Undergraduate Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my placement. I have been given the opportunity to not just expanded my knowledge of my degree, but everything the company is involved in through undergraduate/graduate training days. Alongside this the day-to-day work has been engaging and rewarding. I've expanded my professional network and been given the chance to meet people who are world experts in there respective fields.

Being part of a small team (originally 3 members, now only two) I have felt very much valued as a team member. I have personably been able to guide the project and have significantly added to the project. I don't believe I would have been able to effect the project as much as I have If I wasn't a valued member of the team.

My manager has given me all the support I needed during my placement. I was told at the start that "there are no stupid questions". A statement which I have tested. My manager/colleagues always have the time to help or will organise a time where they can help me. I have a daily meeting with my manager so we can discuss are plans for the day. This provides me with a good opportunity to get any help I need right from the get go.

The first few months were spent getting to grips with the project I'll be working on. This learning could become slow as this was my only job role. However, after getting to grips with the project my job role was expanded and I was given more responsibility and as such the work load became well balanced. I haven't been given a deadline which I've had serious worries about making. Flexi time improves the work load balance immensely. On slow days you can leave early and vice versa.

As a member of a two man team, I have been given more responsibility than I would have expected from a placement. The project is too big for one experienced engineer to handle and so I've had to step up to fill the gaps. This setup encouraged my to be proactive and claim responsibility for different items.

I believe the skills I've learnt here will vastly improve my studies. I have been introduced to a broad spectrum of engineering techniques and mind sets as well as improving my communication and presentation skills. The technical knowledge I've gained has been mainly software/programming based. This will prove to be essential foundations for my career in engineering.

The office is a vibrant and welcoming place. There is a really good community spirit in the department with everyone willing to lend a hand to anyone in need despite spanning multiple projects. Everyone is willing a take a few minutes to have a chat over a hot drink and I feel encouraged to ask others for career advice for the future.

I have been the first placement student in the department for a few years and as such, there was a few hiccups in the introductory process. Alongside this, the It department in the company is not the quickest. Sometimes I have been stopped in my tracks, waiting for a certain software package.

As an undergraduate I wasn't sent on any training courses as I am only here for a year. However, the company invested a lot of on the job training. Many hours have been spent in total to get me up to speed with certain pieces of software and technical knowledge. The department also runs 'lunchtime learners' which are short courses about a engineering related topics such as; Rocket Propulsion, Acoustics and Machine Learning.

I am seeking to come back for a summer placement within the same department. I find the job challenging and rewarding and have had no issues relating to other colleagues. The office is a pleasant place to work and has a mix of people from different backgrounds with a great community spirit.

It's not as easy for an undergraduate to get involved in the graduate social activities as they are whisked away in the first few weeks for training in a different site. This made networking more difficult. However, there is a great social scene within the department form sports to pub visits.

I was living with a family friend and so I am unsure of the true cost of living in Bristol. The social side of Bristol is more expensive than university but pretty average for a wealthy city.

The company is based outside of the city and so nightlife around the company is very limited. There is a full and vibrant nightlife in the city centre. There is lots of community events such as the, free to entre, harbour side festival.

Through department pub social visits, many different activities were proposed. Such as creating a departmental five a side team to compete in the local leagues. Emails have also been sent around within the company by people trying to recruit others into company sports teams. The opportunities directly from work though, have been limited.