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Author Topic: UNSW Co-op Scholarship Program  (Read 38637 times)  Share 

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jamonwindeyer

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UNSW Co-op Scholarship Program
« Reply #135 on: September 26, 2018, 05:54:33 pm »
+1
I'm also wondering how to answer this part of the question: Describe the personal qualities and values that differentiate you and that you would bring to the UNSW Co-op Program.

I presume listing personal qualities and values might not be enough? :O

It’s about picking the qualities and values that you think are most impressive, or most different, about you! Think of it as them asking, “Hit us with your best shot.”

noelidfwu

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Re: UNSW Co-op Scholarship Program
« Reply #136 on: November 09, 2018, 03:18:08 pm »
0
Has anyone got an interview offer yet???

c104s

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Re: UNSW Co-op Scholarship Program
« Reply #137 on: November 09, 2018, 06:15:08 pm »
+1
Hi Jamon,

Since you are a Co-op scholar, I was hoping you could answer a few questions I had about this scholarship!

1. Is the industry training/internship/work placement paid or unpaid? Is the $18,200 per year the payment for this work?
2. What sort of marks do you need to maintain to keep the scholarship? e.g. if you require a pass, do you need an overall average pass or do you have to pass on everything?
3. Do you select when you are available for the internship or do they tell you when, where and how often you will work?
4. How many hours a week and on what days of the week do you do the industry placement?
5. Are you required to work on weekends and holidays? If so, for all/most/very little of the holidays?
6. Do the work hours for the internship remain fixed throughout the scholarship?
7. Is there anything you need to do to 'give back' for receiving this scholarship? e.g. represent the uni at events. If so, how often are these commitments and how long do they take?
8. Is the internship flexible, i.e. can you work it to fit around a pre-exisiting part-time job?
9. I heard the drop out rate is very high for this scholarship, why is that? Is it the academic requirements, extracurricular university demands, internship difficulty???
10. Is the industry placement at the same time every year?
11. Do you get any exclusive 'perks' for being a Co-op scholar?
12. What happens if you dont meet the academic requirements, can't come to a shift with work placement, can't represent the uni for something, etc.? Do you lose the scholarship or get warnings or something?
13. If you miss out on the scholarship, is it still possible to find industry placements? And can you find paid industry placements?
14. Does this scholarship practically guarantee a post-graduate full-time job offer?

jamonwindeyer

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Re: UNSW Co-op Scholarship Program
« Reply #138 on: November 09, 2018, 06:42:51 pm »
+3
Hi Jamon,

Since you are a Co-op scholar, I was hoping you could answer a few questions I had about this scholarship!

1. Is the industry training/internship/work placement paid or unpaid? Is the $18,200 per year the payment for this work?
2. What sort of marks do you need to maintain to keep the scholarship? e.g. if you require a pass, do you need an overall average pass or do you have to pass on everything?
3. Do you select when you are available for the internship or do they tell you when, where and how often you will work?
4. How many hours a week and on what days of the week do you do the industry placement?
5. Are you required to work on weekends and holidays? If so, for all/most/very little of the holidays?
6. Do the work hours for the internship remain fixed throughout the scholarship?
7. Is there anything you need to do to 'give back' for receiving this scholarship? e.g. represent the uni at events. If so, how often are these commitments and how long do they take?
8. Is the internship flexible, i.e. can you work it to fit around a pre-exisiting part-time job?
9. I heard the drop out rate is very high for this scholarship, why is that? Is it the academic requirements, extracurricular university demands, internship difficulty???
10. Is the industry placement at the same time every year?
11. Do you get any exclusive 'perks' for being a Co-op scholar?
12. What happens if you dont meet the academic requirements, can't come to a shift with work placement, can't represent the uni for something, etc.? Do you lose the scholarship or get warnings or something?
13. If you miss out on the scholarship, is it still possible to find industry placements? And can you find paid industry placements?
14. Does this scholarship practically guarantee a post-graduate full-time job offer?


Welcome to the forums!! I'd be happy to help - I should take these answers and stick them somewhere obvious because they are good ones! All in my experience/opinion as always :)

1. Unpaid, the scholarship payments are the compensation ($18200pa for years does roughly equate to the year you spend working)

2. In most disciplines, Credit in every subject, in some, Distinction in every subject. But they don't kick you out off of one bad mark - Things happen. But if you are continually getting below credits in courses there may be words.

