There’s nothing that quite makes the Drexel experience like applying to co-ops. The first (second AND third) time you scavenge through the ES&P archives and job postings is nothing short of a rollercoaster ride. So, fasten your seatbelts and count your blessings: here’s our take on what some students find to be a stressful process!
1. The “Pre-Application Dread” Stage
Almost as bad as the application process itself, the pre-application dread sets in two to three weeks before SCDC opens (which is on May 7 this term by the way). This dread usually appears when you’re having your first round of midterms and you realize that you’ll have to go on interviews during finals week.
2. The “Open-SCDC-and-be-Completely-Overwhelmed” Stage (May 7)
I don’t know about everyone else, but I get completely overwhelmed as soon as I open SCDC the morning it’s available. Some of the questions that pop into my mind include: Do I have a specific company in mind? Do I want to work in the city or the suburbs? Would the commute be worth it? I wonder what they pay?
3. The “Oh my God-Interview-Requests-are-Due-Tomorrow-and-I-Haven’t-Done-Anything” Stage
The day before interview requests are due you realize that you haven’t submitted applications to any of the companies you are interested in. On this day, you hear people all over campus asking: “Do you know how to write a cover letter?”
4. The “Waiting-for-Interviews-to-be-Granted” Stage
Co-op employers have 13 days to look through dozens of applications, and this waiting period is often the hardest for Drexel students. This is when you start worrying that you applied to the wrong co-ops and are filled with the fear of how many interviews you will be granted.
5. The “Hurry-Up-and-Go-On-Fifteen-Interviews-While-Studying-for-and-Taking-Finals” Stage
The title says it all. Have fun juggling cramming for a final, buying interview clothes, and going on interviews all around Philadelphia. Because even though the interview period goes from May 24 to June 24, we all know that no one wants to stick around during our weeklong summer “vacation” to go on interviews.
6. The “View-Rankings-During-Your-One-Week-Summer-Break” Stage (June 29)
Drexel fall/winter co-op students have it rough – they only get a week off before summer term, compared to the month that spring/summer kids get between fall and winter terms. What makes the week break even more exciting is worrying about how and if your co-op interviewers ranked you!
7. The “Rankings-Due-at-5 p.m.-and-Come-Out-at-Midnight” Stage
To end with a bang, students have to rank their favorite jobs by 5 p.m., then wait until midnight to see who they are paired with. That seven-hour wait is sheer torture.
Good luck to all of our fellow Dragons applying to co-ops this spring! Happy hunting!