Analytical Chemistry Undergraduate Review

I enjoyed my placement year at Pfizer, and definitely gained a lot of knowledge from being immersed in the analytical research and development department. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming, making it a supportive environment to work in. I really enjoyed the work that I was carrying out as I was given the opportunity to get my teeth stuck into some novel work. There were also opportunities to steer your project to suit you and/or your interests.

Throughout my placement I felt that the project work I was carrying out was valued by my supervisor. This made me eager to continue collecting good quality data. I felt able to go and ask questions to anyone in the lab when I needed some assistance, whether they knew my project or not. This made more comfortable when carrying out work at the beginning of my placement.

My supervisor was supportive and willing to help. I regularly met with my supervisor to present my results and plan the next steps of my work. A lot of support was given with respect to my university project, and ensuring that I got a good grade. As your supervisor also carries out their own project work there are times when meetings may be less frequent due to their volume of work. However, if I asked for help time would be made to meet with me when necessary/required.

On the basis that I had to balance university work and my project work at Pfizer there were times when I was extremely busy. However my supervisor was understanding of this and helped me to balance my time effectively. With regards to everyday project work at Pfizer there was always something to do, whether that be lab work or data analysis. I was given responsibility from day one of planning my work and time effectively and so I was able to plan my work to ensure that I was always busy.

Throughout my placement I was given responsibility of my project, working independently on my project work. I enjoyed having the freedom to plan and steer your own project. However this is daunting at the start of your placement year as you are still learning and making mistakes. Whilst this helps in the long run in being more confident and independent in the lab it would've been nice to have a bit more guidance at the beginning when you are still getting used to the lab etc.

The lab skills that I have learnt throughout my placement year at Pfizer will be applicable to my future career in chemistry. It means that I am able to go into a new lab with confidence that I have a sound understanding of analytical chemistry techniques, and therefore would require less training. With regards to degree studies my placement year would assist in time management but has also developed my oral communication skills through presenting my work to members of the department.

Everyone in the office was very friendly and welcoming which puts you instantly at ease. Lunchtimes are also a good opportunity to be sociable and get to know a larger number of people within the department. However the department fell down in fully integrating placement students into the department as the placement students appeared to be classed as their own community. This made it a bit harder to feel fully integrated into the department at times.

From day 1 the placement was well set up as you were slowly introduced into your department over the first few days making the start of your placement year less intimidating. The first month or so consists of a lot of training but after that the project work was laid out well. I always knew what direction my work was taking. I was also able to have a discussion with my supervisor so as to set up my project work to suit me and my interests.

Pfizer made it clear from day one that if you wanted to be trained in a new technique etc then they were more than willing to make that happen. In practice this was sometimes limited by availability of those who train in a specific analytical technique. However I did not feel like a burden. There were also opportunities to improve on my public speaking in Toastmasters on a Wednesday lunchtime, although this was not Pfizer specific.

There are opportunities to remain at the company at the end of your placement should you be in your final year of university. However you have to apply through the normal channels and so there may be the chance that you don't get it. It is an appealing company as there are lots of opportunities for personal development as well as financial bonuses. The only thing that makes it less appealing is the ability to progress as Pfizer Sandwich is still a relatively small site.

With approximately 30 placement students at Pfizer Sandwich there was still very much a social scene. Students would often organise social events between themselves, especially at the weekend. Groups of interns will often live together and so it was nice to be able to visit each others houses. The social aspect was of course more limited than in university towns but there was still plenty to do and plenty of interns to socialise with outside of work.

For being in the South the cost of living was relatively cheap living in Ramsgate in a house share, however this is a cheap area. With respect to socialising going for a night out was much more expensive than in the North. However going to the pub for a drink was not too expensive. The same could be said for going out for food. There wasn't any price difference noticed when doing activities during the day.

For people who enjoyed going on nights out you would most likely go to Canterbury, which is a relatively small city. There are only a couple of big clubs in Canterbury or the Thanet area and so the nightlife is definitely not in the same league as a university town, as you would expect.

There weren't too may opportunities outside of work to socialise with members of the department. If you have a hobby you may be able to search this out in the surrounding area and do this after work and/or at the weekend.