Discovery Day Review

It was an amazing opportunity. As a first year, it is very difficult to find schemes that accept Undergraduates, and first or second years at that, that also to extend ones interest in the subject of chemistry. The petrochemical industry seems especially inaccessible and that made the discovery day even more beneficial.

Everybody was very pleasant and welcoming, both the staff as the other candidates. The interview exercise in particular was very useful and took into account every candidate separately, ensuring that the response was tailored to each person. The email system set up for the day was also very efficient, making the whole day run smoothly .

The atmosphere was very pleasant and you could talk freely to any of the BP representatives. This was especially useful during the 'Networking Lunch' session, where we got to interact with people from different backgrounds. The session most important for guidance/ support was the 'Practice Interview' where we each got to interact with an HR representative and attempt to answer questions.

I now know more about the petrochemical industry and can therefore consider it in the future. Before attending the day I was not as informed, and this experience allowed me to see the petrochemical industry not as some inaccessible idea but as a conglomerate of different areas that each has its own appeal, from Research Development to Reservoir Engineering.

I would have enjoyed it more if we could have talked to the Graduate Interns first, instead of at the very end. This is just a personal preference, but I felt that they summed up their work at BP very well, giving a good overview, which would have set up the day nicely. Also, the 'Networking Lunch' should have been longer, to allow people to fully mingle with everyone.

Always fun and informative. We even got to play 'The BP Energy Game', which helped to know about both BP in a fun way as well as interact with the other candidates. All of the BP representatives that we interacted with were pleasant and interesting to talk to, especially during the Networking Lunch, which was an informal setting.

The 'Practice Interview' session was particularly important for personal training and development. We got to talk to and receive feedback from an HR representative, which meant that we got a good feel for what a real interview wold be like. As we participated in this alongside candidates (3 candidates per room) we were also allowed to compare different people's answers.

This was done particularly well, as we got to meet BP representatives from different areas, with different backgrounds, as well as recent graduate interns. The latter was particularly useful because applying to the internship program is something that we will be thinking of shortly. Most existing BP employees had been with the company for many years, showing us the value of the internship scheme.

We were told about the different roles that people play in BP, which was especially useful when told by the graduate interns (because it was in a very colloquial manner). At the Networking Lunch, we were told about and got to interact with representatives of different groups that are represented within BP, such as mothers at BP.

I was able to explore the petrochemical industry and consider it as a future career choice. I was also given valuable insight into how a large company such as BP would function, and how I could get involved. I would definitely consider an internship scheme, if not with BP then maybe with another similar company.

I have not gotten the reimbursement yet but have applied for it. It is very straight forward. Reimbursement or payment is a really good way to make the day more accessible to a wide range of people. All you have to do is send an expenses claim form and pictures of the receipts.

Yes, there was a Networking Lunch, where we could talk to a range of employees, and there were employees showing us around during the day - on both occasions, everybody was very approachable and talkative. In particular, one employee explained some theory of oil extraction, which was very interesting, and we even got to video-call some workers on a platform.

The Networking Lunch was a bit short, so I didn't get to talk to everyone. I would've loved it if the Graduate interns were present because they had very valuable information about the internship application that I would have liked to hear more about. Also, I would have liked to talk to some of the other employees, especially a Chemist, because that is my degree path.

Not much. The Graduate interns touched on this a bit during their presentation, including references to sports and team activities, but other employees did not really put an emphasis on this. They did talk about some opportunities to work abroad and mentioned the application process for this and how BP helps you.

This was absolutely a valuable experience. I would recommend it to anyone on a science degree path, even if they are not focused on the petrochemicals industry, because it opened my eyes to a new sector that I did not know much about. The expense reimbursement just makes the Day even more accessible.