IP student Review

Working at GSK was a really good experience which I would recommend to anyone doing a science degree. Throughout the year I gained of lot of skills which ranged from knowing how to do research, planning your experiments and executing your plans in the lab. The placement has also given me a broad understanding of the drug discovery process and has helped me understand how each person plays a role into taking a drug from discovery to the market. Working at GSK was also a good opportunity to improve my communication skills and has allowed to make connections which will be useful in the future.

From the very beginning I was given a big project with a lot of responsibilities and everyone seemed to be very encouraging especially when things were not working. Also, I was given the opportunity to attend meetings which makes you feel like you are part of a team.

In my experience, when I came to guidance my supervisor was very hands off and this made life at the beginning difficult. I was given a lot of freedom which I feel was not the right way to start a difficult project as being a student you are very inexperienced. However, I must say that people around me were very supportive and always willing to help. In fact, I have learnt so much from the other scientists around me. I must say though that this was my experience, other IPs had really good supervisors.

The worked load depended on the progress of the project. There were days when I finished work early while on other days I would leave really late. Essentially it was all about getting the job done when needed.

I was given complete freedom to do my project. Essentially I was the one responsible to drive my project where I had to do all the research, planning, lab work and decision making. This was very hard at the beginning but after putting a lot of effort you get used to it and I feel like this has helped me grow as a person and as a scientist. This was a good experience as it was similar to doing a PhD, something which I'm sure will be useful in my career.

I know have a wide skill set which will be a massive boost when going back to university. Essentially I came here as a student and I can say that I'm leaving GSK as a professional.

It was active most of the time as it was an open office. The only downside to the open office is that you can hear everyone's conversation and this can be a distraction. Fortunately you are allowed to wear headphones. Another massive bonus is that the office was always full of cakes. :)

I got some training at the beginning and every time I needed help to do something there was always someone willing to show me.

The company seems very keen to recruit students who have worked for them previously.

The good thing about GSK is that because it's such a big company they usually recruit a lot if IPs each year. As a student this is great as you don't feel like you are completely separated from the University experience. It feels more like a university for scientists and I made of lot of IP friends and we did a lot of things together outside work.

Nightlife in Stevenage is terrible. However, London is only 45 minutes on the train. And also because there are so many student around there were always something happening, from house parties in winter to barbeques in the summer. Also, there quite a lot of pubs around and very often you go for dinner with colleagues and friends.