Flex Co-op Q&A

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Me and some of the other GEA co-op’s from Purdue

As a prospective engineer, you’ve probably heard a great deal about the importance of getting industry experience (internships, research, etc.) before graduating. One of the many ways Purdue helps its students gain this experience is through their co-op program. For those of you who are unfamiliar with what a co-op is, it’s essentially a multi-term internship with a company. In most cases, co-op students will alternate between work and Purdue each semester (Fall, Spring, Summer). At Purdue, the Office of Professional Practice oversees the 3-session, 5-session and Flex co-op programs.

Q: How did you first decide you wanted to make the commitment to co-op?

One of the main reasons I chose Purdue was its established co-op program. I really wanted a school which would help and support me in getting and maintaining a co-op, if that was the path I chose. In the spring of my freshman year, I was ready to apply to the program and begin the process to find a co-op. The last part of this process, getting my offer letter from GE Appliances, presented me with a choice that would shape the remainder of my undergraduate experience at Purdue. 

The commitment of a co-op was the main focus of my decision. I was nervous to not be at Purdue the Fall semester as well as nervous to start a new life once work began. However, after hearing the experiences of upperclassmen in the program, I realized that alternating between Purdue and work was not as daunting as it initially seemed. I gathered that as a result of rotating between work and school, I would be able to build two separate parts of my life, resulting in two different friend groups, priorities and lifestyles.  When I looked at co-op as a start to a new chapter of my life, I was no longer hesitant about the commitment and rather, embraced the opportunity to gain new friends and experiences. I accepted GEA’s offer when I saw that co-op would develop and cultivate a different part of myself that I otherwise may not have known about. 

Q: What is the Flex Co-op program?
The Flex co-op plan is a new program to Purdue’s Office of Professional Practice. It was opened to students in Spring 2019 (when I began looking for a co-op). The program was designed to give students more flexibility in their co-op experience. Unlike the 5-session and 3-session plans, students are not bound to completing 5 or 3 work sessions with their company. By giving students the choice to either return to their current company or seek out a new company (refer to the OPP’s conditions to seeking out a new employer), the student has more ability to obtain diverse work experiences that can be geared towards their career goals. 

For more information about the program, visit the Office of Professional Practice’s page! 

Q: Why did you decide to switch into the Flex plan from the 5-session plan?

When I first joined the GE Appliances team, I was a five-session co-op. Throughout my rotation, I got exposure to a variety of the areas and technologies that work to make a big manufacturing company like GEA function. I began recognizing which areas I wanted to pursue in future rotations and consider as full-time areas of focus once I graduated. That being said, I decided to switch into the Flex program because I wanted the ability to work in these fields with different companies and see them in more than just one company setting.  I absolutely love working with GE Appliances and can’t wait to return for more sessions but would also love to see how process improvement (one of my areas of interest) is done at a company vastly different from GE. By doing so, I believe I will gain a more well-rounded understanding of process improvement. Ultimately, I made this choice in hopes of having diverse experiences that would give me a unique and multi-dimensional understanding of my career interests.

- Samantha Lu (IE ‘22)
Recruitment Project Committee

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Purdue Women in Engineering

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