Information For Students
Benefits of RateMyPlacement for Students
For students who have completed a work placement
RateMyPlacement provides you with the opportunity to share your experiences with others and offer advice and tips. From our experience, students are passionate and feel strongly about their placements, and this website is designed to allow you to express your views for the benefit of students following in your footsteps. As well as being used to assist future students in their search for a placement, you can also see how your placement rated and how it compares to the experiences of other students.
We’re currently giving away £2,500 worth of HMV Vouchers! All reviews submitted that contain additional comments* can receive up to £10 HMV Vouchers - click here to find out more.
For students who are searching for a placement
RateMyPlacement allows unique access to a wealth of first hand information provided by the people who know best - students that have been there and done it! This detailed insight into student’s placement experiences provides you with an idea of the opportunities available and a greater understanding of what you can expect from a work placement. Don’t forget that the reviews held on RateMyPlacement are the opinions of other students, and therefore the information should be used in conjunction with that provided by your placement office and the corporate information provided by respective companies.
The reviews are broken down into three sections; the role, the organisation and the area in which the student lived. This allows you to gain a better understanding of the three key components that you need to take into consideration when searching for a placement year.
The search function allows you to refine your search for reviews and read as many that meet your interests and requirements. All of the RateMyPlacement Team completed placements ourselves, and know that the search for the right placement is a stressful and time consuming process – we are committed to making it easier for you!
Benefits of placements for students
A work placement or internship is a daunting prospect, and for many students it will be the first real taste of full-time work. However, a placement brings with it many benefits - click here to see our Best Quotes - taken from reviews held in our database.
The table below shows that students who take part in work placements are more likely to secure a higher degree result than those who don’t:
| Placement students | Non-placement students | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Firsts | 15.1% | Firsts | 10.5% |
| 2:1 | 50.8% | 2:1 | 44.8% |
| 2:2 | 27.0% | 2:2 | 31.0% |
| Thirds | 4.2% | Thirds | 6.9% |
| Unclassified | 2.9% | Unclassified | 6.8% |
© ASET 2006 but may be freely distributed and referenced for the purpose of promoting the concept of work placements.
The fact is that by undertaking a work placement, not only are you more likely to secure a higher degree result, but it will hugely improve your employment opportunities when you graduate.
The placement provides something that cannot be taught in the lecture theatre – real life working experience and knowledge. You will be able to apply the skills and knowledge learnt during your degree studies, whilst learn many new ones that can be used in your final year and beyond. Not forgetting that you’ll be paid a salary - a chance to pay off the overdraft (or just treat yourself for a year!)
In a recent survey of employers who take placement students, 69% of placement students were offered graduate jobs, 80% of employers recruited placement students with the primary aim of attracting them back to permanent jobs, and 40% of annual graduate intake from these employers consisted of former placement students (University of Manchester and UMIST, 2004).
