Would any of you recommend taking co-op for General Engineering in our first yr? I just noticed one guy on the forums had co-op on their weekends?

I dont rly get why we would need it for first yr since we havent even selected a stream to major in to begin with, but im looking for some good advice

Much appreciated!:drinking 08:

Hi kevin100...it's really up to you. I think you can register for co-op up until your next-to-last year of studies (ie. 3rd yr in a 4yr program, or 4th yr in a 5yr program). If your planning to enter a 4yr program and would like to do co-op during the summers (4month placements) you would have to take ENG 1EE0 this year soo you can find a job for the summer. If you're considering doing a full 12/16 month placement by taking a year off, you can take it anytime really. Keep in mind you have to be in your next-to-last yr to have placements longer than 4months.

IF you're thinking of a 5yr program (like society, or management...) you can still take it 2nd yr then do three 4mnth placements in the following summers after. Or again you can just do the whole 12mnth position. Those are just some options you can choose to do. You get the co-op designation so long as you do 12months of work in total related to your field.

If you decide to do co-op right after first yr, there prbly aren't a wide variety of positions since you just learned general concepts - I think you can get placements for the summer at Mac or Hydro One (those are just the ones I've heard of, there might be more).

The co-op websit is: http://www.eng.mcmaster.ca/eccs/stud...op/engcoop.htm check it out for more info!

You should do the co-op course in either your first or second year (IMHO). You don't need to do it 1st year (although it is nice to get it out of the way) but definately in second year. Relevant engineering experince is definately valued when you start thinking about full-time employement. "I worked at summer camp" doesn't fly too high in the engineering world. On a related note, for anything over 75%-80% average, most eng companies are looking for extra-curriculars to show your a real person. There are like 6 thousand clubs/activities at Mac, so gt involved with something so you will have good things to talk about in job interviews. The coop program will set you back 1.5-2 grand in total, but you will be dropping at least 50 grand into your education, so you may as well add it on to the OSAP tab.

This is great guys, THANKS! So the goal is to complete 12 months of co-op.

And yes, I hope I can join some clubs by my second year as well. Thanks so much Robbie and #Eng, so much information!

Any other comments would be most appeciated,

Originally Posted by kenvin100

This is great guys, THANKS! So the goal is to complete 12 months of co-op.

Yup, that's the goal - minimum of 12 months work. And Robbie's absolutely correct! Grades are important but so are extracurricular activities that show your leadership and involvement in the community.

Oh and one more thing, remember you have to pay the co-op fees every year you're enrolled in the program. So make sure you're absolutely certain you're going to pursue co-op, otherwise you might be wasting your money.

Oh, question:

If you want could you have like a combined total of 16 months work experience?

Originally Posted by stevenback7

Oh, question:

If you want could you have like a combined total of 16 months work experience?

Yes you can. 12 months is just a minimum. There's actually 16-month work term..or you can build up to 16 months.

I recomend doing co-op whenever you can, personally through a co-op this past summer I have learned so much and it is going to help me so much at school this upcoming year. I wish I took a co-op in first year.

can i still decide by term 2 if i want to take co-op next summer?

the thing is i should be able to get 16 months (=p) done if i dont do co-op this summer..i have plans to consider engineering and management..gah im confused lol

hehe 16hrs..i think you mean 16 months =P

yep I believe you can still decide in term 2 whether you'd like to do coop the summer after. I'm just answering with what I've found out so far...i'm only in 2nd yr and I'm actually just registering for ENG 1EE0 this fall . But you just need to register with the coop office and do that 1ee0 course, which is offered in term 1 and 2.

If you want 16mnths you would need to do coop the summer after first year, 2nd, 3rd and 4th...to get 16 months total. If you're still confused the best thing to do is call or drop by the co-op office during school and they can clarify some stuff for you.

oh wow congrats on surviving first yr university, hopefully I am in the same position as you next yr..i dont wanna fail and get kicked out :( lol

and thx for the info, i appreciate the time you're spending to help us first year students!

So if I were to take 1EE0 in my 2nd year. I don't have it chosen on my first year. Would I still be able to complete the 12 months of co op work successfully?

And how hard is it to get a job for Co-Op, cause I understand it's competitive based on marks and so on.

Also can I take co op this summer if I decide to add 1EE0 to my courses for term 2? (Can be added up until January?)

Hey Titian. If you take 1EE0 2nd year you can still complete the 12 months co-op. If you enter a 5-yr program you can take co-op in the summers and be able to get the 12months OR you can wait until 3rd year and take a 12/16 month internship. If you enter just a 4 yr program, because 1EE0 is done 2nd yr this means you can't do co-op after first yr. Therfore the only way would be to do the 12/16mnth internship after 4th yr.

You might want to ask the Co-op office about the success rate of McMaster students getting a placement. Doing co-op in the summer right after first yr would probably be more difficult, just because eng. firms prefer upper year students who have more knowledge background.

And yes you can do co-op this summer if you add 1EE0 for term 2, which you can do anytime up until the end of the add&drop period for term 2.

Thanx for the info.

Originally Posted by #Eng.

Hey Titian. If you take 1EE0 2nd year you can still complete the 12 months co-op. If you enter a 5-yr program you can take co-op in the summers and be able to get the 12months OR you can wait until 3rd year and take a 12/16 month internship. If you enter just a 4 yr program, because 1EE0 is done 2nd yr this means you can't do co-op after first yr. Therfore the only way would be to do the 12/16mnth internship after 4th yr.

You might want to ask the Co-op office about the success rate of McMaster students getting a placement. Doing co-op in the summer right after first yr would probably be more difficult, just because eng. firms prefer upper year students who have more knowledge background.

And yes you can do co-op this summer if you add 1EE0 for term 2, which you can do anytime up until the end of the add&drop period for term 2.

Sorry I made a mistake:

"If you enter a 5-yr program you can take co-op in the summers and be able to get the 12months OR you can wait until 4TH year and take a 12/16 month internship. If you enter just a 4 yr program, because 1EE0 is done 2nd yr this means you can't do co-op after first yr. Therfore the only way would be to do the 12/16mnth internship after 3RD yr."

**To be considered eligible for work terms of longer than 4 months’ duration students must be in their next-to-final year of studies (in year 3 of 4-year program or in year 4 of a 5-year program).

Go to Co-op website for more info.