The SJU co-op program drew Neil Bhat to Hawk Hill.
Students in the Haub School of Business are able to join the co-op program to get quality work experience while pursuing their undergraduate degrees. There are numerous benefits to the program, which we learned about in our interview with a co-op program participant.
SJU Junior, Neil Bhat told us he was aware of the co-op program during his college search, and credited it as one of the main reasons he chose Saint Joseph’s. “The co-op program is one of the main reasons that I chose Saint Joe’s. It really made it stand out over (other schools).” Neil knew that this program could offer a unique college experience and he did not hesitate to participate.
Business school students in the co-op program are connected with many local companies to find paid internships during a semester. Neil worked for the pharmaceutical company AmerisourceBergen in the fall semester of 2020 and will work for them again in the upcoming spring 2022 semester. Neil enjoyed the collaborative nature of his job and noted that collaboration is something that is minimized in traditional college coursework.
Neil was most excited about the future benefits of the co-op program. Co-op students get meaningful real world work experience on top of traditional coursework. Students get paid well and develop strong relationships with companies well before graduation. Neil said this experience has given him an advantage over his peers in looking for a job after graduation. “It will make your résumé stand out because you will have actual job experience while a lot of the other people who you are competing with just don’t”.
