my first go around. I found 6 months really is necessary for an internship, as the first 3 months, which is a typical internship length, is really only enough to learn techniques, processes, and be properly trained to work on your own. A full 6 month co-op allows you to get a better feel for working on your own and having some independence. Through this, I had my first real commuting experience (my college apartment to Avon), learned a lot about the cosmetic industry and its connections to the BME field, and met a ton a great people. One thing I also took away from this was how monotonous the daily routine of an R&D engineer can be, though not always. To be fair, I also met someone who is now one of my best friends and maid of honor working there, so I am definitely grateful for the opportunity.
After the winter, we went back to classes (online since this was spring 2020 aka beginning of COVID), now one semester behind our previous track, completing our basic engineering coursework. Then, the process repeats. The end of the spring, we had another interview day (online from my memory), and I secured my next co-op.
Year 3 – Co-op Number 2
My second co-op was at a company called Mindray North America, which again gratefully, happened to be only 10 or so minutes away from my hometown, making the summer commute a breeze. I mainly worked on repairing and programming hospital monitors and ultrasound machines. I learned a lot here about FDA regulated environments, and how tedious the paperwork must be to ensure every detail is recorded. The environment here was great, and despite being the only intern, everyone was super friendly and I enjoyed my time here. I was fortunate that I secured this internship and we stayed open throughout the pandemic, since we made equipment for hospitals. Many students were not able to find co-ops during this time so they had to delay or stop their co-op track.
Leaving this job, I was so grateful for the strong resume I had already built, and all the experience I had gained. However, I was feeling ready to try a different experience to compare my industry experience to. So I decided to take the next summer to test academic research at my university.
Year 4 – Coursework
That summer was pretty great. I really loved my research and felt a strong passion for what I was doing, so I decided to stick with it instead of getting another co-op my last summer. I completed my year 4 coursework, and continued my research throughout the year part time. When the summer came, I was back in every day spending time in the lab. However, this would have been a good time for my last co-op (just a single, summer internship) if I continued on that route.
Year 5 – Finish Coursework & Graduate!
My final year I again decided to stay in the lab and research part time, while I completed my degree. Now a few people I know secured jobs in the early/mid spring semester from the companies they worked at. However, it is not the case for everyone, so don’t assume you will be able to do that. But its a good reminder to stay friendly with your mentor(s), bosses and peers you worked with because they may be a great help to you in the future!
So long story short, I gained a full year’s worth of work experience, two great things to fill a large spot on my resume, an most importantly, I learned that I wanted to pursue research! (And not to forget, while some of that money I made went to expenses, I was able to save all my money from working and my research stipends to pay off all my student loans) Now I am not hating on industry, but I am saying that being able to compare both of my experiences was invaluable. I realized that I want more freedom and creativity in my work, and that I was more passionate when I had those things. I was struggling to see the motivation for my work in industry, especially since I was doing more ‘intern’ projects that weren’t as meaningful. But if I had the chance to do it all again, I would 1000% still do the co-op program. There is no way I would have known this without it, and those co-ops were helpful for my graduate applications as well! I had a diverse background compared the students who spent four years in the lab. Just remember, there is no wrong path to choose, but it is critical to explore as many as you can before picking one.
-Meghan