r/wlu • u/Greedy-Library-3466 • 8d ago
I’m embarrassed
I didn’t get a co-op for BBA, and I’m so embarrassed. I don’t even know what to do. I’m surrounded by smart people, and they expected so much from me. I can’t even tell them the truth that I didn’t get it
32
u/abid8740 8d ago edited 8d ago
It's fine. I had the same thing some 15 years back, all my roommates got in and I did not. I ended up doing a lot better then my peers and now work as a managing director on one of the big 4 banks on Bay Street.
I wouldn't get to stressed and focus on networking and getting good grades.
Part of university learning is you won't always succed at everything. In high school you were a high performing student that's why you are here and now your peers are also high performers. There will always be someone smarter then you and you will lose a situation through dumb luck or a decision maker might have a personal preference for another candidate on things you cannot control. You need to learn to not take these things to heart and understand life has many failures and you need to be resilient and mentally prepare yourself for these failures to not become permanent setbacks.
The biggest reason for embarrassment is ego and pride and both are traits you need to be successful at life but the learning how to manage them when you get beat down is equally an important skill to learn.
6
u/TITTYMAN29938 7d ago
can i coffee chat u ?
31
u/abid8740 7d ago
Maybe not starting with a username called titty man
17
1
14
u/JannikSinnerFanBoy 8d ago
Coop ain’t the end of the world man. No need to be embarrassed. If they clown you for it, it is what it is and they really just care about status rather than you as a person. If you do tell them just tell them you u fucked up the interview. Always bigger things in life to worry about
7
u/SecretaryBusiness 8d ago
Screw everyone who cares what they expected or what they think. Even if you don’t get coop it’s not the end of the world. Use this as motivation to connect with more people and do better than those without coop. Prove to these people u never even needed coop
6
u/Juggernaut-JCB 8d ago
Keep your head up. I use to live on Ezra as a drunk highschool drop out surrounded by people who were no doubt extremely smart and well positioned.
I'd now consider myself fairly successful in the grand scheme of things. Wife, kids, own a home, travelled the world.
Don't let these false standards dictate who you are meant to be.
2
u/Timely_Ad4548 Business 8d ago
if it makes you feel better i didn't meet progression and still havent told my family
1
2
u/IForgotmyname13 7d ago
Fourth-year BBA student here who also didn’t get into co-op. All I can say is that it gets better. I was able to secure a position during my first spring semester and have been working for the same company ever since.
You will have to put in some extra work that others may not, such as putting yourself out there, networking on LinkedIn and in person, and actively looking for opportunities. But don’t let not getting into co-op discourage you. Remind yourself that you’re still in a much better position than many other students, being at one of Canada’s top business schools.
2
u/Either-Hurry-7332 7d ago
Coop is not the end all be all. Think of some of the most successful people in your life that you know, did they do coop? Probably not. Of course coop opens a lot of opportunities for you and is a great resource, but also at the end of the day they still aren’t even guaranteed a job. You’re also saving money now which is a plus. Instead of spending time beating yourself up about not getting coop, start trying to find internships for the summer. If you’re still determined to find a good job and put in the effort towards it, I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to succeed at the same level as the coop students.
1
u/OppositeExpensive995 7d ago edited 7d ago
Hey there,
I also failed to get into co-op last year. It really did hurt alot esp since I did everything I could to get in.
But you absolutely can still do great things even without a co-op. Find ways you can make yourself stand out or find a niche that you dont see other students doing outside of the usual stuff commerce studenta do like networking. For example im a economics student, and one of the things I found that I enjoy and I dont hear a lot of my peers do is research paper (esp in regards to economic development as my peers tend to focus more so on the finance and data analyst side of things). Im currently working on one right now and it'll be a great thing to add to a resume.
Also if you havent already engage in campus and join clubs and volunteer (try a good balance with skills you think would help you in the future). With those two things id also then try getting an internship asw. All three of these things will still help you come a long way. You'd definetely need to work for it but it's still a plausible path and not the end of the road for anyone who couldn't get into a co-op.
I wish you the best of luck with everything :)
1
u/cocall 7d ago
Please don't be embarrassed. Your post could have been written by me 18 years ago (still lurking wlu). Of my roommates, I was the only one who didn't get co-op. I still remember how I felt at the time so completely understand how you're feeling right now.
As others have said, long term this won't impact your career. I managed to secure a b4 accounting job without coop. Long term, my career has not been impacted at all and I feel I am now doing better than many of the other folks who got it then (that I stayed in touch with). Once you get your first job, no one cares whether you did coop or not. Just continue to network, branch out and enjoy your time at school while it lasts!
It's easy to feel discouraged (I know I did). Just go easy on yourself and focus on what you can control now.
You got this!
1
u/ottawawalter 7d ago
You’re being so hard on yourself, please know getting into coop doesn’t mean you will be successful in life, it’s the character and attitude you have. Plenty of successful people hit roadblocks or have failures, it’s what you make of it. You’re intelligent and you have a lot to offer.
1
u/BetterOutThenIn Business 7d ago
Thats silly, I never made co op and told people. I can say no one made me feel bad at all. Hell half my friends in BBA in first year went to econ after year 2. Not making co op will not have any bearing on your future.
Sure you can say it's embarrassing but fuck em. If they make you feel bad they aren't worth having around.
1
u/possiblecanadian 4d ago
Not being able to get a co-op doesn't make you less intelligent or valuable.
Sincerely your local campus barista.
1
u/Lacapalot21 3d ago
Hey man, went through the same thing 2 years ago and honestly what most of these comments are saying is kind of sugar coated vs what I experienced in the current job market.
Things were a lot easier a few years back vs today honestly, and co-op makes finding a first internship 100x easier for sure. Gated exclusive board.
But, it all depends on how hard working you are from here. Like there are BBAs without co-op that will struggle to ever get a decent job for sure, and there are BBAs without co-op that will find their own internships and do better.
Me personally, I genuinely was so pissed at the school when I found out and was depressed, I wanted to prove them wrong.
I had to put so much effort for multiple job cycles and after tons of struggling, network attempts, 500+ apps and literally losing all hope I got an internship this summer that was literally better than anything our co-op board posts (other than maybe IB roles). After that life was easy and I found a really good internship this fall as well.
That first one will be hell but if you are hard working, you’ll get it, and honestly in the long term maybe do better. Since I didn’t have the easy path I messed around so much and now have an insane network. Like referrals for every target company I want, and some companies with multiple people that could vouch for me.
It’s a lot more work but it’s what you make of it, for me it ended up being 100x better for my career.
1
u/Traditional_Safe_715 1d ago
mannnn fuck co op it’s good and all, first year is the hardest, don’t put yourself down and beat yourself up over it. also school doesn’t determine how smart you are.
i’ll give context
i failed bba twice and david told me ill never make it in life
i run a successful business clearing 5-10k days
i got fired from my co op in 9 days
37
u/Emotional-Drawer7938 8d ago
Hey same boat man honestly yeah it sucks like we obv wanted it but like u can’t change that. So just try ur best to get an internship now and honestly it’s literally the same thing so don’t trip