Industrial Placement student Review

I really enjoyed my work placement at MedImmune. The placement scheme has been in place for a number of years and it the on boarding process is smooth. Everyone is very friendly and helpful, no matter their position within the company. I really enjoyed working for a company of this size as there were always lots of events on and opportunities to learn about other areas of the business.

I've rated this a 5/10. On one hand, among the other placement students (14 total) I got on really well with everyone and they became my very close friends over the year. However, within my team I didn't feel like I ever made much of a personal connection with them. I think this is down to a combination of my lack of effort and shyness (which I intend to avoid in my next role) and also the team dynamic. A number of the team left throughout the year and so with open positions it was hard to create a sense of a whole team.

At the beginning of the year my supervisor could not have helped me enough. He was very helpful and we got on really well. Unfortunately, as the year went on he did become more busy and so I was left to work independently a lot. At times this was great as I was able to problem solve and think for myself. At other times, this was quite stressful. Towards the end of the year my supervisor has been relaxed about my deadlines but helpful when I need him.

At the beginning of the placement I was very quiet and not busy at all. As the year went on I was given more responsibilities in the lab and also had university deadlines to meet so the workload did increase. I never felt like it was unmanageable.

I was always made to feel like my project was MY project and although I was given guidance, I was able to make decisions myself. The scope of the project was broadly decided by my supervisor before I started, however, I could plan my own time and my own experiments.

The laboratory skills are those I think will make the biggest impact in my degree studies and beyond. I'm now much more confident working independently in the lab and I have experience and training in lots of techniques. Additionally, soft skills will be hugely important. I am much better at organising my time, motivating myself and working in a team.

Two other placement students worked in my office and it was great to be able to grab a coffee with them and to chat things through from time to time like data analysis or presentation planning. The office is generally quiet which allows me to focus and get on with my work. However, everyone is fairly friendly and at lunchtime it gets chatty.

The on boarding process was very smooth and we went through our inductions with the other new starters within the company. We received badges and laptops on the first day and a timetable for our training sessions. Overall, I think it was very well set up and I would recommend.

My department had allocated budget for me to go on one paid-for training session throughout the year and I elected to go on a presentation skills two-day workshop. This really strengthened my presentation skills and confidence which I had previously felt were weak. My supervisor also allowed me to go on several free conferences and spend time at a number of free training sessions.

I'd love to work for MedImmune again in the future as it's a great place to work - the people are really friendly and the company perks are good. AstraZeneca owns MedImmune and I'd also happily work for this company - I intent to apply to the graduate scheme in a year.

There were 11 placement students at MedImmune and about another 15 at AstraZeneca, also based in the same city. The social scene was great and I have made some friends for life. The company also puts on social events for colleagues at the end of every month. Within my team we often went for team lunches, had volunteering and teambuilding days and ate breakfast together occasionally.

The cost of living was significantly higher in Cambridge than anywhere I have lived before. Rent was very expensive along with bills and transport around the city. The cost of socialising was also high, although as I am still a student I could make use of student discounts in many locations.

The Nightlife in Cambridge wasn't terrible but did leave much to be desired.

The company really promote STEM activities and help out at the local science fair as well as at local primary schools. There were also opportunities to speak to sixth form pupils about studying STEM subjects at university. The company also runs a movie club as well as numerous races and other similar events.