Over the past five years, application growth at the top co-op schools has far outpaced the national average of 13 percent. Since 1994, RIT's applicant pool has grown by 37 percent, and applications to Drexel are up by about 200 percent. Employers are enthusiastically contributing to the programs' growth. According to a 1998 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, professional work experience ranks second, after communication skills, among qualities employers seek in recent graduates grade-point average comes in sixth. The price baccalaureate students often pay for the experience is an extra year in college and no summer vacations from sophomore year until graduation.
Some students stick with the same co-op employer each time, while others play the field.
RIT students also experience the real world by scouring online job ads, submitting resumes, and interviewing with potential employers. The main educational advantage of co-op programs, according to faculty and students, is that classroom theory is tested in the workplace. Jason Sherman of Drexel says the lessons he learned in his corporate communications class how to write watertight reports, communicate with managers, and organize work teams were immediately useful in his job as a marketing assistant at a construction-industry consulting firm. The job required him to conduct market research, present his findings to supervisors, and complete group projects. And subsequent classes build on knowledge gained at work.