Research assistant Review

It was a very enjoyable placement where I had a lot of opportunities to work in an environment I hadn’t been able to access before. It was enjoyable to work with all the other scientists and the environment was generally informal and not difficult. The tasks were fun and I felt I benefited without it becoming a chore.

I felt quite valued by my colleagues as although I was the most inexperienced person there, I was given tasks and responsibilities on the same level as the theirs and was easily able to ask questions in the event I did not know anything. I was treated as an equal by everyone else in the lab.

My manager was very helpful, constantly teaching me during the first few weeks and always being available either by email or in person when needed. When they did need to leave, they ensured I was prepared to work on my own and that I had a suitable workload for that time period.

On a daily basis, I felt I was constantly working, with a workload that kept me busy, but did not cause much stress. At many times I was given the opportunity to decide my own schedule and work so as to complete the tasks I had been given at a rate I was comfortable with.

I was given much the same responsibility as those more senior to me, with duties and expectations roughly the same when it came to work in the lab. Outside the lab, I had a lot less work to do as I was not expected to write reports or do similar work.

The skills I’ve developed are extremely relevant to my course and will be directly useful in the final year as much of the work I do is similar to that I do during my placement. My placement has also given me a chance to make practical use of theory I have learned.

The general atmosphere is the lab was good, with people being friendly with each other and always ready to help out someone who was stuck or provide help when an issue came up. There was friendliness between the other departments as well, with equipment being lended and loaned as one lab ran short or a piece of equipment broke. People were free to talk and were happy to do so.

The overall work of the placement was well set up, with my schedule and tasks being clear from the first day. The systems in use were well laid out and the overall goal of the project, and the steps necessary to achieve this goal were clear and easy to understand. I fully understood where I was and what I was working towards.

The university invested well in me, with me having access to the same equipment everyone else had, including highly expensive machines, and time was spent on my training and education by not just by my supervisor but by others working there of their own free will, so I was able to learn a lot from a variety of people.

Continuing at Aston university is certainly an appealing option, with the friendliness of people and the atmosphere being generally good. I have heard glowing reviews from everyone working around me and it seems like it will be a good place to continue at. Although the experience will be the same, it will be a good one.

It was fairly average, as what you would expect from a university, although hindered slightly by price.

The cost of living was the same as any student area, although possibly slightly more due to the location in the centre of a city. The upside of this is that accommodation was plentiful and commuting was not without transport options and often did not take very long. Due to its proximity to the centre of the city, socialising was generally expensive.

Slightly expensive, but overall of good quality at weekends. Less so on weekdays.

The university provides many opportunities for those associated to join groups in order to get involved, with many different options and social events, as would be expected of any normal university. Often posters can be seen around for social events, club events, volunteer activities for specific groups, scientific studies and other such events.