(UROP) Research Placement Review

I really loved my summer work placement. It was great to be productive over the summer months. The role gave me insight into research and allowed me to become more independent. The experience informed me of what postgraduate study could involve, for example pursuing a masters or PhD in the future.

I felt very valued by my colleagues throughout the placement. My supervisor was also very inspiring and guided me well through creating and analysing the questionnaire. I also had the opportunity to meet a variety of different staff in the department and a PhD student, giving me very beneficial information.

My supervisor allowed me to be independent whilst simultaneously guiding me and supporting me through my further studies. I was able to speak to him whenever needed, setting up meetings, phone calls or simply emailing with quick, effective communication. I felt that I could rely on the people around me throughout.

The routine of the day differed through the placement. The first few weeks were very busy, as I was researching intently in order to create the questionnaire. The few remaining weeks were also jam packed as I pushed myself to get everything analysed and the report written to the standard that I desired.

I was given a large amount of responsibility. The tasks were majorly independent and I was allowed to contact all of the people involved in the questionnaire myself. I was guided well before taking on anything that I had not done before and this made me feel at ease throughout.

The skills I developed will stay with me for life. My final year of university has definitely benefited from this experience and will allow me to research effectively in the future. However, the experience made me realise that choosing an extended essay would not be the right decision for myself- thus I am very grateful for learning this.

The atmosphere was lonely at times. Depending on the timetable of the PhD students, there were times when I would be alone for many hours in the office. However, this suited me well and allowed me to concentrate and i set up meetings with many different members of staff so this allowed me to socialise.

The placement was very well organised. Before I was given the role, I was informed fully of the schedule that I would be undertaken and this was very well planned. I was pleased with the organisation overall and cannot critique the structure that I was recommended for the duration of the placement.

This was a research opportunity rather than a company investment, however I feel that my supervisor invested much time into helping me develop my research ability. I signed up to various talks to benefit me as I had the opportunity to do a presentation about my placement at the end. Arguably this is much more valuable than training opportunities.

I would be tempted to complete a masters at the univeristy. I have studied here for 4 years and have thoroughly enjoyed it. The staff really respect me and want to help me learn as much as possible. I would highly recommend this university to anyone that is looking to achieve their full potential in a comfortable environment.

In fairness,the university attempted to organise social events however nobody signed up to these, therefore this is not their fault. I was lucky to be able to see my friends at the weekends in various cities across the country. The social life of the placement was the only downside of the experience really.

The cost of living in Reading is reasonable. Compared to the North of England, things are relatively expensive, however as Reading contains a high number of students, there are many great deals and promotions available making living fairly affordable. The university bars have fair prices too to encourage students to stay on campus.

The nightlife is ok. The students union is the best, safest and most affordable night out. With an NUS card, the union is by the far the most affordable and is within walking distance. However, since my time at university began, the night life has significantly improved. There is a real range of bars and clubs available for a range of tastes that exist.

I organised my own social life and we were really left to our own devices during this placement. Luckily Reading is full of things to do so I was easily able to entertain myself by seeing friends when I was not at my placement from 9 am to 5 pm.