Student Research Scientist Review

I really enjoyed putting the knowledge gained so far in my degree into action during the placement. I enjoyed the balance of lab work and office work, and the people I worked with.

I was given a lot of responsibilities from the start of the placement, meaning that my colleagues clearly trusted me to be able to do them. I felt comfortable working alongside them all.

Whilst it was mostly up to myself to organise my work and get my jobs done, my supervisors always made sure that I knew they were there to help should I need it. I had a monthly progress meeting and was regularly asked questions about my work to ensure it was going okay.

At the start, there wasn't as much to do because I was still getting used to the job. But it soon picked up, and the balance was good. I rarely had nothing to do, but likewise was rarely rushed off my feet with too much to do.

I was surprised by how much trust my supervisors gave me, in that they gave me quite a lot of important responsibilities almost from the start.

The skills will definitely help my in my degree. I feel that I definitely grew up during the placement and have become a more independent, professional individual.

Everyone in the office was friendly and chatty, so the atmosphere was generally a nice one. Though there were occasional days when people weren't in and so it was a little quiet.

The placement was brilliantly organised. All of the training and intro meetings were out of the way within a week or two, so that I could begin my project asap.

I had all of the relevant training alongside the permanent staff, and I got the impression that if I needed anything above and beyond this then they would have been willing to provide it.

A year placement at a company will always help in finding a job with them in the future, though this is not a definite outcome.

I got on really well with the other placement students. I also got on well with my colleagues, and enjoyed socialising with them-eg at the Christmas meal.

The prices were generally reasonable.

Liverpool has a range of pubs, clubs and bars, and is always a great night out. There are lots of gig venues too.

There are plenty of things to do, however the limiting factor is time. Between work and completing Uni assignments, there wasn't much time left for outside activities.