People love to ask, “How’s co-op? Is Co-op harder than school? And the answer is… weirdly no.
Because here’s the thing they don’t tell you: work ends.
Like, actually ends. When I’m done for the day, I’m done. No Canvas notifications, no late-night group chats about who’s doing which slide, no wondering if I missed a surprise homework assignment hidden inside a lecture recording. Just me, my time, and the wild question: What do I want to do now?
That’s not to say co-op life is easy. It’s still a nine-to-five. There are long days, learning curves, and the occasional impostor syndrome spiral. But outside of work? I’ve finally had time to figure out how to be a person again.
And that’s its own kind of juggling act.
I’m learning to balance things I used to squeeze between problem sets and club meetings: cooking actual meals, doing laundry before I run out of socks, and calling my family without rushing through it while walking to class. I’m also figuring out how to keep my campus life alive from a distance — like joining club events, staying in touch with friends, and reminding people, “Hey! I still exist! I’m just on Slack all day now!”
What surprised me most, though, is that even when I’m busy, co-op gives me choice. If I want to spend my evening working on a passion project, I can. If I want to watch Gilmore Girls, drink hot chocolate, and chill, I can do that too without the guilt of feeling like I need to get work done. The pressure to be productive 24/7 kind of fades when you’ve already given your best during the workday.
That’s where time management becomes more than just scheduling. It becomes protecting. Protecting your evenings, your friendships, and your creative energy. And yeah, sometimes it’s hard. You miss out on campus things. You feel out of the loop. But you also gain a new kind of rhythm — one that’s calmer, more structured, and honestly, kind of refreshing.
Co-op isn’t just about gaining professional experience. It’s about learning how to build a life outside of work — one where you’re not constantly stretched thin, but intentionally choosing how you spend your time.
So if you’re prepping for co-op, or already in it and wondering how to juggle it all: breathe. Learn when to log off. Take that walk. Answer that FaceTime call from your friends. Join the club meeting even if you’re tired and want to go to bed. Because work may end at five, but the rest of your life? That’s all you.
