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Help me justify the $600+ co-op fee.

online predatoronline predator
edited September 2009 in General
I'm having a hard time finding a good reason why SFU charges co-op students a fee of $600+.

Are we paying for the benefits of having Symplicity? Are we paying employers to come to SFU for co-op students/interns? Compensation for our co-op advisors? A "Thank you" from SFU for helping us with a temporary job?

Help!

Comments

  • hikin
    edited September 2009
    if you dont have alot of work experience it may well be worth considering. the only person that can really justify it is you lol
  • icerider
    edited September 2009
    you can get experience that relates to your work area and it beats having to call every other company to see if they have a job available if you aren't familiar with your job area.
  • online predatoronline predator
    edited September 2009
    ^ That's a good one, actually!

    Unfortunately, I still don't see how the program is worth 600 bucks!

    Maybe I'm just whining about the price now, because it IS expensive imo!!
  • xxk1nky
    edited September 2009
    You're not the only one that thinks it's ridiculous!
  • Agentbob
    edited September 2009
    $600?!? Why the hell is mine $980+??! WHAT'S GOING ON!?!

    If I recall, you're in CS? It's incredibly hard to get a job in CS if you don't have any experience.
  • online predatoronline predator
    edited September 2009
    FUCCCCKKK!

    ^ See! I didn't even realize I have to pay 980 overall instead of 600 bucks! But anyway I was mainly referring to the tuition fee which is 600 bucks. The additional 300 are the stuff we pay every sem.

    Here's a "break-down:"

    2009/09/09 UG Student Activity Fee 2009 Fall 31.09
    2009/09/09 Undergrad Tuition 2009 Fall 665.40
    2009/07/21 SFSS Dental Plan 2009 Fall 106.56
    2009/07/21 SFSS Health Plan 2009 Fall 78.28
    2009/07/21 UPASS Fee 2009 Fall 104.36

    If you own any institution, having a medical plan is an easy way to make money, especially if everyone is forced to pay, as long as everyone doesn't get sick.

    Just non-stop money wasting on SFU. :thumbs_down:
  • edison
    edited September 2009
    Same here. I am probably never going to school this semester so im dumping 32 bucks on the stupid student fee.. and i am wondering if there is anyway i can opt out on the Upass? I live in Richmond, but co-op in coquitlam... so there i NO WAY i will be able/willing to take 3 buses & skytrain to work every morning at 7am.....

    you think i can opt out for Upass? I read the site, it seems my only chance is if my job was out of Metro GVRD????

    Oh, and the medical plan stinks, i already used my visual and dental (something like $100 for 24 month ....). Basically i don't have any benefits from that anymore till I GRADUATE!

    lastly, $600 fee is a joke. I can understand 1-300$$$ , but not 600... thats like 1 month of pay gone already!
  • anonymous1
    edited September 2009
    I did a self-directed work search last semester. I can't justify that fee at all in that case. I found my own job and didn't use the co-op department's services at all.

    I've done two semesters of coop now, and I don't want to/don't plan to do anymore. I'd rather just find my own job and save my 700+ bucks.
  • Ether
    edited September 2009
    A lot of companies are much more likely to hire official coops through the school because..

    1. Being an SFU coop student is sort of like a guarantee that you won't be a complete failure.

    2. As an official coop student, the government pays half your wage (or so I've heard). It's cheaper for the company to hire you.
  • carsncars
    edited September 2009
    online predator;60504 said:

    If you own any institution, having a medical plan is an easy way to make money, especially if everyone is forced to pay, as long as everyone doesn't get sick.

    Just non-stop money wasting on SFU. :thumbs_down:
    You don't have to pay. Opt-out period lasts for a couple more weeks... you have to have pre-existing overlapping coverage. =) I hate how it's opt-out and not opt-in, though. But the company wants to make money and that's they maximize their profit.
  • nicole
    edited September 2009
    It's ridiculous. The workshops are good at best, and the one-on-ones are really not that beneficial.

    HOWEVER, I'm in an internship that is so freaking invaluable and an amazing opportunity..one that I probably couldn't have landed if I wasn't a co-op student.

    Even so, I don't get the huge fee.
  • ChaozXIII
    edited September 2009
    You get the money back. thats why.

    and you dont have to start at minimum wage. or the minimum minimum wage(the one that you worked for less than 500 hours)
  • online predatoronline predator
    edited September 2009
    ChaozXIII;60580 said:
    You get the money back. thats why.

    and you dont have to start at minimum wage. or the minimum minimum wage(the one that you worked for less than 500 hours)
    The employer and intern relationship is mutual in some ways so the average intern salary IS reasonable. But SFU charging us 600 bucks because we'll get the money back anyway is a lame excuse, for SFU anyways.

