As students get ready to choose classes for the 2015-16 school year, many juniors consider co-op (also known as cooperative education) for their senior year.

“The range for jobs can go from working in a law firm to volunteering in a hospital,” co-op supervisor Jonathan Cook said. “Usually students just want work experience in an office, so this is a great program to do so.”

Applying for co-op is much simpler than one may think.

“All they need to do is fill out the application packet which is in the counseling center, and with the application they identify what areas they’re interested in and they submit a resume with that,” Cook said. “Once I get that information I can approve it and say they’re eligible for co-op.”

To be eligible to apply senior year, students must have the following requirements: a minimum GPA of 2.5 the first semester of junior year and no attendance issues.

“The no attendance issues rule is pretty strict because businesses need to make sure the employee will show up to work every day,” Cook said.

Usually students who are interested in co-op tell their counselors early in high school, to prevent schedule conflicts senior year.

By Shauna Nanavati