Chemical Synthesis Placement Review

by Lubrizol

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.8/5
  • The Role
    4.2
  • The Company
    3.4
  • The Culture
    3.6

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I had a really amazing time on placement. The role was organic synthesis based and I was working on a project that really fit. As well as this I found that the chemistry I was carrying out was mainly reactions I had learned about in lectures. My lab and other management skills improved drastically and I felt that the work I did really helped the business.

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • I felt that I was highly valued in my division and was able to preset my work to the rest of the team and I received credit. I did find however that when business colleagues were presenting my work I was not always credited although this did not happen very much.

    4/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • I felt like my supervisor gave me the right amount of credit. We met every morning to discuss work for the day then I was left to it really. He was however always able to make time for me to ask any questions or listen to any suggestions I might have throughout the day. If he was not available, there was always someone else in the lab that would be able to answer my questions.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • I spent a majority of my time in the lab doing experiments with the rest of my time in the office. It could occasionally get very busy but most of the time it was a nice balance between lab and office work whilst also allowing for the time for tea breaks with the rest of my colleagues.

    4/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • The projects I was working on were needed by the buisness and were not just made up for the students. Although the ideas were a joint effort between my supervisor and I, I was the one doing all of the synthesis and any ideas that I had were taken seriously and in most cases were put forward to make. As well as this I was involved in the subsequent testing of these molecules so was able to see how they reacted in situ

    4/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • The main skill I developed was my lab skills which improved dramatically throughout my placement as I was able to see new equipment and new techniques that I had not seen before. Time management became another equally important skill which will be invaluable in later studies. As well as this other skills such as presenting and business acumen were also developed

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • I was in a office for the students in the same area as me so the atmosphere was always good. It would be quite quiet some of the time but everyone was always happy to help with any work/uni questions. The office was a really nice place to work and I have made some amazing friends from being there.

    3/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • It was really well set up. Before we started we had a familiarisation day s we could visit the site, meet everyone and learn which area of research we would be doing. Everything was ready for when I started and within the first two weeks we had had training on how to use all of the systems and had meetings with supervisors to discuss the background of the project.

    4/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • The company allowed me to be a part of a project that had significance to the business. As well as this was invited to the symposium were I could interact with other areas both at the site and internationally. I was also able to go on any of the training sessions that were happening on site.

    4/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Flexi Time

    Subsidised Canteen

    Sports and Social Club

    Financial Bonus

    Company Parties/Events

    Above 25 days holiday

    3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • Lubrizol takes on many PhD students of which I am potentially interested in being a part of. As far as I know there are no grad schemes but Lubrizol is known for taking on past students.

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • Being based in Derby, there was a huge variety of things to do, from going out to going to other things etc. As well as thing being so close to other cities like Nottingham we were able to take advantage of the great social scene and spend time together outside of work.

    5/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • The house prices were average/low and so was so was shopping. The cost to go out and socialise was also quite low which meant that the students were able to spend time together without it costing loads of money.

    4/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • In Derby the nightlife was pretty good with bars as well as pubs and clubs. The nightlife in Nottingham was also very good and was easily accessible with a bus that ran regularly.

    4/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • Lubrizol has a sports and social club which ran subsidised events like skating, laser tag and going walking up Scottish Munros as well a ball.

    3/5

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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

East Midlands

September 2018


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