Whether you’re a new student at Northeastern and applying for co-ops for the first time, or a seasoned pro who’s already completed their second co-op and searching for a third before graduation, we all know the anxiety, stress, and self-consciousness that comes with applying for co-ops. No matter how many times you do it, or how often your advisor tells you how “low-stakes” co-op is, it never seems to get any less scary. So hold on tight because the next few weeks are probably going to be a bumpy ride – but at least everyone else at Northeastern is right there in the same boat.
1. Sorting through COOL – AKA The Co-op Maze
So it’s the beginning of a brand new semester, you’re a few weeks into classes, and you’re already thinking about co-op, so you decide to log onto COOL and start sorting through all of the jobs. You try using keywords, sorting by major, and even plugging in company names, but it’s basically useless. No matter what, the next time you talk to your friends, they’re going to tell you about all the great co-ops they applied for that you somehow completely missed. Have fun scrolling through 1500 listings – it’s gonna take you a while.
2. Clicking “Apply” and waiting for the day resumes get sent out
You’ve made it through COOL, you’ve got a solid list of 10-15 (at least!) jobs you’ve applied for, and all that’s left to do is sit back and wait. If you don’t require any referrals to cross-major jobs, this is probably the least stressful part of the co-op process, so take advantage of it. You’re gonna need to stock up on all the chill you can.
3. It’s been three weeks…and you haven’t heard back from anywhere.
Your resume was perfect, you’ve got all your business casual outfits planned out, your references are totally prepared to gush about how great you are…but you haven’t heard back from a single employer. No one else had heard back yet, and it’s only been a few weeks, so you’re trying not to freak out too much. But on the inside, you’re basically dying.
4. One by one, all of your friends start accepting their dream co-ops…and you still don’t have any offers.
This is the point in the process where you lay awake in bed and wonder what you’re going to do if you don’t get the co-op you want, or worse, if you don’t get one at all. You try to figure out how many credits you have left before graduation to see if you can afford to miss out on going on co-op this semester. You may even open up MyNEU on your phone and scroll through all of the classes being offered for the spring, just in case. If you’re lucky, you’ll only have a few nights like this, and hopefully a pal or two to cry with about how stressful the whole process is. Bring tissues.
5. Slowly, and I mean sloooooooooowly, emails about job offers come rolling in
Every time your Gmail alert on your phone goes off, you feel like you’re having a heart attack because you’re terrified of getting emails from employers. Then one day, you wake up, and you miraculously have two emails from employers asking you to come in to talk to them. Do your happy dance, get your butt to class, and try not to think about the scariest part of co-op: the interviews.
6. Dealing with the good and the bad: phone, Skype, and in-person interviews
A lot of people have preferences for when it comes to what method employers use to interview them, but at this point, you don’t care as long as you’re being interviewed. When you leave, you’re sure that you killed it, but the little voice in the back of your head makes you feel like a bundle of nerves until the end of the week (or sometimes even later) when the company gives you their decision.
7. After waiting what felt like the entire semester, after stressing yourself out to the point of almost no return, you get a job offer.
Go ahead and drop all of those classes you signed up for for the spring, because you’re going on co-op! If you’re leaving Boston, make sure you start apartment/sublet-hunting ASAP, but if you’re staying, curl up in bed, procrastinate on some homework, and pity everyone else still on the co-op search struggle bus.
