Interested in coop opportunities once you are in your second semester of sophomore or junior year? Do you even know what a coop is? Well if you thought a coop was the same thing as internship, you were just like me before I attended the coop panel in Bartley which explained all the great things about partaking in these programs. The program works where you work for a company for a period of six months. There are opportunities in a variety of places, whether it be in downtown Philadelphia, New Jersey, or even Massachusetts. At the end of the program, not only do you have real job experience, you get six college credits.
There a variety of firms offering jobs in the program however Villanova has core requirements for participating in the program. In order to be eligible for the program, you need a 3.0 GPA, and your major or minor must have relevance to the program. For example, if you are an accounting major interested in a career in law enforcement, the Delaware county district attorney’s office offers a job for students who are accounting majors. After checking your eligibility, you have to meet with either Kate Grady or Jenna DellOrfano, members of the professional development staff. A key thing in the application is deciding between the fall term and the spring term. The fall term runs from the start of July to the end of December. The spring term is from January to the end of June.
A real interesting thing about the panel was that the representatives for each job were actually students who partook in the programs. Travis Bucknall, a business school upperclassman, talked about his time working for Johnson and Johnson. He was able to help manage funds and work in a variety of departments. Overall though, he talked about how he truly felt that he was making a significant impact on the firm. He contrasted the coop program with his internship where he felt that it was so short that he had little to no impact at all on the firm.
After Travis, a student named Ella talked about her experience working in forensic accounting at the Delaware county district attorney’s office. She was given the opportunity to work on a variety of cases, specializing in financial crime. Ella said the program gave her great exposure to the forensic accounting field and plenty of experience.
All the students that talked about their experiences in their programs had no regrets in partaking in them. While six months may seem like a lot, you are getting college credits in addition to being paid while you work for the firm. The one drawback is the time commitment, your daily schedule is basically just class and work. Unfortunately for any students on sports teams, you will not be able to do the programs.
After leaving the panel, I definitely began to consider applying for the programs next year. You get plenty of experience over the six months, college credits, and even a salary! Next time there is a coop program information session, I would highly recommend attending and hearing what they have to say.
More info about the program can be found at
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