Frequently Asked Questions

Call or stop by the Career Center with your questions or find the answers you are looking for here:

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS OF A CO-OP?
You must be a sophomore, junior or senior and be in good academic standing (2.0 GPA) and plan to complete your last full semester at the university.

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HOW DO I GET A CO-OP JOB?
Most students use both university resources and their own personal resources. Plan on participating in on-campus recruiting, attending the Fall and Spring University Career Fairs and networking with professionals. If you know of someone in business or industry, contact them to see if they can help.

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DO I HAVE TO PAY TUITION WHILE ON CO-OP?
As long as you are officially enrolled in the co-op program, your academic and financial status as a student is frozen and you will not pay tuition.
 
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DO I GET CREDIT FOR A CO-OP?
No. Academic credit is not given for co-op. But, you will get paid.
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HOW LONG IS A CO-OP JOB?
Typically, co-op is one academic semester and a summer, but the work timeframe is very flexible. We try to match your work interests with a company's employment needs.
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HOW DO I MAKE UP MY STUDIES?
This is your choice. You may attend summer school or take more than 15 credit hours during a semester. You can also push back your graduation date by planning to spend one additional semester on campus. We strongly encourage you to meet with your academic advisor to discuss the best plan for you.
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WILL A CO-OP GUARANTEE ME A FULL-TIME JOB?
No, but it will certainly increase your chances. Companies place a great value on practical experience. In recent years, the trend in business and industry is to hire entry-level employees from the pool of students who have done a co-op with the company.
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WILL A CO-OP AFFECT MY FINANCIAL AID?
It may, but the Student Administrative Services (SAS) office will make every attempt not let your co-op experience negatively affect your financial aid package. That is why it is important to keep an accurate record of your expenses while on co-op by filling out the Expense Form.
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DOES THE CAREER CENTER HELP WITH FINDING HOUSING FOR STUDENTS ON CO-OP?
Yes! We are developing a database of living accommodations of previous co-op students. It is ultimately your responsibility to find housing, but we will try our best to assist you.

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SHOULD I PURSUE A CO-OP POSITION OR A SUMMER JOB?
Although many students prefer to search for a summer job, most companies show preference to the co-op experience.

Companies favor co-op because students are able to spend more time on-the-job. The longer work timeframe provides the company with a better opportunity to evaluate the co-op student. Typically the projects assigned to co-op students are genuinely professional in nature. Most importantly, doing well on a co-op job may lead to a full-time offer, which may not be true of a summer position (unless you have worked at the same company for more than one summer).
 
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HOW DO I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM?
Stop by the Career Center office in the ERC or e-mail career@clarkson.edu

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