How to Get Started

Note: Students must have at least 24 credits completed, 12 of which must be taken at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and must take their first Co-op job no later than the first semester of their senior year. All students are encouraged to go on co-op for more than one semester prior to graduation.

How Do I Go About Getting a Cooperative Education Position?

Step 1:

Option 1: Attend an Information Seminar in the fall or spring. (Dates are announced in a mailing to your CPO and listed here.)

Option 2: View the videotape, Information Seminar: Introduction to Co-op Education, at either:

• The Co-op Education Office in Martin Hall, Room 211.
• The Learning Resource Center in the Loree Building. First, come to the Co-op Office to pick up an information packet. Then, go to the Learning Resource Center with your valid student ID and ask to watch the tape.

Step 2:

Complete your application and resume on-line at the the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences Co-op Education Job Search Web site.

Note: You must contact the Co-op office to be given access to the Web site. You can use the Web Resume Wizard or, if you already have a resume, upload it as an RTF file.

Step 3:

Read the Manual for Students, Faculty, and Employers (278 KB PDF file).

Read and sign the "Statement on Ethical Conduct" and the "Consent Form."

Step 4:

Make an appointment to see your Co-op Counselor by calling 732/932-3000.

Step 5:

Meet with your Co-op Counselor with your completed materials to begin the job-search process!

In the beginning of my first semester of Co-op Education, I started taking Organic Chemistry I and began to think, "Where will I ever use this in my life?" A few weeks later I was at my Co-op Education research assistant position at Bristol-Myers Squibb, looking in the Investigator's Brochure for a new drug, and right there I saw what I was currently learning about in class. I was pleasantly surprised that I was not taking classes that were completely irrelevant to what my future occupation will be.

- Carla Peragin
Co-op Student