What’s the difference between your Co-op + Career Advisor and your Academic Advisor?

By: Abbey Pober

Throughout your time as a Wentworth student, you are likely to have questions about the classes you are taking and how to position yourself best for your future career. Your Academic Advisor and Co-op + Career Advisor are here to assist in navigating the waters to a fulfilling and successful career. While your Co-op + Career Advisor is here to support you in executing a successful co-op and full-time job search, your Academic Advisor is the person on campus who will support you in creating and executing your path to graduation and career success. These key differences separating the two campus resources are why it’s important you plan to meet with both of your advisors to make the most of your time on campus. When planning to meet with each, consider the following.

Academic Advisors are here to:
• Help you recognize the connection between your Wentworth education and your career goals.
• Provide you with the tools you need to successfully navigate Wentworth.
• Recommend courses for registration and can help link courses with career plans.
• Assist you with identifying your priorities, talents, passion, potential, and interests.
• Provide guidance and assist with planning if you are “off track” in your academic plan.
• Determine when you are eligible to go out on co-op based on your academic standing.

Co-op + Career Advisors are here to:
• Meet with you before your first co-op search to review your resume and provide access to the campus job board, WITworks.
• Coach you through creating a resume and writing cover letters
• Teach Co-op Institute, a six-week course designed to prepare students to search for and secure a co-op.
• Provide guidance and support during your co-op and full-time job search.
• Assist you with preparation through in-person appointments and mock interviews.

Both your Academic Advisor and Co-op + Career Advisors are here to help you succeed and are eager to meet with you. It is strongly encouraged that you plan to meet with your Academic Advisor early in you Wentworth experience, and you can find more information about getting in touch with your academic advisor here. When you are ready to start your co-op search make an appointment with your Co-op + Career Advisor, our team can’t wait to meet you!

To schedule an appointment with your Co-op + Career Advisor stop by our office, 101 Wentworth Hall, or call 617 989 4101.

On Finding a Research Co-op

 By: Lauren Creamer

I’m finding it more and more common these days that Wentworth students are thinking about education beyond their time at the Institute. Many students are considering graduate studies that involve some sort of research component (i.e. a PhD program would require research, dissertation, etc.). Like you would prepare for any other job after graduation, you will want to prepare for graduate-level academic research by… wait for it… doing academic research as an undergrad. This shows admissions representatives and department chairs that you are dedicated to the field and understand the commitment required of the program.

There are a few angles I suggest students consider when trying to identify a research experience that could count for co-op: Research Experience for Undergraduates, local area research hospitals, collaborating with faculty at Wentworth, or at a research institution (like The Jacobs Institute or WHOI).

Research Experience for Undergraduates, or REUs for short, are funded by the National Science Foundation, take place at universities across the nation, and span a number of academic disciplines. I see applied math and engineering students take advantage of these opportunities at high levels. REUs almost exclusively take place over the summer, so they are best suited for majors with summer co-op (applied math, electromechanical engineering, architecture), or as the optional summer co-op. Each program has its own application process, and deadlines are usually several months before students would typically begin their co-op searches (think early January/February). Applicants will have to submit a personal statement, which your CO-OP + CAREER Advisor can review! The most important thing to remember about REUs: don’t just blindly apply to as many as you can. Be thoughtful about which programs best fit your skills and interests (and graduate school goals).

Pro Tip: Many REUs cover the cost of housing, provide a stipend, and sometimes cover travel costs.

For those interested in the medical field, finding a co-op at one of Boston’s many research hospitals is a fantastic idea. We have had students do co-ops at MGH, Brigham and Women’s, Boston Children’s, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, to name a few. Sometimes the careers pages on the websites of these hospitals will have formal intern postings (usually for summer), but in many cases, you can find the contact information for lab heads online. Most non-profits list employee contact information in a directory. It could also be found on the page of a particular lab or research group.

My advice to students seeking research in a hospital setting is this: narrow down your research topic to something a bit more specific (like “neuro-imaging research” or “pediatric cardiovascular devices”) and do a simple Google search of that phrase. You’ll turn up a listing of labs in the Boston area that you could potentially reach out to inquiring about a co-op. Talk with your CO-OP + CAREER Advisor on the best ways to conduct direct outreach. Students find their co-ops in this way all the time!

Pro Tip: Write a statement of interest (which isn’t quite like a cover letter) describing your interest in their research and how you would be a good fit for their lab. Focus more on the interesting bit. (Duh).

In the realm of non-profits, students should also consider free-standing research institutions. For example, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (aka WHOI) is a leader in the world of ocean science and policy. They cover a variety of research areas and they literally have a page where you can look up all the different labs (which you can then click into and find out who runs them).

WHOI hosts Wentworth students on co-op every year and the best way to find an opportunity is to reach out directly to the labs in which you are interested in conducting research.

Pro Tip: Sometimes these institutions have formal applications processes for co-ops/interns. Sometimes they don’t. I always recommend you CALL AND ASK. It won’t hurt to pick up the phone and inquire about the best method for application.

For those students that would prefer to stay a bit closer to home or just plain like working with one of their professors at Wentworth – many departments on-campus will support academic research for co-op. Of course, they would much prefer you went off-campus to get a new experience, but many students interested in pursuing graduate school have elected to stay on-campus to do research with a professor.

