IP Student Review

I was able to gain experience in so many techniques, besides the obvious ones implied by my project and team. The company has a young scientist group that organises events to both expand knowledge of the industry, new science and networking skills. Also, that group was not the only opportunity to do so. There is a group of IP students that all join at the same time, so you're not alone.

My team were really friendly and eager to help, and I was trained in such a way that if they ever needed support I was able to reciprocate. The company has an appreciation scheme as well, so if you go above and beyond for a person they can recommend you for points on this scheme. Lots of feedback and friendly people.

We had one on one meetings every week with my supervisor, so we could discuss how the project was going; where it was going; any help needed to support it. My manager had one on one meetings with me as well, at least once a month, to talk about career growth and training available to help with both soft and technical skills.

This tended to depend on the day, as some core tasks I helped with could be quite time consuming. There were days when I wanted to get more experiments done in the lab, so I spent most of the day in there, and others that I needed to do data analysis at my desk. It was slow to start off for the first month, but after that there was always something I could be doing.

I had a lot of guidance given to steer me in experiments, but these were ultimately my responsibility to perform and follow up on. Usually, someone shadowed me the first time, and then I'd be able to carry them out alone. Data interpretation and experimental design was more my responsibility as the placement progressed, with input given as required.

There are many skills I learnt while on this placement that would not have been available to me at university. Plenty of which are standard skills in the team I was in. I was able to not only expand my technical skills, but also soft skills such as communication and presenting. All of these are very transferable to other areas within my degree and beyond.

The office area was generally quiet and relaxed. You have your own assigned seat and PC. I was placed near my team, so it was simple to go up to their desks to talk and ask questions. For general breaks, we have a tearoom, where we can grab a drink, chat and do a crossword if we have a spare moment.

Overall integration of the IP students into the placement was done quite well, with most necessary training covered in the first month, so we could get started on our projects. My personal project suffered a bit at first due to staff changes around the time of my start, but this evened out after the first months.

My team had a budget specifically for training, and they were not shy about using it for my personal training and development. I had one to ones with my line manager to discuss any further training or opportunities I would like to take every month, and looking for new ones was encouraged.

The company does a lot of outreach programmes to invest in new scientists. One of their company goals is a great place to work, and it really does seem like they are invested in this. I have looked into their graduate scientist positions with great interest, and would be happy to come back and work here should the opportunity arise.

All of the placements students met each other up front at an orientation day, so going into this you are not alone. There's a sports and social club that helps you make the most of social opportunities here, and another group that runs socials for networking among fellow early scientists. Altogether, a great social scene among your peers.

Living in Cambridge is pretty expensive, but it's a paid placement, so that is mostly covered depending on where exactly you chose to live. The company has a sports and socials club, which gives amazing discounts on so many different types of entertainment. This means even with the high cost of living here, your social life doesn't really suffer.

The nightlife in the area was good. Plenty of places to go, plenty of places open late in the centre. There's usually something going on at any given time depending on your interests, and it's easy to get into and out of the centre even if you stay out late.

There were plenty of things to do outside of work, and even more if you choose to get involved with social clubs. Cambridge always has something going on that you can try, and it's quite a big place so if you're looking for something in particular, you'll probably find it. Everything is pretty well connected, so going further afield for something isn't usually a problem.