Coop vs. Non-Coop

[A.J]

This is my predicament:

Coop - CS being one of the two degrees I am pursuing, I do have lots of opportunities when it comes to looking for a job during my coop terms. However, I'll graduate on August 2015.
Non-Coop - During the summers I can look for jobs on my own and can convert one of my summer terms into a study term if need be, and I'll graduate on June 2014 (hopefully having completed my double degree).

Firstly, am I allowed to switch out of a coop program if I am currently in one? I would like to drop coop, but am unaware of the procedure.

[Tony]

well, you graduate faster if you don't work the same length of time. Summers are generally more competitive, and co-op makes some of the opportunities easier to happen. E.g. when I got kicked out of co-op, my US work-visa application process still had to go through CECS (so that was a hassle).

That being said, UWaterloo has made up some rules where you can't get out of paying co-op fees after N terms (don't remember the value of N). Apparently too many CS students drop co-op when they realize that they can get all the jobs they want anyway.

The procedure is that you get a Plan Change form from the Registrars office in the Needles Hall. They'll send you off to CECS to get some signatures. If CECS refuses to sign, you stop doing PD courses, writing workterm reports, and getting jobs (on the record; you could still work without telling anyone). Eventually they'll kick you out. Although having gone through that system, they don't actually check for any of those things until someone looks manually.

[A.J]

Well, as long as N > 2, I'll be fine. Yeah, I'll grab that form once I get back to Waterloo, thanks.

[z_cross_fire]

But wait, Why are you dropping out of Co-op?
Isn't co-op supposed to be really good, according to what I have read on the forums/blog?

[Cool.Breeze]

I was recently at a co-op information session (to transfer into co-op from regular) and I think they said you cannot bail out once you're past 2B (I'm not 100% sure that I am remembering that correctly though).

On a side note, I desperately want to get into co-op from regular (hence why I was at that info session). I just submitted my application for co-op today and will hopefully get in. At the information session they said that the number of spots available are purely based off how many people drop out of co-op. New applicants (1B students only) are accepted based off academic average mostly and they said the cut-off average last term was 87.1%

[Tony]

co-op experience (as in work in between school terms) is a really good experience. Interactions with UW's Career Services is often... subpar. You definitely get some benefit out of being in the system for your first/second job, but the benefits become virtually non-existent by the time you get into your senior years.

Enough students have been dropping co-op so signal that there is a problem with the system; UW's solution of "lol, you can no longer drop out (of paying fees)" is not the right solution. But it sort of emphasizes that Career Service's primary objectives are not the students.

My current best summary/advice/opinion: administrative execution sucks, but do co-op anyway because that first+second job will open up many opportunities.

[A.J]

Is it possible to drop out of coop after having finished 1 work term (as my first work term is after my 2A term)? What I was wondering is whether it is worth graduating more than a year after my peers for coop experience.

Also, I had another question: if I have completed my 8 study terms prior to when I am supposed to graduate (i.e. by studying in my summer terms), will they let me graduate earlier, or will they hold me back regardless of me having completed my 8 study terms?

[Tony]

- yes, if you do it right after coming back (starting 2B)
- if you stay in co-op, you'd be graduating at the same time as your co-op peers

So this is an important point -- internship experience puts you into a much better position at graduation time. You might want to graduate faster if you already have some plan lined up; but otherwise I feel like you'd actually be getting ahead in a career by graduating a bit later, but with co-op experience (though this assumption depends on way too many things to generalize).

For CS, your plan is more of a suggested guideline. You'd have to fill out an "Intention to Graduate Form", at which point they check if you fulfill the requirements. That is -- they will not make you sit around doing nothing, waiting to graduate.

[A.J]

So as soon as I am done my first coop, I can potentially drop out of coop; I'll talk to a CS advisor as well just in case I get stuck after my first work term.

This "Intention to Graduate Form" can be filled at at any point during your undergrad, or only at the beginning of the term you want to graduate? Also if I have officially changed my plan to a CS and PMATH double degree, they'll obviously make sure that I have fulfilled the requirements of both degrees prior to graduation; so I don't think I can graduate earlier anyways (as I might need an extra study term to finish both degrees).

Thanks Tony

[Tony]

Actually I'm not completely sure on when that form needs to be filled out. Presumably some time close to graduation.