In today’s positively thriving job market, many students have found themselves simply dumbfounded by the ease with which they can get a high-earning co-op related to their field of study. According to our latest surveys, over 99.99% of Northeastern Students report that they land their co-op within their first 2 applications, with 32.4% getting the job without even being interviewed. However, beneath this rosy picture of economic prosperity lies a dark reality where students must face the cruel choice of having to decide between a truly immense number of stellar professional development opportunities.
“Every day is a nightmare,” rising junior Moore Jobbs told the Trusty Husky. “I wake up, check NUWorks, and find that I have been accepted at yet another prestigious company. This one is offering $35 an hour! I just don’t know what to do with myself.” Jobbs isn’t alone in facing the stress of deciding where to work. In fact, many students underestimate just how many job applications will turn into offers and send out hundreds of resumes, only to end up facing hundreds of prospective offers.
In particular, CS students have found themselves struggling to decide where to work for a semester and a half. These students are burdened with the stress of having to choose between an interesting job offer that pays well, and a fantastic job offer that pays great. Caught between a rock and a comfortable place, these students live their lives unsure of their economic futures. Tellingly, many have decided to forego the co-op process entirely, rescinding their applications and reassuring themselves with the mantra, “I’ll totally get less offers next cycle!”
Thankfully, the brave and innovative administration of Northeastern University has decided to tackle this new problem head-on, announcing new plans to slash the number of companies on NUWorks by half, and limiting students to three co-op applications per semester. Northeastern spokesperson Amdin Istrater told the Trusty Husky, “We realized that too many companies were unhappy with their NUWorks experience. These companies would make an offer to a co-op candidate, and then get ghosted by that same candidate because they had already accepted another offer with a different company. Many companies are still desperately trying to find a candidate, even into the summer months. As a result, it only makes sense for us to limit students to three applications per co-op cycle. After all, our huskies are basically guaranteed to secure at least 2 of them.”
While these steps will provide welcome relief to Northeastern students, the changes are not set to go into effect until the fall 2027 co-op cycle. Until then, students will have to continue to suffer from their success. We here at the Trusty Husky wish all Northeastern students the best of luck with their co-op search, and encourage all students to not over-apply during the co-op process.
Efrain Ortiz contributed reporting for this article.
