Co-op:  A word in the vocabulary of every Northeastern student. The rotation of school and real world experience is the reason that many students choose this university. It is also one of the reasons our school is known across the country.

Northeastern touts the co-op program, and rightfully so – it is what sets us apart from every other Boston college. It’s also the reason many students are able to find employment after the crazy years of college have ended.

The university does have a decent system in place to help students find co-ops. MyNEU COOL provides us with a list of potential employers, and all we really have to do is click a button to be on our way to getting hired. If this isn’t enough hand holding for you, students are provided with an entire department of advisors who exist to aid you in this process.

About 6,000 students take advantage of Northeastern’s signature program during any given academic year, according to the cooperative education Website. Unless you’re a freshman, half of your friends are probably in classes and half are probably on co-op. So maybe you’ve heard the complaints from the half that wake up at 6 a.m. everyday while everyone on classes is still cozy in their bed.

The thing is, Northeastern provides its students with every opportunity to land a co-op. But once you’re there, the university isn’t as helpful. Take something as simple as moving in to your residence hall.

Move-in week is a very difficult one for those on co-op. For students that sublet for the months of July and August, getting back on campus come September can be a hassle. Generally, your sublet is up on the first. But Northeastern move-in for those off campus starts Sept. 2 (which is also a weekday). For those already on campus and on co-op, there is one Saturday listed for move-in on the Residence Life Website. If this doesn’t work for you, you have to apply to do it earlier.

In order to get into your residence hall early, you have to pay the university a fee of $250 or volunteer to help during move in week. Weekends are precious during co-op, as they are the only time you have to catch up on personal matters and relax, and most students don’t want to give that up to avoid being homeless for a few days.

Another problem for students on co-op is scheduling meetings with advisors. Have a question that’s going to take more than a simple e-mail back and forth to answer? The process to figure out a time when both of your schedules match can be grueling as a lot of advisors have hours that begin after students leave for co-op in the morning and end long before students get back.

Northeastern does have systems in place that cater to students on co-op – Co-op Connections is a program that tries to keep students involved with the Northeastern community while on co-op, and many offices on campus are open until 7 p.m. But there are still some kinks in the system that need to be worked out.

A century after the co-op program began, Northeastern has made huge strides, but is still lacking in certain areas when it comes to catering to working students. Co-op is one of the greatest things about being a Husky, but students weigh the benefits of the cooperative education program when it makes being a student more difficult.