Summer Student Review

I was given good and useful work - but all the team was out of the office, so I didn't get any insight into the team, no personal interaction, and no share in the work they were doing. Apart from that I was able to go on a couple of great site visits though.

The whole team and office were very friendly and the atmosphere was positive and friendly as anything. Simply because my team was all on secondment, I wasn't able to really help them or receive feedback from my colleagues, so it was a struggle to contribute to the team's goals.

My line manger was very rarely in the office - less than once a week. He gave me some help and was able and willing to answer my questions, but because he wasn't there, it was difficult communicating with him. I learnt much more from the guy who was on the desk next to me.

Perfect balance! Flexible working hours, an easily contactable manager happy with an urgent leave request I had to make and a good office culture meant the work-life balance was perfect. Manager was very strict no building a good 8 hours a day habit - which was very helpful for me, as someone learning the world of work. A friendly team meant I could always beg more work if I need it :)

Very little responsibility was given me - which makes sense since I am still an undergrad and everything. What was good was that everyone was happy to teach me to do things well, and hard work was recognised, so I was able to contribute more and more towards the end of my placement. Even given the opportunity to do a client presentation near the end of the placement.

General experience is always useful! Nothing targeted to my carer aims, or what I love doing, but that's because project management and problem solving tasks don't go naturally with summer internships :) Loads of opportunity to ask questions and attendance at a few meetings meant I was able to gain really firm understanding of a few areas which will be invaluable this year at uni. A broader understanding of how industry works will also serve me very well in future.

It was good! Everyone was relaxed but not too relaxed, concerned about the things that mattered, and happy to have a chat when you met them at the kitchen. Flexible working arrangements (including desks) meant you met a lot of people as well. The team was really cohesive, and I was able to join in with teambuilding near the beginning of the placement.

It was really well organised. Every part of it was seamless and all the IT was set up for me first time. Resource access protocol was clear, and if I needed anything I knew who I could ask. Except for one fatal flaw: everyone in the team was on secondment! I don't know why they thought it was a god idea to put me in a seconded team, because that meant the organisation for me participating in the team's work wasn't there.

I had opportunity to learn any CAD I wanted, to learn python, to speak to experts, to skype call industry leaders, to go on site visits, to get involved in report writing, to gain real feedback on an essay and a group report, and to go to a big conference all expenses paid. Great opportunities, with great (and continuing) results.

They're neither hot nor cold. Of the people I've spoken to, some were really negative about the graduate scheme and some were ok with it. The pay is very middle of the road for my degree, and it seems that it would be less of an advantageous company to work for than a manufacturer, if I want to gain technical expertise.

The other placement students were really friendly and we were given chance to talk each week. We got on well - everyone in the offices were friendly, in fact - and they were really willing and organised at passing on knowledge, either about the company, the placements or degree subject matter.

Glasgow is cheap! I don't go clubbing, but entry's typically about £5-£8 and there were loads of cafes etc for not much.

I'm told Glasgow is great for nightlife, but I don't know since I don't use it!

No opportunities really. I think that might be due to a few different factors, but mainly, there wasn't anything to be gained from it - the work they had lined up was more than sufficient. There was one opportunity outside of the workplace, but that was due to the scholarship scheme as a whole.