It wasn’t until Erika Christiansen returned to Northeastern University after six months of co-op in Chicago that she noticed a change among her group of friends. In the fall, instead of reminiscing on their shared experiences together, they recounted stories Christiansen hadn’t heard before. “Erika, I don’t think you were here.” “She’s never here.”

The little comments took jabs at her absence, but Christiansen didn’t get the jokes. “The feelings of missing out were far more prevalent coming back,” Christiansen said.  

When she worked in Chicago, Christiansen, a fourth-year communication studies major, received updates over the phone from her friends about college life. In return, though, she felt she didn’t have much to share that was too compelling. Every day, she rode her two-hour commute to work in the morning and evening, ate dinner and went to sleep.  

Although Northeastern students may reap many benefits from Northeastern’s co-op program, it can also complicate the relationships they form on campus, romantic and platonic alike. Meghan Trainor, a third-year nursing major, found this rang true and that her unusual co-op schedule impacted her social life, despite still living in Boston at the time.  

Working full-time at the hospital for Trainor meant taking night shifts and sleeping throughout the day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Most days, she had only been awake for a couple of hours before she needed to work again. She also worked on some weekends, which took up even more of her free time.   

“When we’re on co-op, it feels like we only ever see our roommates and people we work with,” Trainor said. 

With co-ops currently available in approximately 36 states and 146 countries, it’s not unusual for students to take opportunities outside of Boston. Karleigh Corliss, a second-year communication studies and business administration combined major, recently began her first co-op at Apple Music in Los Angeles. 

“I really didn’t see it coming,” Corliss said. “Immediately after, I actually had a meeting with my advisor and said, ‘I don’t know if I want to move so far away and all my friends are here.’ I would have major FOMO.” 

FOMO, or “fear of missing out,” can be common for students who move far away from their friends and are unable to attend social events. Corliss said she did not plan on leaving Boston for her first job. 

“The only reason I applied was I knew it would be so dope if I got it. Then it was a feeling of ‘I kind of wished I never applied for this position because I knew if I got it, I would have to take it,’” Corliss said.  

Zipporah Osei and her boyfriend, Nate Caldwell, both moved out-of-state for their respective jobs at the same time. Osei, a fourth-year journalism major, went to Washington D.C., and Caldwell, a fourth-year communication studies major, went to Atlanta.  

“For me, I think it was very emotional, not knowing what was going to happen,” Osei said. “We had a lot of long conversations and talk[ed] about what would be the best communication for us.” 

Caldwell said he knew they wanted to stay together. “I knew it wasn’t going to be easy or the same as anything we’d done before. It was something where I was prepared for it, and I knew it was coming, but it was still difficult.” 

Michelle Hagopian, the co-op advisor for journalism and game design students, helps prepare students working abroad for these transitions by recommending networking events to connect with those in similar situations. 

“I encourage students to attend events through the Off-Campus Housing and Support Services office. They typically have events for students going to certain location[s] for them to meet before they leave campus,” Hagopian said. “It’s a good chance to find roommates or friends before you head out on co-op. Off-Campus Housing also does events when you’re actually out on co-op so you can meet alumni or fellow students to help you adjust to your new city.”

Some romantic relationships and friendships may not differ at all when students are reunited after not seeing each other for extended periods of time. For certain relationships, though, this distance may prove the breaking point.

“I thought I was good enough at maintaining connections that it wouldn’t feel that different,” Christiansen said, referencing her time in Chicago. “At the time I was in a relationship that had been long distance for a while, and I was pretty confident that any relationship I had could function long distance if the most important [relationship] could.”  

The transitional nature of Northeastern comes as no surprise to its current students. Most students recognize their college experience is not traditional.

According to data from the class of 2016, 96 percent of graduates participated in at least one co-op, while 78 percent participated in two or more. Northeastern’s environment normalizes this frequent coming and going so that students have a common expectation of change. Every semester, numerous students simultaneously arrive and leave campus. This influx of students also applies to changes in clubs, activities and housing, contributing to an always-adapting student body. 

“Everything about the institution is set up to be a revolving door,” Christiansen said. 

Although they knew the implications of co-op beforehand, some Northeastern students feel the university does not prepare or adequately support them during potential changes in romantic and platonic relationships. 

“They don’t really help you with that or give you that sense of, ‘You’re going to lose all your friends,’” Osei said.  

For Northeastern students, striking a balance between work and social life can be challenging. Some have found the only way to navigate working full-time and maintaining relationships is through trial and error. 

Co-op forces several students to think ahead, some of who have already planned excursions with friends during breaks in their full-time jobs. Some also decreased their involvement in clubs or extracurricular activities because they know they won’t be able to participate in them while working. 

For her second job, Christiansen decided she wanted to invest more time in her relationships, knowing that she was already capable of prioritizing her career.

“I’m at a place in my life where I feel like I can put more emphasis on my people and feeling more comfortable letting people factor in my decisions,” Christiansen said.  “I stayed in Boston primarily for my friends this next co-op, and I’m comfortable with the fact that I’m dating someone.” 

In terms of putting careers first, many students use their co-op as an opportunity to grow more connections at their respective workplaces or potential future ones. While some relationships may drop off, students can combat this by developing professional ones. 

“I think it’s a great idea to have coffee or lunch with as many people as feasible on co-op, just to get to know them or learn about their career path,” Hagopian said. 

Co-op’s culture may also help prepare students for postgraduate life, where many relationships will be tested by factors like distance and job opportunities. 

“I think in practice we’re really seeing it. I am making this decision to be away from my friends for eight months,” Corliss said. “We think about where we want to go after graduation hypothetically. We’re realizing now this is going to happen to us at some point and are trying to navigate that.”

Students acknowledge that the co-op program is just the beginning of their futures, and they need to determine what is best for them at the time. For some, this means pursuing every job opportunity no matter where it is or what the schedule entails. For others, this means choosing a career close to their loved ones or one in which they may be able to spend the most time with them. Whatever the choice, there are side effects regardless.

“You lose some connections you think you might’ve had, but also, co-op is good because the people who do disappear are not meant to be in your life,” Osei said. “There were people we only talked [to] because we’re in the same city, taking the same classes, seeing each other. Having that distance co-op kind of forced me to have shown what friendships are worth maintaining and worth letting go.”

Editor’s note: Zipporah Osei was formerly an editor for The News. 

Correction: This article previously stated that Northeastern offers co-ops in 90 countries. The number is actually 146, and the article has been updated. The News regrets this error.