Placement Student Review

I am three quarters of the what through my placement and so far I have loved every second of my time here. Even though I know that my future career does not lie in laboratory research (which my placement is focused on) I have loved the experience. Time in the lab has allowed me to improve my general lab techniques, which will be useful during my third year of university. Additionally, the experience has made me into a more independent and efficient worker and has given me experience in a real working environment. It has also provided me with the opportunity to make valuable contact who may come in useful for finding a job after University.

All my colleagues have treated me with the up-most respect this year. Even colleagues who are not my direct supervisor or even in my team have gone out of their way to help me when required. I feel valued as they do not look down on me. I am carrying out actual valuable research which they will develop on themselves after I leave. In other words: I am not just there to make the tea.

My supervisors are always happy to help me and answer my questions. Obviously, my work is not always their priority as they have work of their own but there is always someone around to help if I need help with a certain technique or need advice. My supervisor has also been very helpful with regards to my report. They are happy to arrange for me to learn new techniques if I show interest in doing so, even if those techniques are not directly aligned to my project.

This really depended on what time of the year it was. I was very busy at the start when we were learning the techniques, safety procedures and being given topic to do some background reading on. I was also very busy towards the end on my placement when I was obtaining my main results to include in my report and was writing up the report itself. There were a couple of months were I had slightly less work to do, however, this was mainly due to sickness of my supervisor and a mess up in the delivery of some plates we needed. Overall, I worked full days but did not usually have to do more than my 9-5 hours. Doing so is my choice.

As mentioned earlier, I am carrying out actual valuable research during my placement year, so I have a responsibility to obtain results. I was given a lot of responsibility with regards to my placement as I did all of the lab work and most of the analysis for it. I was also given responsibility in that I was trusted to work in the lab, with expensive equipment and reagents by myself. My supervisor also trusted me to carry out some processing experiments on her own samples for her work, when I had a free day to offer assistance. I also came up with my own ideas about what to do next in my project and for how to analyse my data. However, the majority of suggestions in these areas came from my supervisors as they have a deeper understanding and more experience of the area.

Time in the lab has allowed me to improve my general lab techniques, as well as improving my ability to work safely and independently in a lab environment, which will be useful during my third year of university when I am carrying out my dissertation project. This year has also increased my work ethic and shown me how much work I can get done in a day, which will help me to work more efficiently at University. Additionally, this year has given me experience in a real working environment, which will be looked fondly upon when I am applying to jobs after Uni. It has also provided me with the opportunity to make valuable contact who may come in useful for finding a job after University.

Perfect balance of work an fun: the office was Quiet when everyone was working, so it was easy to focus on work. If it was not quiet then due to the smart working, you can move to any other office/ desk you want in the building so you can get work done, However, everyone was lively, friendly and willing to chat :D We regularly had team meetings that consisted of tea and biscuits to help build relationships within the team. Additionally, everyone is passionate about what they do and so it is great to hear colleagues having scientific debates and conversations.

It is difficult to fully organise a research placement as some thing (such as what experiments you do need) can only be organised as you go along. Overall, I am happy with the way it was organised, although I wish I had started the lab work for my main project (to be written up in my report) a little earlier so I did not have to rush so much at the end. The work load was still more than manageable though and noone else had this issue.

We had a training week at the very start of the year where we were taught the main techniques we would come across throughout the year. The company were happy to spend the money on the practice experiments so we could learn by physically doing it rather than just watching. Additionally, if we showed interest in learning new techniques during the year there is always someone to spend time showing us. GSK have an online training website with module that we carry out for our own development and many leading experts in their fields regularly come to give talks at GSK that we are allowed to attend.

GSK's future career prospects are brilliant. As it is such a big company there are many different departments one can work in. For example, I have discovered that Research is not for me, however, I could easy come back and work for one of the business areas, such as marketing or HR etc. There are many opportunities for career development, starting with several graduate options, including 'The future leaders program' or direct graduate entry.

Yes, although I am living with parents and so do not benefit from this entirely at the moment.

Socialising is relatively cheap, unless you go into London (which is expected).

A few bars and one main nightclub.