By Rob Tokanel

The Internet allows Northeastern students to rate the quality of everything from professors to pictures of strangers to police officers, and now Northeastern students have another opportunity to rate their co-op experiences.

A new online co-op rating website, <a href="http://www.Coopratings.com“>www.Coopratings.com, allows students to log on and anonymously rate features of their previous co-op jobs on a 1-to-5 scale, including factors like pay rate, whether there is an opportunities for growth and levels of job responsibility. Students can also add more detailed descriptions of the job and comment on other ratings.

The website was created by two Northeastern business majors, junior Punit Shah and senior Vipul Lakhi, who said they were looking to fill the void between the job descriptions provided on myNEU Cool and the reality of the positions students apply for.

Shah and Lakhi, who also started a discount textbook company called Boston Bookworks together two years ago, said they intend to make money off the site in the future but are currently working on getting a solid database of reviews.

“It’s really tough for students to go out and find the jobs that they’re looking for,” Lakhi said. “When we created this, the end goal was to create something where kids could learn more about the position they’re applying to or about to accept to make a better decision and choose the right co-op.”

In about two weeks, the website has garnered more than 200 reviews, and Lakhi and Shah said student feedback so far has been positive.

Middler finance major Joe Calabrese, who started his first co-op job at John Hancock in early July, said he would have used the website had it been available when he started researching co-ops.

“Especially on your first co-op, even if you read the job description, you really have no idea what you’re going to be doing before you get there,” he said. “Hearing from people who have had the job would have been really helpful.”

Coopratings.com is the latest website of its kind. Ratemycoops.com was started by alumnus Joe Barbra in 2006.

Professor Stephen Kane, who has worked as a co-op advisor for Engineering students for almost 40 years and regularly conducts surveys of his students to rate his own performance, said the website could be a useful resource.

“The bottom line is the website is very well done,” he said. “It’s pleasing to the eye, and the way it reads took a lot of time, effort and energy. I think it’s fantastic to provide this type of information for kids.”

Online rating sites aren’t new, and Shah and Lakhil acknowledge that the site is a basic idea.

“Right before signing up for classes, students go on [RateMyProfessor.com] and say, ‘What is this professor going to be like?'” Lakhil said. “The same thing can apply to co-op. Before you go out you can log on and check [prospective jobs] out on the website.”

Pamela Goldman, coordinator for co-op services for English and communication studies majors, said she recognizes the benefits of the website, but said it could cause problems for students who misinterpret information or post harsh reviews.

“Students should be careful when posting negative reviews, since it’s possible that employers will find out what’s on these sites,” she said. “This could jeopardize future references.”

Kane said the chances of an employer taking action against a student for offering an honest opinion are slim.

“This is a motivator [for the companies],” he said. “If a student doesn’t want to post, they don’t have to.”

Shah and Lakhi said they understand why students may have concerns about posting, but said having an open forum for the flow of ideas about available jobs will benefit the Northeastern community overall.

“Our goal is not to hurt any company or any student. Our goal is to create a nice community where people can discuss their co-op experience,” Lakhi said. “I feel the discussion is a central part of the co-op experience.”

Advisor Mary Kane, who has worked as director of cooperative education for business majors for four years, said she does not think students should be nervous about posting their review, because companies are always looking to improve and most would welcome criticism. But students should not take the reviews as a final say on whether they should take a job or not, either.

“I think [the website] is good. It’s one point of reference for a student to have,” she said. “I certainly don’t know if I would advise somebody to make their decision based on one piece of information.”