Summer Scheme - Urban Design Review

Fantastic placement. Good balance of projects and team work.

I felt like I was able to contribute and help, rather than merely shadowing or observing.

My mentor and colleagues were all supportive and ensured that my questions were answered. If any of the work required was something I was unfamiliar with, they offered advice and assistance to ensure I didn't feel out of the loop or left to fend for myself.

I was always able to contribute and get involved with projects, from site visits to workshops. Any down time that occurred was only for short periods in between projects/scheduled events.

I felt as though the work I was doing was needed and was to be useful, instead of merely time filling tasks.

The understanding I have gained of the professional processes, clients, timescales and techniques are invaluable to my continuing studies. They enable my future university projects to have a better grounding and realism to them.

The office atmosphere was friendly, productive and always a hive of activity. I felt welcomed and involved with people from my own team, but also from the other departments within the office.

The placement, work and projects were well organised and set out. There were a few periods were I was unable to help for a short time, however this is of no fault of the team. But merely down to the nature of not being present at the start of one project and having to get up to speed with information and background details.

I was given the opportunity to take part in site visits and most importantly a two day public consultation workshop on a major development within the office. Having the opportunity to travel with the company on a planned event was a fantastic opportunity.

I would be incredibly interested in continuing my relationship with Savills, and having the opportunity to work for them in the near future.

As my placement was within a regional office and not in London, I did not have the opportunity to meet with the other students on placement, however there is an online internal communication network in order to chat and discuss your placement and other topics.

I didn't get much opportunity to socialise however I know from experience that Oxford can be relatively expensive to go out in. I was fortunate enough to be able to stay at my parents during my placement. However if this had not been possible, living costs, predominately rent in Oxford is very high and in very high demand as well. Making it very difficult to afford.

The area around the office was quite quiet, as it is on the outer edge of the city. However, Oxford as a whole has a very strong nightlight and student culture.

Due to the nature of the office, the work, and the distances people were traveling to get to work, socialising outside of work didn't really occur.