Organic Synthetic Industrial Placement Student Review

I have really enjoyed this placement and would recommend doing one with AstraZeneca to anyone. Working in the labs has given me an insight into the importance of this roll in industry and how enjoyable it can be. The environment in the labs and office make it really fun and I don't need to count down the hours till the end of the day.

The work that I completed was always supported by my team and supervisor. During team meeting we disccus people's work and having people's input always helped to make me feel like an active part of the group. Although the work wasn't necessarily the highest priority it usually felt important to the overall project.

I can honestly say that everyone at this company wants the best for each other, students are no exception. Everyone was lovely and you could go to anyone for help. The managers were always available to support and would often come and talk/email to check that everything was okay. The most support and guidance came from my supervisor who gave work to build skills and confidence and always answered questions without judgement.

After the initial period of finding your footing there was always something to be getting on with. As usual some days were busier than others but I was definitely more likely to be busy than bored. How busy you are depends on how much extra work you ask for and the pace you work at. My supervisor supported me with enough work for my pace and more if I wanted.

The amount of responsibility grew throughout the placement but I never worked on something that completely vital to the team. Some pieces of work were very useful and some compounds high priority, but they were never the highest priority. This was good though in my opinion, if I was given the same responsibility as my supervisor that would be a lot of pressure. The level of responsibility was good to improve confidence, but not enough to cause stress.

There are countless skills that have been improved due to this experience. The most obvious being the improved competence in the lab an scientific knowledge which will help at univeristy and in jobs. The confidence to speak and network is a key skill that has been greatly improved, as has my written and verbal communication for reports and presentations. Other training in equipment and IT software have greatly improved and can be taken forward.

The atmosphere was always positive with freedom to talk to people and asking questions highly welcomed although respect to people trying to work being maintained. The office was generally more quiet than in labs but this was to be expected and didn't impact the positive vibe. The overall atmosphere was good, making it a great place to come to work.

AstraZeneca have been undertaking these placements for years and this was demonstrated by their successful set up. There was a designated colleague responsible for our welfare which was great, and supervisors and managers knew what level of work and support was required by us. There was also a recruitment team that helped to sort out pay and other admin with ease.

Our personal supervisor gave up a huge amount of time at the start of the placement and throughout the year to ensure personal growth, both in confidence and skill. There were extra presentations lead by experts for students to enhance their scientific understanding as well as career talks to improve our future.

It isn't likely that the company will offer a job to a placement student without them going through the full process. Graduate schemes or other jobs at the same grade that students work at aren't impossible to achieve, but the application process and interview will need to be undertaken. There may be a slight advantage of getting an interview if the recruiters ask your supervisor for their opinion of you, but that's it.

As a placement student you will automatically be joined in an AstraZeneca club that contains graduates and apprentices. This club organises social events throughout the year to make sure that people around the same age can meet up and have fun together. Although some sites around Cambridge make this harder if you work there and not near the city centre. But students usually take ownership and make extra social events everyone can go to.

Although Cambridge isn't as bad as London, it is still quite an expensive area to live and socialise. I luckily had come from Bath which was similar in price for rent and going out for food/drinks but if coming from cheaper cities/ towns, it may be more of a surprise. But either way I earned enough to live comfortably.

Cambridge us a university town with different shops and things to do during the evenings and weekends. It is known for having loads and loads of pubs here to have a drink and more chilled out evening. There are also clubs that are available if going out dancing is preferred at the weekend.

There are large number of sports, dance and theatre clubs that can be joined outside of work. A popular activity done in Cambridge is also punting. There is the opportunity to go to/visit the cambridge college - a number of which we go to with AstraZeneca. There are also sometimes festivals in the summer and a Christmas fair.