Bioscience Placement Student Review

I very much enjoyed my placement throughout the year. I felt that I gained valuable experience and developed my scientific and soft skills. I had to work quite hard at times, but this was because I wanted to get good results for my project, and for the company, rather than pressure from other people.

I felt very valued by my colleagues. I was involved in meetings and scientific discussions from the beginning of the placement, and was expected to contribute equally to group tasks, such as maintaining stocks in the labs. My colleagues often checked on my progress and offered their help whenever I needed it.

At the beginning of the placement, I had a lot of support from my supervisor and was taken through everything I'd need to do quite slowly. However, towards the end of the project I became much more confident, and was allowed a lot of freedom to make my own decisions (though we still had regular meetings to check on my progress).

This varied greatly from day to day, though I think that is just the nature of a job with a large element of lab work, as the timings of work depend on a number of factors, such as cell growth and reagent availability. At the beginning of the placement, I wasn't quite busy enough, however I had plenty to do once I started running my experiments.

I had a fair amount of responsibility. My main focus was developing the assay for my project, which I had a considerable amount of control over. However, I was also asked to take on other tasks for the company, such as taking over the validation of another assay. I was allowed to try most types of laboratory work after completing appropriate training.

The skills I have developed will assist me greatly in my future education and career. I learned key laboratory skills, such as cell culture and qPCR, which are widely used across the industry, and that I will likely use again. I also developed my soft skills, such as presentation techniques (through presenting my work in meetings) and team-working.

The atmosphere was very suited to my taste. The open offices allowed more communication which could have made it distracting, however people generally worked hard and there were few distractions. When I first arrived, everyone was very welcoming and friendly, and immediately treated me as an equal, rather than a student.

The placement was generally well organised, and we found out that we had passed the interview stage very quickly. It may have been beneficial to have had more help with life outside work (for example, finding accommodation in Cambridge) but we were well prepared for work. Occasionally communications were received with short notice.

I was encouraged to attend talks, presentations and training sessions wherever possible to improve my knowledge. I was also taken to two conferences which were very valuable. My supervisor discussed career options with me for after the placement and offered to look over my CV for me. It may have been beneficial to have an individual development plan like the permanent staff.

I would definitely consider working for the company again, though I intend to try different organisations to get as much experience as possible. The graduate scheme may be a good option for when I complete my undergraduate degree, and AstraZeneca is also involved with many PhD and post-doc schemes that I would be interested in.

There was a group specifically designed for young scientists (AZinspire) that we could join. They organised a variety of social events and we were encouraged to join the committee. There were also company-wide social events, such as the Christmas Party. Outside work, many of the students lived and socialised with each other.

The cost of living in Cambridge is quite high. The north of Cambridge (where the science park is based) has some cheaper areas, but rent is generally expensive. Socialising in Cambridge is also expensive - it is difficult to find cheap bars and restaurants, but there are a couple if you know where to look. Buses also cost a lot, so it is worth bringing a bike.

There are quite a few bars and clubs in Cambridge, but they are generally pretty pricey. It is well worth looking out for offers such as early entry and guest lists. A lot of the student nights are on weekdays, which makes it difficult to find good club nights. However, Propaganda at Fez, and Revolution are worth trying.

AZinspire put on a lot of events, and there was a social network (Chatter) where colleagues often posted ideas for activities and events. We went to a lot of talks run by the University of Cambridge. It is also worth looking out for the Cambridge Science Festival and Pint of Science - either to volunteer or attend.