Summer Placement Student Review

The structure of the placement consisted of two weeks training and other small projects. The remaining four weeks consisted of working on a real project which involved a diverse range of skills. The skills learnt, people and country location made it very enjoyable. Within that time the days were also very busy. There was a number of SAS events, restaurant outings and football games organised by SAS which us placement students were free to take part in.

Everyone in the company was very welcoming and very helpful. After the placement we had a leaving ceremony on the impact of our work which really left us feeling valued.

Management were always willing to offer support. We had weekly reviews to see how we are doing and to ensure everything is well.

The training in the first 2 weeks consisted of long hours learning new software. The remaining project work was intense as there is limited time for the nature of the project.

We were given direction in the project however I was mainly responsible. I had to organise meetings with internal and external people regarding the projects and organise my own time.

Working for the SAS has helped me both in terms of gaining skills in data analysis as well as the prestige of working for a market leader. Apart from the training in SAS enterprise guide and business intelligence, other soft skills were gained like presentation skills, team work, project management and time management.

As I was placed in different parts of the company depending on the stage of my project, each environment was different. However overall the atmosphere was very friendly and highly enjoyable.

The structure and planning was very well organised. The placement was extremely well planned which allowed me to learn and do so much in 6 weeks.

As stated earlier, they invested in a number of training programs including SAS enterprise guide, Visual analytics and presentation coaching.

Even though the company has enabled me to easily find work elsewhere, there were no opportunities for a graduate position within the company which is something that can be improved.

As there was only 6 placement students we become really close and everyone was brilliant.

We lived in a country house with a huge garden and swimming pool. It was just a few minutes from SAS and i personally loved it. the experience of living in a country side was something new to me and I really found it enjoyable and different. There were also a few small towns nearby which we would go to for restaurants, cinema and a health club.

The country atmosphere I loved it as it was a unique experience.

There was always something to do after work for example playing football, cinema, Marlow health club.