    Most co-op students, at least myself and ones I know, have 2-3 years left of tuition fees and/or have student loans to pay. SFU should at least give us a break and stay away from us for once.... -.-"
    carsncars;60577 said:
    You don't have to pay. Opt-out period lasts for a couple more weeks...
    Well at the time of posting, SFU was already charging me for the health care. I was also uninformed at the same time until earlier today when a brochure came to my mailbox regarding the SFSS's health plans =)
  • edison
    edited September 2009
    kinda off topic.. But is it me, or does anyone find the health care brochure that sfu sent SMELLS HORRIBLE! I was wondering today when i got back from work why my desk smells so funky. after a few minutes of searching, i found out the awful smell came from the brochure~ threw it in the trash asap
  • online predatoronline predator
    edited September 2009
    carsncars;60577 said:
    I hate how it's opt-out and not opt-in, though. But the company wants to make money and that's they maximize their profit.
    I completely agree.

    For everyone else, here's something from their site if you need context:
    You can only opt out of the Health Plan upon showing proof of other equivalent health coverage. Similarly, you can only opt out of the Dental Plan with other equivalent dental coverage. You can opt out completely from the SFSS Health & Dental Plan upon showing proof of other equivalent health and dental coverage.
    I guess they're taking advantage of the fact that people are sometimes ignorant of what they're paying.
  • online predatoronline predator
    Paying for an extended work term again. I still hate this.
  • DesolateDesolate
    I'm doing co-op in the summer (if I find a job) and I'm not looking forward to having to pay a thousand dollars just to go work.
  • online predatoronline predator
    Another odd thing about getting a coop placement is that it makes it much harder to apply for a student loan (but that's another topic)

    How the heck am I supposed to shell out a grand for tuition within the first two weeks of placement? It's almost as if the coop department is taking your first paycheck by force.
  • DesolateDesolate
    SFU co-op likes to rain on everyone's parade apparently. I dunno, I'm still looking forward to co-op quite a bit!
  • ArchZeratul
    edited January 2011
    Seems like I have some things to look forward to... sigh

    I guess it must suck if you end up working nationally / internationally and even more of your paycheck is taken from you?

    I don't really know what to expect, I really was looking forward to co-op, but it seems like one problem after another to even get there...

    I've already had some confusion and problems with the coordinators, it seems like they are working more against me than they are trying to help me... maybe it was just a bad start to things though...
  • online predatoronline predator
    edited January 2011
    Co-op is still a great experience. Don't let the fee stop you. It's just like an itch you can't scratch.
  • ArchZeratul
    Eh, it might be less the fee, but more of the process... I did BOL I and I don't get why that was necessary... I explicitly asked if completing the workshops in late January would be a problem... they said no. Then a few days later they sent a mass e-mail saying I had to have completed all 3 workshops by Jan 9th to be released, with 0 offerings of workshops on Symplicity...

    Now I have scheduling conflicts with the workshops that I have to deal with... I truly hope that my resume and cover letter are as atrocious as they seem to think, and the workshops will help me, because otherwise I'd feel like I was just jumping through hoops...
  • fishiiie
    edited December 2014
    Basically, just think of your your co-op term as a 3-credit course. All 3-credit courses are worth $521.73 - based on the fact that it currently costs $173.91 per unit - so you're only paying an extra $213.18 for co-op. This is understandable, because the co-op program does need funding in order to keep operating as successfully as it does (and everything costs money). Plus, you get the co-op certificate for completing 3 work terms, and you get a degree for 4 terms, on top of whatever else degree you're schooling for. So essentially you're getting 2 degrees, along with the extra benefits co-op provides (expanding your network, gaining work-related experiences, training, knowledge, etc.). Does that make sense? Co-op is supposed to be an extra degree, so of course it costs (so much) money. Besides, you'll get that $200 difference paid off with the money you get from working.

    Hope that helps.
  • Shayan4440
    edited December 2014
    This is from years ago...
  • hehehe
    Now that this post is up, please keep in mind that the coop credits don't count towards graduation.

    Yep, it surprised me too. Waste of $2,000. 


  • biochemsfu
    just to remind everyone…sfu is a business.  the goal is to make money not to prepare you for the future.. any chance to charge they will.  I'm surprised they don't have a registration fee for classes.

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