This is an article from the Northeastern website:
Harvard Business School Calls Northeastern a Model to Study
The actual case itself is behind a paywall and must be purchased to be read.
I was reading about Vanderbilt’s New York City immersive experience. Sounds like NU’s co-op program. Many people turn their nose up at pre-professional colleges, but I was just talking to someone whose sister graduated from a popular university a year ago and is working as a barista, as she had no experience in her field.
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To be fair, going to a co-op school doesn’t guarantee a co-op (though can make it easier) and people underestimate how much work it is to get them… if kids at “regular” schools did as much work to get an internship, they very well could get same outcomes.
I have a kid at a co-op school where paid co-ops are truly required for many majors, and many kids have to apply to hundreds and hundreds in some cases because they HAVE to..it is like having a job unto itself on top of their classes and a LOT of stress. I am not saying this is bad, but lots of kids at other schools don’t do this, but could. (Now some kids at the school get co-ops really fast, and it is easy, etc, it varies).
Most kids would NOT do this level of effort and even delay graduation to do so…
Anyway, it isn’t as much about what the school does actively for the student IMO at the co-op schools, but the norms around "forcing’ kids to get internships/co-ops (which can be done at any school) AND the fact these schools have very different major sets and kids that are self-selecting into this sort of mind-set.
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Yes, I have one child who went to NU and another one who did not go to a co-op school but was highly motivated and got internships after freshman, sophomore and junior year, so yes that’s possible.
I am a Northeastern alum and know firsthand the benefits the co-op program gave me in terms of opportunities and experience. Could I have worked for the same employers without the co-op program? Possibly but I think it’s unlikely, especially since my co-ops were in different states.
Can you say more? Do you think college students don’t get internships (or co-ops from non-traditional co-op schools) at in other states from their universities or homes? I did even 30 years ago! They definitely do!
Most of my kids friends with co-ops (at a co-op school) didn’t get them from the school, really. I think northeastern is better (though not as good as it used to be I hear) at setting kids up though.
(note, I used to actually be a company rep for the NEU co-op program at my company a million years and managed NEU co-ops.. they no longer host them though).
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I was a law student. My co-ops were with a federal appellate court judge, the Dept. of Justice in DC, the Alaska Dept of Law in Juneau, and a DC law firm. So by the time I graduated I had one full year experience with the judiciary, federal agency, state agency and private practice law. Would I have gotten some summer employment if I had gone to my in-state law school? Yes. Would it have been the same breadth and depth of experience? No. As you may know, the co-ops are usually longer than internships and may offer more significant duties.
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??? Not sure I understand the point you are making. Law students can (and do) go anywhere and everywhere. And the clinic experience at their own law school is often the most valuable part of their CV once they are interviewing.
NU’s law school involves two years of traditional law school and one full year of co-op with four employers. Other law schools may offer clinics and of course there is summer employment but no other law school to my knowledge offers the same breadth and level of experience.
Northeastern has never been a traditional school. I wonder if one of the reasons for NU In and freshman year in London, Oakland or New York is to weed out students who are looking for the traditional four-year experience. A laid-back student would likely not like Northeastern.
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Ok. The article provided some highlights from the study. I thought the link was to the paywalled case so didn’t immediately click on it.
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I clarified my initial post to explain that the link is to an article about the case from the Northeastern website.
Does the outcome research show a markedly better employment result, bar passage rates, federal clerkship hiring for the coop model vs the traditional three year law school model? If so, it’s curious that other law schools haven’t followed suit.
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Other law schools have followed suit, as NU was one of the first law schools to offer an alternative to the traditional legal education model.
It is well known in the legal community, just maybe not on CC.
I am confused, as an undergrad? You were a law student?
If you are talking about grad school that is a WHOLE other thing anyway.
Say more? I am curious on this take?
Totally agree it has alway been a very professionally oriented school, which I think is source of their current success.
As I said above, I have one child who graduated from NU, as an undergrad, another child who went to a non co-op college as an undergrad, and I said above I was an alum of NU, yes of the law schools. Through my son, I know many recent NU undergraduate alums, and through my other child’s experience I am fully familiar with non co-op recent undergrad experiences .
I am thrilled you had good experiences at Northeastern! Many people do.
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