Body Undergraduate Review

I am not a software/electrical kind of engineer and one of my major projects was programming a database, however this was OK, I could see how useful it would be and I had plenty of other bits of work to do on projects I find more interesting (researching competitor cars).

I felt like a valued member of the team. Some of my friends say they feel a burden during placement but I felt productive and like I brought value to the team. I could do the simple things, which don't require extensive knowledge of the business/industry, freeing up my colleagues to do more specific things.

If I had a question it would be answered. My manager and I had conversation about not only the work I had to do that day but more generally about the business, industry and my personal development. Additionally within my department, senior management interfaced with the undergrads a few times about the business and our future plans/areas of interest.

There were a few times in the first few weeks when I had nothing to do, although other colleagues didn't have work either so this could have coincided with a lull in the department's workload more generally, but once I had settled in and been given a project I was very rarely without work to do, but I never felt like I was overwhelmed either.

I felt like I had responsibility in the sense of I was trusted to do important work and if I didn't complete it my manager's work would be diminished but never too much responsibility that a project was all on me, if I needed help I could always ask, it was a very good balance. I also felt that I was working on secret or semi-secret projects so I was given responsibility with these things.

I learned how to use many programs, how a business works, how a car is made from idea in designer's head to rolling off the production line (obviously different cars), I learned how to work in a team of very different ages (my team ranged from 18yo me to 64yo), I found out how less obvious bits of a car work (you would not believe how complex a car seat is), its very different to school or uni in many ways but mostly because there is a real product at the end and if you mess up badly you can wreck the system.

It work focussed but my colleagues were all very pleasant.

You turn up at 0800 on the first Monday for orientation and start the next day, within a week you get settled in. There were 140 interns with me so they are experts, any problem has happened before so is fixed quick. The placement team are on the ball, with weekly communications.

I was offered a job for next summer after 3 weeks and £200 is available for personal training; from forklift lessons to German classes.

I was offered a placement next summer after 3 weeks and if it had been the correct time my older colleagues were offered a path strait to the graduate scheme, I think it was a reference and an interview rather than a 3 day assessment centre.

Most of the 3 monthers lived in a halls of residence for Coventry uni (liberty point) so we socialise like when we were at uni, except we go to bed earlier.

Coventry is cheap, there are a selection of supermarkets, discounters, takeaways are cheap, restaurants are cheap, Ikea is cheap, pub is quite reasonable.

Coventry has a number of good student bars and at least one tolerable club (kasbah).

Sport centre nearby, lots of things organised between others in liberty point.