RateMyPlacement
I enjoyed my placement at GSK. The variety of diverse opportunities made available to internal placement students at GSK was a real highlight. I was able to develop a wide range of interpersonal skills. This included networking and socialising with fellow internal placement students and getting involved in lots of events. This included conferences, presentations, poster symposiums at work. Outside of work there is a network on internal placement students at the GSK Stevenage site allowing for lots of social events and group activities.
My placement was a great experience where I had the opportunity to understand a variety of roles. I was able to work on projects and learn a new programming language - SAS. I was able to also learn about R which is a new language within the industry. I enjoyed working with different people on projects and visiting other sites such as GSK House Stevenage and Ware. My colleagues were incredibly helpful and always happy to support.
My work placement at GSK has been amazing! I love their values and culture and have been offered so many opportunities related to both my work and external activities. I have loved having a routine when working, knowing that I start at 8:30am and finish at 5pm has given me structure and I have found myself to be a lot more productive. It has also been great to leave work behind at the office and enjoy my evenings and weekends for myself. It also goes without saying earning money has been a positive! The job role has provided me with so many new skills and it has been great being able to apply my University knowledge to real life applications and projects. Sometimes work can go through peaks and troughs and there have been some challenges along the way, but this has all contributed to my development over the year.
I thoroughly enjoyed this placement year, as it provided me with the opportunity to experience research in an industrial setting. I was able to decide whether or not research was the right career path for me.
To initiate, GSK gave us an introductory week at Bristol University. This was a fantastic opportunity to be welcomed to all of the other industrial placement students who I would be with throughout the year as well as a great reminder of laboratory etiquette prior to spending the next year within one. From this, my fears of integration were wiped away when starting work at GSK. Consequently, I was able to more confidently perform the chemistry within my assigned team and approach people who I didn't know before. The building sessions were a fun way of interacting with everyone from the department and made me feel incredibly welcomed.
I really enjoyed my placement year at GSK. The whole department were very supportive and encouraging the entire time. Despite difficult circumstances (and working remotely from home), the support was always there and any team member was always happy for me to reach out to them with any queries. I really felt like I was an integral part of the team, rather than just an industrial placement student. It was a challenging placement year but definitely enjoyable.
I thoroughly enjoyed my placement at GSK this year. It gave me the opportunity to learn about the industry as well as apply the knowledge I had learnt at university to real life problems. I also feel that the expansive knowledge of the employees there was very useful to my own development, and I can comfortably say that I have become a much better chemist as a result of this year. Overall, working at GSK this year has been a great experience.
I thoroughly enjoyed my work placement. It taught me lots about time management, professionalism, and the importance of communication. I was well supported by my manager and my colleagues, and learned about Clinical Trials and their conduct. I am proud of the level of responsibility I was given and of the caliber of work I produced. I would highly recommend an industrial placement year to any individual considering it - you gain invaluable insight into the industry and the professional environment.
I greatly enjoyed my placement year at GSK. As my placement was lab based I learnt lots of lab skills and how to work in a team in a lab setting. I enjoyed it much more than the Uni labs and I would recommend a placement at GSK to anyone. The placement was impacted by COVID but we managed to keep working from home which was good. I managed to meet lots of different people, learn a lot about the area of research in my department and gain invaluable experience.
Very much enjoyed the work. Cemented that this is the type of job and industry that I want to work in after graduating. Had many new experiences that I wouldn't have had if I had not carried out the placement. Slightly unfortunate that COVID-19 meant that I could not carry out my original job working in a lab for the final 5 months of my placement but that was obviously out with the company's control so I would not blame them for that.
I and most people I know on placement had an amazing time at GSK. Working here offered us a wide range of both professional and social opportunities. It was an incredible opportunity for professional development, and although there were occasionally stressful moments the benefits definitely outweighed them. This placement helped me gain important first hand lab experience in the field that I wouldn't have gotten from just completing a university degree. It was a fantastic opportunity that I definitely recommend other students take part in if they are able to.
It was a really enjoyable experience, there were many other placement students so I was able to meet many different people which made the social environment fun. Additionally the work itself was very enjoyable and my department was very welcoming.
Thoroughly enjoyed working at GSK on their Porcurement Industrial Placement. Everyone made me feel welcome and it was a great opportunity for my first corporate workplace experience.
I really enjoyed my placement year and it has solidified my confidence in choosing a research based career, particularly in the biopharmaceutical industry, in the future. My enjoyment stemmed from being given opportunities and responsibilities from early on in my placement, allowing me to fully experience life as a scientist working in industry. Although there were challenges- such as adjusting to the nine-to-five pattern in a fast-paced environment from university- friendly colleagues and lots of other placement students in the same boat as me really helped
I Really enjoyed my placement. My team and manager were excellent. Everyone aided my learning and development and was always willing to include me in projects. Unfortunately Covid-19 meant that my time in the office was cut short. I didn't find working from home easy and missed the office environment, I find it much easier to get things done in the office. However, I still continued to learn and be a part of the team even after working from home!
I had a really enjoyable year at GSK. It was a great first insight into working life and being an employee at a large company. I had the opportunity to learn about a new discipline and new business industries. Unfortunately with COVID-19 we had to move to remote working for half of the placement, which did make the experience less engaging than working in the laboratory. However I understand that this was unexpected and regardless I enjoyed the year.
I thoroughly enjoyed my work placement at GlaxoSmithKline. Not only did I gain valuable technical experience, I also had the opportunity to develop numerous key skills such as communication, time management, leadership and organisational skills. GSK offered opportunities outside of your day to day roles and responsibilities such as STEM, the WLI and Site events which gave me experience in different areas. I would highlight recommend a placement at GSK to anyone in the future.
Enjoyable work, which was challenging and gave me a good level of experience. Unfortunately COVID stopped it being a particularly beneficial experience, as we were taken out of the labs just as we were reaching our stride with knowing what to do. But there was an exciting range of different chemistry that I got to do, as well as having fun outside the confines of work. There was a nice level of organised work events, such as pub lunches and Christmas dos.
Overall I have enjoyed the placement and am glad that I chose to do one as part of my university course. My department were very friendly and there were around 10 other IPs in the office which made for a good community of students. This also means it was quite easy to make friends during the placement which I think can make all the difference to the experience. The research of the department was very interesting and aligned with the area of Biology I wanted to learn more about. The placement is a very good opportunity to gain insight into industrial research and corporate management more generally. There were a few aspects of the placement that could have been improved but as a whole, the placement was enjoyable.
My placement at GSK provided me with fantastic insight into R&D in the pharmaceutical industry and allowed me to develop my scientific skills. I particularly enjoyed presenting my work to different departments and being able to talk with other scientists, as well as making new friends with other placement students. Although I have found my interest lies outside of the department I was placed in, I have definitely been inspired to carry on with science in the future.
