Industrial Placement Student - Synthetic Organic Chemistry Review

Thoroughly enjoyed my time at AstraZenenca. The placement was interesting, enjoyable and the people were a pleasure to work with.

As a placement student I was given real responsibility within my project team, working on areas of the project which were very important pieces of chemistry. The fact that I was trusted to work on these important pieces of work showed that I was valued as a member of the team and felt that the work I was doing was really contributing to the group project.

I could not have asked for more support and guidance from my supervisor, collegues and manager. From help with CVs and interview preparation, to help with day to day chemistry, I always felt there was someone that could help me and was not afraid to ask for guidance and support from anyone within the department. Everyone I met was keen to help and many people went the extra mile to ensure that I was enjoying the placement, settling in well and managing the workload.

You have the freedom to plan your own time, which is fantastic. You can take on extra work if you are feeling that you have spare time throughout the day so you're never bored.

I was trusted with important work within the project, giving me responsibility to deliver these important targets.

I have learned so much over the duration of this year and I really feel that this placement has given me invaluable skills in both chemistry and general skills that will be applicable to my future career.

Generally atmosphere in the office was great, lots of fun characters who were a pleasure to work with. However, with the department currently moving to Cambridge it was sad to see a lot of people leaving the company throughout my placement year.

My industrial placement year was very well organised. The only points where there were some lack of organisation was generally down to communication with my university which I don't think could have been avoided.

There is a great network for the young people within the company, funded by AstraZeneca. This organises events to educate people about the whole of the business, allowing young people to learn about areas that they are not a part of (e.g finance/intellectual property). This network also organised events such as a 'Leadership symposium' which had speakers in areas of how to become a natural leader and 'how to be a star at work'.

The company offers a range of employment prospects such as a graduate scheme in the area in which I was working as well as a number of funded PhD opportunities.

There was a large number of placement students so the social scene was great. Lots of students organised meals/nights out etc throughout the year.

Rent is relatively cheap in Macclesfield and the surrounding area. Socialising is also cheap in Macclesfield and only a short train ride from Manchester.

Some nice bars in Macclesfield, and only a short train ride from Manchester where the nightlife is great.

There are opportunities in both Macclesfield and Manchester. For example I tried out a salsa class in Macclesfield, and dance classes in Manchester. There is also the gym which is available at a cheaper rate with club AZ which offers a number of different sports and classes. There are plently of opportunities and Macclesfield is well connected by train to a number of places such as London (2 hours direct train).