Sandwich Student - Synthetic Organic Chemistry Review

I really enjoyed my placement within Chemical Development at AstraZeneca. I learned a great deal about practical organic chemistry and its application in the pharmaceutical industry. Since AstraZeneca take on a large number of placement students, there was a good community of students that stuck together throughout the year. Teams in the department also socialised often -- for instance, having pub lunches during the day or going out for drinks after work. Finally, it was probably worth doing the placement for the AZ Christmas ball on its own.

I was made to feel very welcome by both of the teams I worked in. I feel that I made meaningful contributions to the projects I worked on during my placement.

As mentioned previously, there were excellent training programmes at the start of the placement and throughout the year. My supervisors were all very supportive; I had regular meetings with my line managers to discuss my progress.

I worked steadily throughout the year, but I was never too busy. My line managers and supervisors were very considerate of my commitments to university (I undertook my placement alongside distance-taught modules), and allowed me to work on pressing assignments during work hours on occasion.

I was expected to work as part of a team on real drug development projects. I was also tasked with completing work individually, but at all times I had excellent support from my supervisors.

Very useful. I developed valuable practical skills, and improved my organisational, team-working and communication skills.

Chemical Development at AstraZeneca is populated by friendly, generous people, who regularly go out of their way to help others. The atmosphere in the office was always cheerful. There are social areas in the offices for coffee breaks, which are taken regularly. There is also a collaborative spirit within the department -- people will often take time out of their schedules to consider and discuss the problems other projects are facing. People also take great pride in their work, and celebrate the (many) successes of the company.

Very well organised. On our first day, we were given a series of talks about the company and the department we were joining, and were introduced to our supervisors and line managers, who helped get us set up with IT, etc. and described to us the projects to which we were assigned.

There were excellent training programmes at the beginning of the placement, covering the theoretical and practical aspects of various analytical techniques. Training courses were also offered on a regular basis throughout the year on a wide range of topics, such as 1- and 2-D NMR interpretation as well as concepts in physical organic chemistry. Additionally, academic researchers and industry experts visited regularly to deliver lectures and workshops.

As far as I can tell, AstraZeneca does not offer positions to students at the end of their placement year (unless I just haven't been offered one). The company, however, has numerous graduate programmes.

As mentioned previously, teams within the department regularly organised social events. Furthermor, a large number of students joined the company at the same time, and went through the same training, etc. together, which meant that a large social circle quickly developed.

I shared a house with other placement students at AZ during my placement year. We rented a pleasant, four bedroom house in Macclesfield for a very reasonable price. Other costs of living were, I assume, fairly average.

We regularly went out to the pubs and clubs of Macclesfield. Macclesfield has a number of good pubs, but few nightclubs. Still had fun in Macc. Manchester, which has a large student population, is also accessible by train, and is close enough to get a reasonably priced taxi ride home in the morning (if sharing).