Biophysics Review

I really enjoyed it. I could work independently and contribute the company. The placement was tailored to my skills and desires and there were opportunities to develop if you find them through contacting people. It became more difficult through Coronavirus lockdown when I could no longer do lab work and was less supported in my workload by my manager who was sadly not great at responding to emails which by the end of my placement created a boredom of not doing much and doing boring tasks as not being aboe to be in the lab or not having much of a project so was less enjoyable at the end.

I felt very valued by my colleagues whether through development or the work I was doing. They treat our work to the same standard as theirs and do not undermine or patronise us. Everyone at GSK is open to talking and helping you out if you contact them. I also was given a lot of independence from the start to contribute to the company projects and present my work so this made me feel very valued.

This was mixed. While she wanted to support me education wise to learn a lot I don't think the execution was there, she was often dismissive of suggestions and incorrect points and didn't guide me to the answer either provided no path to it or gave it to me. However she did support making mistakes and learning from them and not doing things for me. My nanager also allowed me to shadow a different department to discover if I wanted to pursue that area. However during Coronavirus she was not keen on us developing ourselves in the spare time we had as that would not benefit the company.

In normal circumstances I had a great workload and was kept very buay, I loved it, if I had spare time in between projects we would create a new one, it was great. However during lockdown the opposite happened I had lots of spare time due to being mostly lab based, I found some things to do but it was not enough and was ask for more work but it was not always there. Also if I asked for more projects I would find I would be overwhelmed for a couple of weeks with loads to do then after that have nothing again and it would be like waves.

I was given lots from the get go, second week in I was guided in doing portfolio work and from then on was left to do it on my own, seeking guidance when needed. It was great I would be given a project then find the reagents and information by soeaking to colleagues and construct and fun the assay. My results we're used in papers and to help with drug projects. I would be left to do the work myself which I loved and find work myself which has its downfalls when it's a struggle to do so.

They will assist me a lot whether that is observing management and leadership skills, skills with data or skills with report writing and presenting. The skills with data will help me always critique data, better process data and better visualise data. I have gained experience in how to successfully construct an experiment to answer questions and use data from a verity of sources to make any conclusions which can help in many situations where you should be using all resources not just one to make a conclusion.

It was lovely, you could chat, ask questions to people and it was also not too like providing a good working environment. However mine was in an older part that hadn't been renovated for a while so was darker whereas other areas we're lovely and bright. I was free to work in other areas though so I did sometimes do get a change in scenery. The good thing about it office was it was open plan but my desk was next to my managers office so I could easily catch her to that about things.

It was very well organised, they are very experienced with a separate employer SRG that sorts out all the HR stuff and runs education sessions. My manger was also very familiar with having placement students whether that was with SRG, GSK or university procedures. The year was well planned from training to offloading as they want to get the most out of us. The pay and holiday claiming was also easy to sort however it does rely on your manager checking their emails.

We had lots of this available. Training was provided at the start of placement to gain skills for the job on how do it all which was not too much or little. Training throughout the year was also available whether that is learning about new academia, research, instruments or skills. Training through SRG and the student group was also available towards the end which was really useful on things such as CVs and applying for jobs.

It's a lovely company due to the atmosphere of everyone being friendly and willing to help so it is certainly appealing I just need to find the right position. It also seems easy to move around the company if you get bored of an area or want experience in another or change interest which is really appealing to me but there is a danger of getting lost in a big company and feeling like a small cog in a machine.

Yes there was a student group that put on events in and our of work and development opportunities which was great. Students from all across the company were often bought together with apprentices, phds and graduates which was great fun as we all got on well. Between students there was lots of socialising as well groups of friends formed and it was easy to meet up at lunch time or have tea breaks to socialise in and out of work.

Cost of living was so cheap but there wasn't many social aspects to the town for our age so it's hard to judge that cost. The rent was cheap and lots of options for food etc.

Brely any nightlife but it was easy to get into London for that on the train.

Yes, not many provided by work but it's a great community in the town so there is lots going on to get involved in unrelated to the company.