Summer Student Review

I enjoyed my the environment in the office and was given some interesting work to do. I was always kept busy in the office. I did two 4 week mini placements during my time which gave me an insight into different teams within the office. This was of high value.

Both of the teams I was involved with were extremely accommodating. They gave me interesting tasks and provided training on relevant software for the activities I was tasked with. The software skills I gained were of high value after placement. Everyone in the office were lovely and we had a number of social events during my placement such as a day out to the races.

I had a line manager who was not a member of the team in which I was working. This was extremely effective. Within my two teams I had a supervisor. Both were extremely helpful throughout my placement. I was given a placement plan when I started which gave a rough idea of week to week activities I would be doing

As with everyday work, some days were busier than others. My first week was spent doing STEM activities and learning to use the relevant software. Weeks 2-4 I was working on live projects and was given job codes for the work I had done. Weeks 4-8 were slightly quieter but I was still given some tasks to keep busy.

I was given sufficient responsibility during my placement. I had my name on some of the documents which were sent to clients. My work was peer reviewed by other members of my team (mostly graduates). I was given some tasks with no deadlines. It was hard to get some pieces of work reviewed due to people being on holiday

I did training in the following software: dialux, microstation. Microstation was extremely valuable after my placement as CAD skills are becoming more valuable to employers. Dialux was not as useful after placement due to it being a specialise software for lighting design. I was given numerous opportunities to present work which is good experience

the office had a very friendly experience (York). Everyone was very welcoming and nice. There was a strong collaborative atmosphere in the office where people from vastly different teams were working on the same project. This is not something I had experienced in a placement before. Typically work was always done within a single team. Trip to the races was a highlight.

It was well organised. I received a work plan detailing proposed activities and tasks for each week of placement. Some of these were subject to change due to the nature of the business. The team did well to get everything sorted in such a short space of time before my arrival.

I received a number of talks from people in different teams to hear about the work they do and their expertise. I would encourage this more going forward. Made me aware of the opportunities available within the company. Could be more structured development. Potentially more involvement from graduates about the grad scheme

While I enjoyed the placement it highlighted that this is not the type of organisation/work I wish to do in the future. This placement was useful is confirming my decision about the next stage in my career. The company was too civil based for me and inconsistency in workload may be a future problem.

there was a good few placement students in my office. The office has hosted a large number of students in the past so had experience in how to deal with them. The annual trip to the races was arranged in the office and all colleagues and placement students were invited.

The cost of living was quite high but I had no travel to pay as I lived close to the office so walked everyday. Cheaper accommodation is available further outside the centre which would be suitable as there are strong transport links. York is a great area with lots to do.

The nightlife is good in York. Lots of pubs to choose from which are all friendly and have decent enough prices. Most places have promotion on during the week for both food and drink. Very busy nightlife. Mostly pubs and not many clubs. There are many pubs around the office

There were a number of activities such as rock climbing and weekly football games to get involved in if you wished. The activities were open to everyone in the office to take part in. I did not do any of the activities but know other placement students who did and they enjoyed the experience.