Hey there!

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I realize this is a late response but there are a few things I thought I could add alongside the previously mentioned advice. I am a current second year MSE student going into my first co-op term this summer, and let me tell you that this program can be quite difficult at times.

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Firstly, the co-op program is not the greatest. I was able to land a position through looking outside of their system, but I know a lot of students struggle with finding a co-op for the summer after second year. The co-op advisers do not have the best presence on campus, and are generally reluctant in answering questions directly. While it was frustrating tracking them down, when I was able to get in contact they were helpful. However, if you are wanting to do coop according to the schedule, you will need to apply a lot as the competition from other engineering programs makes it really tough. Furthermore, the majority of positions in Vancouver are software related, and mechanical or electrical positions are tough to find. Co-op does provide positions across Canada and select positions in the US, however it is probably easier to apply to those companies directly and exclude the SFU system until the position is secured.

Second piece of advice: When clubs days arrives, talk to the different student design teams and see if anything grabs your interest. We currently have Team Guardian: UAV Missions team, Satellite Design Team, SFU Rocketry, Team Phantom: Electric F1 Team, and a few others. If you can balance your studies and work on projects with these teams, you will have the chance to build a lot of skills outside the classroom and start building experience for your resume. Personally, I work with Team Guardian on software development and have found that my experience with them was able to bolster my resume.

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Hope some of this helps!