Bioscience Industrial Placement Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the placement year! Working at AstraZeneca was a better experience than I could have ever imagined, the help and support you receive at the company is unparalleled and there are so many opportunities to learn new skills. The placement year is organised well and you are made to feel like part of the team.

I felt very valued by my colleagues. There was always someone to help you out, and everyone was very welcoming and easy to talk to. Moreover, the placement students were invited along to team building activities with the group, all of which were really fun! The whole department were always happy to help, and very friendly.

I felt that I received fantastic support and guidance from my supervisor. Whenever I had any issues or problems, my supervisor was always happy to explain things to me. In addition, my supervisor took the time to teach me new skills and really went above and beyond in their role.

At the beginning of the placement, I had some days were I didn't have that much to do. However, as soon as I became more confident in the lab, my days were always busy. There was a good balance of lab work and office/data analysis work, which kept things interesting.

Once I was more confident in lab skills, I was given responsibility for my project. My supervisor was very keen for me to have experience with organising the project and managing myself. I also had the opportunity to be involved in the projects of my colleagues, and spent time in other areas of the lab.

The lab skills I have learned on the placement will definitely help me when I get back to University. Also, the interpersonal skills and organisation skills will definitely help with studying back at University. I feel the skills I have learned will prepare me well for work in pharmaceuticals, and further study also.

There was a really great atmosphere in the office, lots of laughs and joking, but also lots of teamwork! Everyone always made an effort sit together at lunch times and everybody was really easy to talk to and get along with. The office atmosphere was one of the best parts of the placement!

The placement was organised well. There was an initial section for training and safety. After that it was straight into the project. We had regular timelines to follow for the various stages of the project, and had many department meetings to present our current research and let the department know how things were going.

The company not only took the time to train us and give us all the help and advice we needed, but they also allowed us to join the department on their trips to conferences and team building activities. It was really good to be involved in these excursions as they were a great experience.

I would love to work at AstraZeneca in the future! The company are always keen to present their graduate scheme and also PhD placements, both of which sound really appealing. Once I've finished my degree, I will definitely be looking for opportunities to go back and work with the company.

There were not many other placement students were I was working, but there was a really good social scene amongst colleagues and we regularly went out for meals. It was great fun spending time with my colleagues! The other placements students at the site were also lovely to work with and get to know.

The cost of living wasn't too bad (rent prices aren't as cheap as student areas, but not that extortionate), and there were lots of places to find things cheaper etc. The site was in a good position to go out for the days, and having a car was useful for seeing new places.

There's lots of pubs in the area and lots of small towns with nice bars and restaurants etc. They can be a little expensive, though. It's easy to get to Manchester for the day or night, so it's nice to have a city close by to where you are living.

There's lots of opportunities for activities outside of work. There's lots of sports clubs with the company, and the gym is close by to site. There were also opportunities for various different team building and volunteering days which were always really fun to attend as a large group. They were also very well organised.