Software Undergraduate Review

With the work I was doing, and responsibility I was given, I found the placement to be both insightful and useful, and I'm glad I was given the opportunity to work here this summer. The team I was in made me feel very welcome, and by the end of the placement, I felt like I was fully capable of doing my role alongside my department

My colleagues were immediately welcoming, and supportive with everything I did whilst here. They always offered assistance whenever I was struggling, and it was very easy to network with other departments through other interns and grads that work here. I feel I got many contacts that will be useful in my future career.

I was assigned a manger, supervisor, and graduate buddy whilst here, and all of which were useful in different ways. My mentor and I worked alongside each other for the majority of placement, with weekly meetings to track progress. My graduate buddy and I met a couple of times, and he was there to offer support whenever I had any issues.

Because my role was in software, I was continuously developing programs throughout my time, so there was always something to do. As with any role, there'll always be slow days, and extra busy days, but I felt overall there was a good balance, and it was nice having numerous collaborative projects to work on in case I got bored of one at points.

The software I wrote was essential, and would be put into use as soon as it was finished, so I'd say I had a fair amount of responsibility. My mentor would do frequent code reviews and make sure I'm on top of what I'm doing, but besides that I was fairly independent in my role.

Before the placement, my software knowledge was very limited, and not really used on any projects or applications. It was great to be able to apply some of the skills I've learnt, and feel it's boosted my confidence with coding massively. I'll definitely be able to take that away and use it in my future career or in alternative projects whilst at university

Everyone was social, but also hardworking, so there would be periods where we'd all have our headphones in trying to finish some work, but there would be other periods where we would all go out and grab coffees, and socialise with one another. We'd also have weekly office meetings to keep everyone up to date on the work we're all doing, which was nice to hear about, as sometimes you wouldn't know what the person across from you is doing.

Initially, the process to get the internship wasn't particularly well structured, to the extent where I wasn't sure whether or not I had the role until a few weeks before it was due to start. But once I started, they had it all in place, including steps to develop your skills and objectives to meet whilst you're on placement.

In my role, because my software knowledge wasn't as high as they required when I started, they allowed me a few weeks to get up to scratch and gave me access to all the previously written pieces so I could gain knowledge from that, as well as learning through online courses. There's a much better system in place for development on yearlong roles, where as on shorter placements, they may not have the time to do proper training.

The graduate scheme and department I work in are both very appealing, so I would have no problems with coming back for a role here. They're also investing heavily in graduates and undergraduates, so it looks very promising to secure a future role here if an internship is done. The flexible working hours are also very nice, as it means you can free up your afternoons by starting earlier

All of the interns were great, and we split up in to our own groups for lunch during work days, and would often meet up after work for events, including our weekly "pub Thursday". Living with them all in shared accommodation meant socializing was easy, and I'm sure I'll stay in contact with many of them

We lived in Coventry, in a subsidized student accommodation so the rent prices were very low in comparison. this was however only for 3 month placement students, and the majority of yearlong students would rent elsewhere, but as it's based in the midlands it's still cheap. Pints vary in price dependent on the pub, and we often went to different ones every week to experience more of the culture.

Coventry's not the best, but not the worst for nightlife. There were clubs available but the majority of interns would go home/ visit friends on weekends, so if you wanted a Night out organised it often needed to be planned a couple of weeks in advance. The nights out when you did go on them were cheap, but there's better options elsewhere

There were many activities put on by the graduate forum at work, and many organised by the undergrads whilst we stayed there. There weren't many company activities outside of work, however I wouldn't say they were necessary as there was plenty of other stuff going on. The majority of events revolved around sports or drinking, but occasionally there were different ones, but these were infrequent