3. You must complete the internships roughly to the timeline, which is a combo of summer internships and full six-month placements. Specific start/end dates and such - The Coop Office itself is strict, companies are normally chill. I requested to start my ITE2 late due to accomodation issues, my manager was totally cool with it. Once you are there, you are doing what your company requires - It is full time work, expect the usual 9:00-5:00 sort of thing :)

4. See above - This is the same as a job, there is nothing different about the conditions/what is expected of you.

5. Weekends no (I wasn't at least), but I suppose it depends on the culture of the company you work for. Again, this is a job. If employees at this company work weekends, you should too (but I doubt they'll expect this). Holidays are the same as everyone else working - Many companies shut down over Christmas, and you'll have public holidays off, but besides this you are working like everyone else.

6. Depends on company, usually 9:00-5:00 or similar conditions I'd imagine.

7. Coop has occasional mandatory professional development events associated with it - Workshops, presentations, etc. They are infrequent and usually at least a little bit useful. There are optional extras but not much is required - Your 'giving back' is the work you do for your sponsors :)

8. See above -> A sponsor will not appreciate being told you can't do Thursdays because you have to go work for your side hustle. This. Is. A. Job. They'll expect the same commitment out of you as they do their regular employees. That said, I work on weekends too while I'm on placement. Exhausting but doable.

9. It is - Could be any of many reasons. Maintaining a credit isn't easy, lots of people change normally their course anyway (which means ditching your scholarship as well, of course). Many drop out because they get other employment opportunities that clash with Coop, and they choose the other option.

10. There are a couple of summer ones, and then a year where you spend the whole year working (for my program at least, it does differ a bit between programs)

11. Is the $18,200 not good enough? ;) you do get a mentor (previous Coop) to go to for advice on employment and stuff - Not that useful (sorry Robert if you are reading this, but you aren't an Electrical Engineer so I can't ask you too much specifically! You are super amazing though and really appreciate your advice on career goals in general <3). The professional development activities they mandate are useful. But you aren't cutting to the front of coffee lines at uni, unfortunately ;)

12. See above - Not meeting the academic requirements on occasion is okay, you chat with the Office and they make sure you are all good. When you start doing it repeatedly you raise eyebrows. Not representing the uni is nothing. Missing an internship is a biggie. These placements are you repaying your sponsor companies for their investment in you. Missing the odd day is obviously fine - Like normal employees, you'll get sick, have emergencies, need to take an afternoon to go to the Dentist, whatever. But you can't delay your placements significantly without good reason, or interrupt them. Holidays? Cancel them. Other job? Quit. That's their thinking, placement is priority 1 (and rightfully so).

13. 100% still possible to find placements (though some industries would be tougher than others I would imagine!)

14. The employment rate for Coop Scholars straight out of university is 100% - Yes, failing a huge break in the pattern, the Coop Program guarantees you a job when you graduate :)

c104s

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Re: UNSW Co-op Scholarship Program
« Reply #139 on: November 09, 2018, 08:18:30 pm »
0
Welcome to the forums!! I'd be happy to help - I should take these answers and stick them somewhere obvious because they are good ones! All in my experience/opinion as always :)

1. Unpaid, the scholarship payments are the compensation ($18200pa for years does roughly equate to the year you spend working)

2. In most disciplines, Credit in every subject, in some, Distinction in every subject. But they don't kick you out off of one bad mark - Things happen. But if you are continually getting below credits in courses there may be words.

3. You must complete the internships roughly to the timeline, which is a combo of summer internships and full six-month placements. Specific start/end dates and such - The Coop Office itself is strict, companies are normally chill. I requested to start my ITE2 late due to accomodation issues, my manager was totally cool with it. Once you are there, you are doing what your company requires - It is full time work, expect the usual 9:00-5:00 sort of thing :)

4. See above - This is the same as a job, there is nothing different about the conditions/what is expected of you.

5. Weekends no (I wasn't at least), but I suppose it depends on the culture of the company you work for. Again, this is a job. If employees at this company work weekends, you should too (but I doubt they'll expect this). Holidays are the same as everyone else working - Many companies shut down over Christmas, and you'll have public holidays off, but besides this you are working like everyone else.

