Synthetic Chemistry Sandwich Student Review

I could not have enjoyed my placement more! I have honestly been inspired to pursue a career in pharmaceuticals based on my experience at AstraZeneca, Prior to my placement I was slightly lost as to where my career path was heading but this opportunity has now put me in the right direction. I would do exactly the same thing if I had to choose again.

Initially the placement can be overwhelming due to the amount of information consumed. However this is required to make the most out of the 12 months. The more that I learnt in the beginning of my placement I became more reliable in the lab and so moved to becoming an independent worker more quickly. At AstraZeneca you quickly become a fully-fledged team member and are almost treated like a permanent member of staff. You are assigned work that is equally important to everybody else.

Throughout my placement the whole chemistry department were extremely supportive, especially my supervisor. Everyone working there wants you to get the most out of your placement. If you want to pursue an interest or attend a conference management are supportive and encourage you to take every opportunity. My supervisor was excellent and guided me through the year towards a very successful placement.

At AstraZeneca I had the perfect balance. At times I worked under pressure, not because the management was forcing that upon me, but because I wanted to achieve lots. There is always something that you can be contributing to the efforts of your project team and so if you find yourself doing nothing at AZ, then you're doing something wrong! You can choose how much work you want to take on, based on what you think you can achieve but there is never any pressure from anyone else.

Initially as the work at AZ requires a lot of training you are not given excessive amounts of responsibility. Throughout your placement you are also not allowed to 'lone work' in the lab due to safety regulations. Apart from this I was given the same amount of responsibility as everyone else in my team. You are entirely responsible for the work that you take on, and you are trusted more and more as you progress through your placement. In the last third of my placement I was effectively an independent worker who did not require supervision and was left to my own devices. I was given 100% responsibility of my own work and was asked to contribute to the work of others to improve the efficiency of the team.

The skills which I have developed will initially greatly contribute to the success of my research project in my final year at university. The lab skills that I have gained are invaluable and will be put to good use throughout the rest of my career. The lectures and tutorials that I have attended in my year have also increased my knowledge and so will also be put to good use in my final year. However the general experience of working in an industrial setting and becoming competent in that environment is a skill that I will use for the rest of my working life.

The atmosphere in the office/lab was hard-working. Everybody is dedicated to their work and truly wants to achieve the best. Whether I was working in the laboratory or the office however, everyone is friendly and general chatting was a comfort. The atmosphere was also very collaborative and often problems are shared across a number of people and so you are never afraid to ask for help. It was an inspirational atmosphere overall at it demonstrated how great scientist can come together and work harmoniously.

In terms of my set-up that was slightly difficult. Prior to arriving at AstraZenca the on-boarding process had been easy enough with no major problems. However when I arrived at placement, due to no fault of the organisers, my account with the company had been set up incorrectly. This meant I spent 8 weeks trying to resolve access issues to software that I required etc. These problems should have been sorted within the first week but the underlying issue (I technically didn't exist on the AZ network) was never escalated high enough with HR/IT. Student are also required by their universities to produce a project to be marked, covering the work of their placement year. Despite every effort I made, details that were agreed on, and contingencies put in place, unfortunately at the end of placement I was asked to make major changes to my report. A system or protocol needs to be put in place for the confidentiality level of the reports of students, to prevent this happening again.

I think for the purpose of the placement AZ invested the correct amount of development opportunities. The whole placement is technically a development programme and you are always learning throughout the year. However they also put in place a number of lecture courses, discussion groups and tutorials so that you can aide your learning further.

AZ offer a number of opportunities in the company. Job prospects depend on how a department is developing and the investment put into it. There are certainly many future options available.

The placement students were sociable with each other as they tend to live in houses with each other. There are also plenty of other opportunities at work where you can socialise further. In general the different departments at AZ hold social events outside of work hours and this is always a great opportunity to get to know your colleagues better. There is always something happening on the social scene at AZ!

Compared to what I am used to the South-East is an expensive area to work in but the salaries should reflect that.

Like any small city there is a limitation to the extent of the nightlife. However Cambridge is a very busy city and hosts a plethora of pubs and so you would struggle to see them all within the year! The nightlife in Cambridge is what you make of it.