Synthetic Chemistry IP Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year at GSK. It was a really enjoyable to see how what I've learnt on a theoretical basis at university is applied in 'real world' applications. Furthermore, it was so pleasurable to meet like-minded professionals and colleagues throughout the year. I would certainly recommend this placement to any undergraduate chemist.

Even as an industrial placement, the work performed certainly felt as though it had a significant impact on the project. In fact, it seems like industrial placement students carry out the majority of 'hands-on' practical work done here. I personally had my own individual tasks where I was the only one working on certain aspects of the project - this certainly made me feel valued.

Everybody that I have met at GSK was incredibly friendly. People from all departments came across as really approachable, which was really helpful, particularly during the first few weeks. My supervisor assisted me with a lot of equipment etc until I was comfortable and confident to be using it all by myself.

In my experience, how busy I was would actually vary quite a lot. This was dependent on the stage at which the project was at. Sometimes, you'd be waiting for data before designing future experiments. However, most of the time there are lots of little things to be doing, and I certainly learned how to best manage my time to efficiently get everything done. If I ever found myself with little to do, I would just ask my manager if there was anything else I could be doing, and he would try and think of something.

During my time at GSK, I was given individual tasks where I was the only one working on certain aspects of the project. When certain experiments failed, my capabilities were not questioned. This felt like a lot of pressure at first, but self-confidence was quickly improved. It's important to remember how many basic principles learnt at university are still the predominant concepts in industry.

As I was in a lab-based placement, I feel as though I will be really well equipped when returning to university next year to complete my masters. Generally, this is with lots of little tricks that help with those frustrating problems faced when tackling a practical chemistry challenge. My time management skills will also be valued next year I am sure.

I spent the first half of my year in a department that was really rather young. Everybody was really nice, very approachable, and I made good friends with the staff. This allowed a fun atmosphere whilst working. The second half of my year was spent in a department where people were a bit less chatty, but we still had a laugh occasionally.

The application process for this placement was well organised. It seemed quite stressful at times, but I understand that this is necessary. Once the job was offered to me, a lot of forms required completing. This was overwhelming, but there was plenty of time to do this, and support was there where needed.

As a placement student, we were encouraged to attend additional opportunities at GSK. This ranged from lectures to workshops. Some seemed more applicable and useful than others, but the choice was there. I have certainly learnt some things at these events that will be useful for my masters year.

I very much get the impression that GSK rarely hire full time members of staff. This is disappointing, as after working here for a year, I would be happy to return one day, but this may be difficult. However, the collaborative PhD scheme is incredibly appealing, and I am very excited to apply for that.

At GSK Stevenage, there are a great number of industrial placement students from a range of backgrounds. This made socialising a lot easier! Most of us live here in Stevenage, and so it is really easy to organise occasions to meet up after work or at the weekends to get to know each other better.

I am used to very high living costs at university. Here in Stevenage, I would say that it was cheaper than what I was used to. However, being so close to London, we all spent a lot of time in London at the weekends and this meant that cost of socialising could get quite high.

Stevenage nightlife is relatively poor. There are few bars / clubs. However, Hitchin is a short train ride away which I found far more enjoyable for a night out. Furthermore, London is really close and is of course full of a great range of options. The train is between 20 and 40 minutes.

There are opportunities to get involved with activities outside of work. Because everyone at the company is so friendly, if I were to mention interests in certain sports, people would invite me to come and have a go at their local club. This was really friendly of them to do so, and certainly worth it!