Podcast: College Admissions with Mark and Anna mentions UC co-op

Anna Ren and Mark Hofer host a college admissions podcast to explore relevant topics in college admissions and offer a fresh perspective and actionable takeaways as students apply for college.

Their August 10th podcast mentioned the importance of real world experience for students considering a college.  The University of Cincinnati was among the schools applauded for its leadership in cooperative education. (UC mention near 26:10)

“A number of the students I work with come to me because my background in STEM gives me a different perspective on what I think is important to be successful or successfully educated to enter that industry, so I have those students take a shot at a different layer of what is best,” says Hofer during his podcast. “A lot of times what I really push and you mentioned one of them is the co-op or internship.”

“And there again Northeastern and the University of Cincinnati, they are the leaders and we want you to experience the job world of what you are going to basically graduate in and hopefully get a job,” says Hofer. 

“We want to experience what that real industry is like before you get into it. Those internships and introductions to the neworks of the people in those industries are invaluable. So one of the things is do they have co-op? Do they have internships available and will you be able to participate in those and graduate on time?”.

UC, the founder of cooperative education, saw more than 8,300 students earn an estimated $88.8 million collectively through paid co-op experiences in the 2023-24 academic year. The data was self-reported and averages to nearly $10,700 per student per semester. That’s an 18% increase in wages from the last reported co-op data.

Ren and Hofer ask students to consider the characteristics of a school. Do they value activities that emphasize campus life or are they more mindful of what life looks like post-graduation? Is financial aid part of the discussion, and if so would a full-ride scholarship for a dual admissions program leading to medical school outweigh attending an Ivy League institution without money?

“I ask them the question of what is so important to you,” says Ren.

It’s August and students are making use of the ‘Common app,’ explains Ren. It allows students to fill out one application, which can be sent to multiple colleges, helping to simplify the hunt for just the right school. There is however a cap to the common app allowing students to apply to 20 schools.

“I think it is a good idea to talk about what students should consider as they finalize their list for colleges,” explains Ren during her podcast.  

Listen to the full podcast ‘College Admissions with Mark and Anna’ online.  (UC mention near 26:10)

Featured top image shows UC graduate Jalyn Stewart and UC student Andrew Matthews on a Turner Construction work site. Both Stewart and Matthews have enjoyed co-op experiences at Turner. Photo by Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand.