Civil Student has CECOP Success Story

Story Posted: Mon, Jun 18, 2007

[Editor’s Note: Randall Hoyt, who graduated last year with a degree in civil engineering, was snapped up by a Wisconsin engineering firm before the interview process was even over. Hoyt says the reason he beat out all the competition is the experience he gained during his CECOP internships and his experience at OSU. Below is his story, in his own words.]

My wife and I moved back to Wisconsin after I graduated just over a year ago. My CECOP experiences and educational background at OSU absolutely landed me my current job. Personally, the firm was impressed by the breadth of coursework, and—most importantly—my experience gained in my internship through the Civil Engineering Cooperative Program (CECOP). I was told that CECOP is a much better program than what is available at the University of Wisconsin. So, thank you for all of your contributions to CECOP, I have certainly benefited from participation. In fact, I want to reiterate how much my education, coupled with CECOP involvement, has helped.

When I interviewed for jobs in Wisconsin, no one was familiar with OSU (other than the Beavers beating Notre Dame, twice), so that did not a distinguish me. Wisconsin has four engineering schools, whose graduates I was competing with. What set me apart was CECOP. At the conclusion of my second interview with the firm that hired me, I asked the panel interviewing me how I rated with the other candidates, and the answer was, "No one else does." In fact, they hired me before they had completed interviews.

My CECOP work experience set me apart from other university's co-op's, but knowing how to handle interviews with multiple people was equally critical. With regard to my education, the two classes that had the most impact when asked were Contracts and Specifications and Capstone. Although other universities offer a "Senior Design" class, I'm told that none are as involved or as relevant and complex as what we were required to do at Oregon State (I brought a copy of mine to the interview). The breadth of my education is also apparent, partly due to OSU being on the quarter system (Wisconsin is all semesters), partly because of my electives, and partly is certainly due to the quality of the faculty at OSU and the Civil Engineering program in general. Please share my praise of CECOP and my education!

I even had one of my colleagues, a Purdue alum, tell me that my undergraduate education was better than what he got, in terms of being prepared to do the job from day one.

—Randall J. Hoyt, Civil Engineering, 2006