medicinal chemistry - industrial placement Review

I truly enjoyed my placement at GSK. Throughout this year here I had a taste of how is like to work for a pharmaceutical company. It also helped me to decide what concrete role I would like to have during my professional career and how I am going to achieve it thanks all the full time employers that very kindly gave me some tips.

Although we all the IPs are undergraduates, we have always been valued. My work has always been appreciated by my supervisor and team and, although as an undergraduate I do not have much experience, my suggestions have always been taken into account. I very much appreciate it cause it is the only way to discuss my own ideas with experienced chemists and learn about their opinion.

I was always given 100% support. Every time I am given new work my supervisor sends me a couple of papers so I understand absolutely everything, makes me read it all and then discuss. He always have time for any questions / problems I have during the experiments. In addition, he helped me in getting a PhD for next year when he had no obligation to do so.

I appreciate very much being busy. I am always working in a project and by the time I finish it, I am already working in another. But, it does not mean that I have been too busy cause I was allowed to stop if I wanted to theoretically deepen in the chemistry I was doing.

The responsibilities came gradually. At the beginning of the year my supervisor was always by my side to teach how to work in the lab and the nice tips you do not learn at Uni but, as time passed by, he gradually let me work on my own. In fact, currently I pretty much work on my own and just discuss with my supervisor at the beginning and en of the project and if any problem comes up.

I absolutely sure the skills I learnt this year in GSK helped me to better understand and integrate all the knowledge learnt during my degree and I am sure it will come in handy in the future. Next year I am starting a chemistry PhD in which I am sure all the laboratory skills I gained during this year will help me to perform a better and safer chemistry.

The atmosphere in the office was very nice. Everyone is kind and ready to help the students in whatever. They are very friendly both in GSK and at the social events. I had never come across with such a nice atmosphere in my previous placements. I do think this nice atmosphere have been the reason why I enjoyed the placement that much.

I do think the internship was very well organised. The first week of placement all the chemistry students were given a one week training at University of Bristol's laboratory. It was very useful the get to know GSK safety manners in the laboratory and to bring everyone to the same level more or less in terms of laboratory skills.

I think the company invested more than enough. My supervisor spent a lot of time by my side at the beginning of the placement teaching me, I had a PhD student teaching me chemistry and the company even paid me a couple of non internal courses. I do believe the company spent a decent amount of money on teaching me.

GSK offers a wide range of postgraduate programmes. They have different graduates schemes focused on R&D, IT, Pharmaceuticals, financial, business,... and a chemistry PhD program with Strathclyde University. Is well known how competitive is to get in this programmes but I do believe all the students here have our chances. I personally got in the PhD programme.

the social scene was very good, all the students in GSK get along with each others. This is palpable in the good atmosphere after work in the gym, basketball matches,... and in weekly social events out of work. You definitely make new and very good friends during your placement in GSK.

Stevenage is a town quite close to London so the cost of living is higher than the average in UK, however, cheaper than other towns around London. Socialising is fine since there is a pub which is quite cheap and made the nights out more affordable. Socialising in London more than once a month absolutely unaffordable.

It was definitely not the best nightlife I have ever had. The lack of nice restaurants, bars and the dead streets of Stevenage made me go to London more often than what my credit card would have liked. But still, the students events in our houses made everything easier. Therefore, I would not say it was awesome but neither awful.

GSK have a gym on site in which there is a gym and courts to play different sports such as squash, basketball, netball, badminton, football, yoga, pilates, cycling,.. amongst many others. It is the perfect place the spend one hour after work with the colleges. In addition, there are different gyms in Stevenage as well as other activities.