Undergraduate Chassis Engineer, Rear Suspension Review

I enjoyed it very much and gained a wide range of experience in the industry. I was able to go out of the office to experience how the products are which was a good because it gave me a chance to get a feel for the products I was helping to design

I felt valued as I was given a more responsibility than I was expecting and I have set up meetings in which I am conveying data that I have collected to other team members who were in need of that information. Since I was given my own projects, that was the only interaction I got with my team.

Whenever I needed it. My manager and mentor have been extremely helpful and whenever I was stuck, they have always been there to help me out. They have been very enthusiastic in answering my questions and actually gave me a deeper understanding of the answer. For example, if I asked a question about a manufacturing process, they actually took me to a part that was manufactured that way and explained it.

I always had something to do. I didn't have just one major project I was working on from the beginning, instead I have worked on multiple projects one after the other. When I finished one, I asked my manager if there was anything I could do and he would set me another project to do. This meant it was very rare for me to have nothing to do.

I was given more responsibility than I previously expected. This made me feel valued and actually feel part of the team. The work I was doing was actually work that needed to be done i.e. it wasn't a bunch of tutorials that I was watching. This meant, I was learning a lot about the industry whilst learning how to use the software.

I have now gained a much better understanding as to how a lot of the theory I have learnt at university is applied as opposed to just answering exam questions. This further solidified my knowledge of the theory because I now know the reasoning behind why we do it.

The general atmosphere was very positive and open. It's very social and flexible, but people are actually working. In my opinion, this is the best kind of office atmosphere because it is a lot less stressful and the work gets done. Everyone are very approachable and happy to help out which was nice.

The work placement was well organised. I had met my manager before the first day and he outlined what I will be doing throughout my internship whilst also answering any questions I had. The fact that I always had something to do showed that it was very well set up.

I did not receive any proper training as such as the waiting list for most of the training courses are very long and I am only here for 3 months. Despite this, I still became able to learn how to use 3 new software to a decent level of proficiency due to the level of assistance I received from my manager/mentor.

Future employment prospects within the organisation are very high. The office environment is very nice and it appeals to me a lot. I have a passion for the products and having had a few opportunities to go out in the products, this passion has only gotten stronger. I would like to work for the company after I graduate.

The social scene amongst fellow placement students/colleagues was very good. All the summer interns were given the opportunity to stay in a student accommodation at a very discounted price which meant all the summer interns where brought together. All the interns were put together on a Facebook group months before the internship started.

The summer interns were given a place in the student accommodation in Coventry at a very discounted price. The area I work in is in Gaydon which is a very nice area. The only complaint I would have is that the canteen is too expensive. However since my accommodation isn't near where I work, I cannot really say much about it.

Nightlife is decent in Coventry, however since the student accommodation we have been given is in a rougher part of Coventry, it could be better. I haven't been out in Gaydon, so I wouldn't know anything about that.

Since the summer interns were put in the same accommodation, there have been a lot of opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work. This has been nice because it meant instead of just sitting in our rooms all day after work, we could actually make good use of our evenings.