The diversity at The University of Toledo attracted me. But the thing I liked best was the co-op program offered by the College of Engineering. I worked last spring for DTE Energy at a power plant a half-hour from Toledo. I got to experience what a 9-to-5 job would be like. This experience will make an impact on my resume. The money I earned has made me more independent.”Devyani Donde
Class of 2021, information technology | Nashik, India
This summer, Rohan received a stipend from the Office of Undergraduate Research to continue his research.
“UToledo has two telescopes and a planetarium. That’s rare to find. I was part of an observation team. We operated the telescope and used our knowledge from our classes to study objects in the sky.”
“I wanted a typical American college education. And I also wanted to have one-on-one conversations with professors. I am getting that at UToledo. It’s the right size — not too big and not too small. I feel like I belong. The astronomy and physics department is very friendly. I know all the professors.”
“The good thing about UToledo is that I can take a theatre class. I love to act and I love that course. I also took a music course to play drums and learn how to read music. It was harder than physics! These courses are a breath of fresh air and a way for me to think in a different way. UToledo offers so much.”
“I learned leadership skills through my involvement in student organizations. As event coordinator for the International Students Association, I organized our two biggest events for 500-700 students. I never thought I could be president. Sara, in the international office, told me, ‘I’ve seen you grow. I know you can do it.’ And I did. I also stepped out of my comfort zone as marketing chair of the Muslim Student Association. I didn’t like public speaking, but I was the emcee for a leadership conference and had to speak in front of 300 students.”
“I would recommend every freshman stay on campus. I lived in the Honors Academic Village my freshman year with mostly American students. It changed my life. It’s how I started to meet people. My best friend is from Michigan. I’d also see flyers about events and know what was happening on campus.”
Paola worked as a logistics coordinator with a small company in downtown Toledo in her first internship. She learned about the job from an email sent by the dean. She landed an interview and the job, coordinating freight for the company’s clients. Her second internship was in purchasing at Owens Illinois, a Fortune 500 company near Toledo where she now works full time.
“My professors and the Career Services office prepared me for job fairs and interviews. They helped me write my resume. I had mock interviews with working professionals. I prepared my elevator speech. That preparation was the most important part of me getting my two internships.”
“I appreciate all the help the business school and UToledo gave me — professors’ office hours, tutoring. Since English isn’t my first language, the Writing Center helped me a lot in writing my essays. They give you the tools, and if you use them right, you can go far.”
“When I was looking for a co-op, I was confident and prepared. The engineering college gave me everything I needed to know to nail the interview. I was the first student from UToledo to be hired by AstraZeneca, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.”
AstraZeneca normally hires students only in the summer. But after Vimantha worked for the company during the summer, they made an exception. They created a position for him and invited him back for a six-month, fall co-op. Vimantha was the first UToledo student and AstraZeneca intern to be named one of three 2018 Future Scientists scholarship recipients in the U.S. by Kelly Services.
The paid co-op experiences — along with part-time jobs as a tutor and building manager at the UToledo Student Union — allow Vimantha to save for his future and pay for his living expenses when he returns to campus after each co-op experience.
“I did research the summer of my freshman year for a chemical engineering professor. Then I joined Dr. Ana C. Alba-Rubio's research group for independent studies, and she offered me a position in her lab. I'm doing research on sustainable and green energy. I also worked part time as an intern at a startup company that manufactured scanners to test the life span of solar cells. I learned a plethora of technical skills a typical undergraduate wouldn’t. I worked with Ph.D. students and learned to be persistent and patient. Dr. Rubio was so supportive. She cares about you, not just the results. My research experience helped me get my co-op at AstraZeneca.”
We want our students to make an impact in their communities. So we reward curious minds with research opportunities as early as freshman year. Some students email professors about working in their labs.
Others use the services of our Office of Undergraduate Research, which can:
60+ undergraduates received funding in 2018
18,000+ hours spent on undergraduate research in 2018
Which would you rather do? Get your hands dirty at a real archeological site or read about a dig in a book? Take a patient’s blood pressure or watch a demo on YouTube?
We hear you. That’s why most UToledo academic programs incorporate service learning or field experiences into their curricula.
Our students:
We know it’s hard to think about life after college. You haven’t even taken a class
yet!
But if you want a great job after you graduate, it’s not too early to start planning.
Internships often lead to full-time positions, like they did for Paola.
Internships
help
you:
Career Services can help you find internship opportunities. Depending on your major — and whether an internship is required — your college may even have its own internship coordinator. Work in the summer or during the school year. Some interns get paid. Some receive academic credit.
Our students find work in all kinds of places, including in our city government through our partnership with the city of Toledo.
85% of all undergrad business students complete
internships.
About 50% of business students with internships get permanent offers from the employers.
UToledo’s engineering program is one of just eight in the U.S. that requires co-ops. A co-op is a paid job in the engineering field. Starting in their second year, engineering students alternate spending a semester working for their co-op employer and then returning to campus for a semester of classes.
Co-ops give our students an advantage in the job market because they offer:
1,478 engineering co-ops Fall 2020 to Summer 2021
2,400 employer sites in 46 states and 44 countries