Pro Tip: You don’t need to make this experience a co-op. You can do it on your own during any academic semester! But if you want to make it a co-op, use this handout to inquire about and secure opportunities at Wentworth.

Whatever you choose, undergraduate research can be a highly rewarding experience. It is so important for graduate school (master’s programs with thesis-based requirements and PhD programs). And, if you can get a publication out of your research experience, well that is just icing on the cake.

Meet the Staff: Kristen Eckman, Marketing Intern

I began my marketing internship with the CO-OPS + CAREERS Department at the start of the spring semester knowing one thing; I wanted to be a part of a team. Through my time spent with the department, I can now say that team dynamics and workplace culture will most certainly be deciding factors for me when applying for and ultimately accepting a full-time job offer after graduation.

I am currently an undergraduate senior at Emmanuel College majoring in business management with a concentration in marketing and minoring in economics. And if you couldn’t already gather from my fields of study, I was unsure of what type of position I would be pursuing post-graduation. Creative marketing, specifically social media marketing, however, has been an interest of mine since high-school. I was given the opportunity through my high school’s DECA chapter to create social media marketing plans and compete against students nationwide, which ultimately sparked my love of creative marketing. I was then able to branch out into event planning through my first marketing internship at ENERGYbits. There, I oversaw coordinating a new product launch party, booking and attending multiple sports and fitness expos, and planning and marketing sponsored work-outs with the ENERGYbits team.

If I were asked to give one piece of advice to those searching for an internship or co-op, I would tell you that experience in the field you are interested in should be among your top priorities. Second to relevant work experience, you should be inspired to do what you love. I was touched by one of my marketing research professors while at Emmanuel College. She brought into the curriculum her own marketing plans and projects that she had completed for agencies over her many years in the marketing field. Her experience was something I could connect with and envision for myself. While working on marketing research projects alongside my professor, I realized my attraction to higher education. It was always in the back of my mind that I would like to teach one day, to inspire and guide students in the way that I have been throughout my academic career. It was not until my internship with the CO-OPS + CAREERS Department that I could confirm, higher education is the environment where I feel I truly belong.

This decision, I will warn you, was not an easy one. There is no straight path to your dream job and choosing a career involves strenuous self-reflection. With that, I will say that internships and co-op opportunities are essential to shaping your career path and I would not be where I am today without the academic and professional guidance I received throughout my college career. The guidance I refer to includes not only your own experiences, but informational interviews with successful alumni in your major or intended professional industry, and informational meetings with your professors and Co-ops + Career Advisors. Through my internship I have learned that you have overflowing resources here at Wentworth to help you along your career path, do not be afraid to reach out! The CO-OPS + CAREERS Department, myself included, are here to help you make the most out of your co-op experience.

As always, feel free to stop by CO-OPS + CAREERS to discuss co-op opportunities or talk professional development with your Co-op + Career Advisor. To contact us stop by 101 Wentworth Hall, email coopsandcareers@wit.edu, or call 617-989-4101.

Meet Maria Rodriguez, runner up for this semester’s “Share your Co-op Contest”

Maria Rodriguez is a current Wentworth student majoring in Biomedical Engineering and minoring in Biology. Here’s what Maria shared with us about her co-op experience at CELLINK in Cambridge:

My co-op with CELLINK was incredible! As an applications engineer, I learned so much about 3D bioprinting and tissue engineering. I collaborated with top researchers in the field to make sure our technology met their needs, and I learned so much from their research. One of my favorite parts was introducing scientists to the world of bioprinting, for which I helped organize the event pictured. The CEO of the company featured this picture on his LinkedIn account!

Where was your co-op? What was it like to work there?

I was an application engineer at CELLINK. CELLINK is a startup with a very vibrant and fast-paced atmosphere. My co-op position was very challenging, but at the same time, very fun. It involved supporting customers and finding new applications for our innovative technology (about which I knew very little about until I started working there) while collaborating with the team to improve the technology, and networking with scientists to introduce them to our products.  I spent many days out of the office in research labs and conferences, where I got to listen to the end-users feedback and meet many important people in the bioprinting and tissue engineering fields.  My supervisors had a contagious positive vibe. Also, they were very open to my ideas and always treated me like a valuable employee.

While on co-op, what project(s) were you a part of or working on, that inspired you?

My co-op experience inspired me to choose my Senior Design project. I pitched an idea to CELLINK based on a need of their current customers, and now my project is being sponsored by them! I still cannot reveal what it will be, but it is very promising since one of the applications is to help prove pharmaceutical drugs safety more efficiently, so they can get to the market faster after they have been discovered.

Based on your co-op experience, what industry/position do you see yourself in the future?

Based on this co-op experience, which introduced me to the field of 3D bioprinting, I will probably continue my studies after I graduate in order to specialize more in this field. Then, I’d love to work for a company like CELLINK, which is heavily based on research but still a part of industry and not academia.

What is a major takeaway from your co-op experience?

A major takeaway is that motivation and persistence can be key when it comes to getting a job you really want. I did not have much experience related to the technology, but my interviewers saw my passion and were excited to have me on their team.

What made you enter the contest and why did you choose the photo entered?

I wanted to share my experience. I chose this photo because it was featured by the company’s CEO.

Thank you for sharing your experience with us, Maria! Be on the lookout for our next “Share Your Co-op Contest” in the coming semesters.