Northeastern vs BU vs RPI

GregoryPanic
Wed, 03 Apr 2013 22:45:14 +0000

Co-ops are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more beneficial than you think.

First of all, with 3 co-ops you get the opportunity to work in 3 different fields where you can apply your CS skills. Doing this in the actual workforce would require a job change 3 times.

Second, you get exposure at 3 companies you are already interested in (hopefully, if you’ve done your part and actually worked to get the co-op you want). This means you have a leg up against competition when eventually applying for those positions.

Third, you get to see how your skills are going to be used in the real world. You might learn you like one specific subset of CS more than another (like you might lean toward SE over CE minor because of your first co-op). It’s just good exposure.

All things considered, take the time to get on the phone (if you can’t visit in person) and speak with faculty of each schools departments. Ask every question you can think of. Annoy the hell out of them with questions until you get a good feel for what each department has to offer you. Then you’ll have your answer.