Chemistry IP Review

I have really enjoyed my year industry. Not only was my year an excellent break from traditional university, I have really developed as a person and I have learnt so many new skills and concepts which I wouldn't have learnt at university. I have also been able to expand my professional network and meet people who I may be able to work with in the future.

I felt incredibly valued by my colleagues and I was welcomed into my department. Everyone was happy to talk to me and provide advice with project work and career prospects. It was great being integrated within a team of industrial placement students too, as we were able to work together and achieve high standards.

My supervisor provided me with excellent support throughout the duration of my placement. Nothing was too much hassle and he highlighted the opportunities available to me and encouraged me to make the most out of my placement. Through my supervisor I was also able to make new industrial contacts, and I believe these are very important.

I had a large amount of work to do however I never felt overwhelmed. I was always engaged with something and I was provided with a lot of support so, even when my work load was heightened, I felt like I was able to manage my time effectively and pass on jobs if needed.

I was given a great deal of independence and responsibility during my placement. I was able to design my experiments independently and conduct my lab work individually, with safety cover from my supervisor. I was also responsible for collating and presenting my results and so I was really entrusted to steer my project.

I strongly believe that the skills I have developed through my placement will be of incredible value for the rest of my career. Not only have I learnt how to speak to new people and in front of large audiences, I have also grown in confidence and my independent working skills have improved hugely.

Everyone in my office was very engaged and passionate about their work, which was a really great thing to be a part of. I was really inspired by everyone's dedication to their research and I also really enjoyed the office banter and jokes. The office was always a lovely place to be seated!

My placement was very well organised, and I always knew who to contact whenever I had an issue. Everyone on the placement programme was really supportive and eager to help us make the most of our opportunity and I found this incredibly motivating and inspiring. There were never any issues with miscommunication.

I was given a lot of opportunities to train and develop new skills, both inside the lab and personally. I was sent lots of opportunities via email to engage with different events, and it was always clear who to turn to if I wanted to develop my skills further in a certain area.

The employment rate at my organisation is very high and so I believe that, through working at GSK, my career prospects have definitely increased. I also feel as though I have acquired a great deal of useful transferable skills which would stand me in good stead in other areas of employment too.

There were a lot of placement students in my organisation and so the social scene was excellent. We had a ball in London just after new years which was great fun and a really good opportunity to meet people that I hadn't met on site before. We also organised chats when working from home to stay in touch.

I lived and worked in Stevenage, which was averagely priced. Socialising was slightly above average price just because socialising options were fairly limited and so there were not any cheap options. However train tickets to London were fairly cheap and so the social scene outside of Stevenage was reasonably priced and not too far away.

Nightlife wasn't great, but this wasn't my cup of tea anyway so I really didn't mind. There was one club and a couple of nice restaurants, however London wasn't far away and obviously this has excellent night life it that's your thing! But Stevenage wasn't big for night life unfortunately!

There were lots of opportunities outside of work such as team dinners and bowling sessions. We had lots of pub lunches too which were sometimes paid for by the company, and this was a great opportunity to speak to people that I wouldn't usually speak to! We also went to Top Gold and other fun places!