6. Depends on company, usually 9:00-5:00 or similar conditions I'd imagine.

7. Coop has occasional mandatory professional development events associated with it - Workshops, presentations, etc. They are infrequent and usually at least a little bit useful. There are optional extras but not much is required - Your 'giving back' is the work you do for your sponsors :)

8. See above -> A sponsor will not appreciate being told you can't do Thursdays because you have to go work for your side hustle. This. Is. A. Job. They'll expect the same commitment out of you as they do their regular employees. That said, I work on weekends too while I'm on placement. Exhausting but doable.

9. It is - Could be any of many reasons. Maintaining a credit isn't easy, lots of people change normally their course anyway (which means ditching your scholarship as well, of course). Many drop out because they get other employment opportunities that clash with Coop, and they choose the other option.

10. There are a couple of summer ones, and then a year where you spend the whole year working (for my program at least, it does differ a bit between programs)

11. Is the $18,200 not good enough? ;) you do get a mentor (previous Coop) to go to for advice on employment and stuff - Not that useful (sorry Robert if you are reading this, but you aren't an Electrical Engineer so I can't ask you too much specifically! You are super amazing though and really appreciate your advice on career goals in general <3). The professional development activities they mandate are useful. But you aren't cutting to the front of coffee lines at uni, unfortunately ;)

12. See above - Not meeting the academic requirements on occasion is okay, you chat with the Office and they make sure you are all good. When you start doing it repeatedly you raise eyebrows. Not representing the uni is nothing. Missing an internship is a biggie. These placements are you repaying your sponsor companies for their investment in you. Missing the odd day is obviously fine - Like normal employees, you'll get sick, have emergencies, need to take an afternoon to go to the Dentist, whatever. But you can't delay your placements significantly without good reason, or interrupt them. Holidays? Cancel them. Other job? Quit. That's their thinking, placement is priority 1 (and rightfully so).

13. 100% still possible to find placements (though some industries would be tougher than others I would imagine!)

14. The employment rate for Coop Scholars straight out of university is 100% - Yes, failing a huge break in the pattern, the Coop Program guarantees you a job when you graduate :)

Wow, thank you so much for answering everything! Helped a lot  :D :D

In terms of interview attire, I know most guys wear suits or dress pants and a shirt, but when you went for your interview did you notice what the girls wore? I know most 'work attire' for women involves heels but I'm not sure if that would look silly  :P

Also, would you happent to know how many people get offered and interview, and of those people how many are offered a conditional scholarship?
« Last Edit: November 09, 2018, 08:21:37 pm by c104s »

c104s

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Re: UNSW Co-op Scholarship Program
« Reply #140 on: November 09, 2018, 09:29:11 pm »
0
Hi again Jamon,

Also, what does the interview briefing day involve? Is it useful?

jamonwindeyer

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Re: UNSW Co-op Scholarship Program
« Reply #141 on: November 09, 2018, 11:49:19 pm »
+2
Wow, thank you so much for answering everything! Helped a lot  :D :D

In terms of interview attire, I know most guys wear suits or dress pants and a shirt, but when you went for your interview did you notice what the girls wore? I know most 'work attire' for women involves heels but I'm not sure if that would look silly  :P

Also, would you happent to know how many people get offered and interview, and of those people how many are offered a conditional scholarship?

I won't pretend I paid super close attention, but go with professional attire you think suitable - Dress pants/slacks or a skirt plus a profess-looking blouse/shirt, or an appropriate dress, I guess? In terms of shoes, just avoid stuff like joggers/sandals (obviously), heels aren't a necessity I wouldn't think. And super high heels is probably a bit out of place for an interview anyway ;D

Totally depends on the availability of the sponsors, the quality of applicants, etc etc, but for me:

- 4 sponsors (meaning 4 conditional scholarships)
- About 20 interviewees

Which apparently was some of the best odds for Electrical in a long time - So again, I got a bit lucky ;D

jamonwindeyer

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Re: UNSW Co-op Scholarship Program
« Reply #142 on: November 09, 2018, 11:51:42 pm »
+2
Hi again Jamon,

Also, what does the interview briefing day involve? Is it useful?

Very useful, you learn about your sponsors, a bit more about Coop, and a bit about interview prep. Attend, it doesn't look great if you go,

"Hey yeah I really want this scholarship and I'm dedicated and everything but I'm not going to your briefing day because pfffft."

Unless you have a good reason of course ;D