Summer Vacation Student Review

The work itself was reasonable interesting, and I was left to my own devices to get it done so I didn't feel pressured.

My colleagues were all very friendly and I felt like part of the group from day one.

I was given as much support and guidance as I needed most of the time. My supervisor was on holiday for 2 weeks of my placement and that meant I had slightly less support in that time, but there were other people around the office plus my manager to ask question to.

On average, I had things to do most days but there were some days in which I was left with very little to do. It was a very small percentage of the placement but it was the worst part.

I had full responsibility for my project. My supervisor helped by giving me pointers and directions to head in but I was free to do what I thought was the right thing to do at all times.

I learnt and consolidated a lot of skills. Most useful was the report writing and presentation experience. I didn't learn a huge amount of new technical knowledge but I did get to use a broad amount of my existing knowledge from my degree.

Everyone in my office was hard working but there was a relaxed atmosphere. We all went for regular tea/coffee breaks together and socialised while working.

The placement was very well organised. When I arrived, we were given a briefing and then I met my supervisor. I had a lot of HR material to read in the first few days and then my work began. At the end I had to give a presenation on what I did and was given feedback for how much I had done.

There wasn't any specific training while I was there. Any questions I had were answered quickly though. I understand that graduates get regular training as part of the Roke graduate scheme.

While I was there my manager seemed happy enough to have my back as a permanent graduate. I was told I would be given information about the graduate development scheme in due course (Once it had opened).

The placement students all met every day for lunch and went for walks etc. The graduates were also happy enough to chat and have coffee occasionally.

I commuted from my student house in Southampton and so it wasn't an extra cost for me to live there. The surrounding area (Romsey) was relatively expensive judging by the beer costs, though!

The nightlife in Romsey is generally only pubs. Southampton is a 20 minute train ride away and has much more nightlife available.

There were a lot of small clubs and societies within Roke and anyone is welcome to join them for a nominal fee to join the sports and social club. There was a lot of clubs to choose from but I didn't join any while I was there.