Stress Analysis Vacation Student Review

Very valuable time at a company who offer a lot of opportunities and an excellent working environment.

All colleagues were very kind and helpful, and I felt like the work which I was doing was valued by others in the office. There was a positive atmosphere in the building and the level of colleague communication in the office was very strong.

Support and guidance was always available when necessary. My supervisors were very pleased for me to carry out work on my own but when a query surfaced they were all only too happy to offer guidance and hence solve the problem in the most appropriate manner. This is one of the main advantages of an open-plan office, perfectly utilised at Arup's Midlands Campus.

I always had work to be doing, and 95% of it felt like it was adding value to the department's projects and important tasks. I was involved in four main projects during my time there, as well as a handful of smaller tasks and personal learning opportunities.

Although I was not involved in conversations directly with external clients, I was given a lot of responsibility for internal tasks in relation to those external clients. I felt like I was trusted with the brief for a task and the responsibility of completing it within a given timeframe.

The skills and sector appreciation which I gained from my time at Arup have already helped me greatly in understanding the "bigger picture" of the work which I am doing as part of my degree studies, and my future career potential. The most important skills which I developed at Arup may well have been personal time management and project/task planning - these carry forward into all aspects of life and hence are very important. More engineering-specific skills and training, such as in the use of a range of new pieces of software and analysis techniques, were also acquired during my placement.

Very positive and lively (except when many of the office staff were on holiday or in a different company location), yet also diligently work-conscious for the majority of every day. I liked the atmosphere very much.

I would describe the structure of my work placement as "organic" - that is to say that the main flow of experience was simply to get involved in ongoing projects and initiatives within the department. There is room for some improvement in organisation and structure of Arup's summer internships, however the experience I had seemed to reflect the standard work day for any employee working in the office, so this was very good indeed.

The company seemed very keen for me to gain a large range of skills during my time there, and presented me with many of the tools to do that. Time was invested by certain members of staff towards providing me with training, and I felt like a respected member of the company no matter who I was talking to. I received feedback on my work performance a couple of times during my internship, including a debrief meeting with my main supervisor towards the end of my time there.

The prospect of further employment with Arup is very appealing due to the multi-disciplinary nature of the company, as well as opportunities to travel and get involved in very exciting work. The graduate scheme which is offered is also one of the best for engineering and sounds very appealing to my needs and aspirations.

During breaks and lunch hours, there was a very sociable atmosphere amongst staff. All members of staff, including myself, were kind enough to bring food in to the department on various occasions for general consumption by other employees. We would sometimes go for a pub lunch as a department, or I would go for walks with other placement students during lunchtime. Evening social events, Friday drinks and the gym were also options available to staff.

I lived at my parents' home and commuted to work everyday so costs were not too much of an issue. The cost of living in Coventry or Solihull is very reasonable compared to some other parts of the country.

Due to commuting commitments, I did not experience the Solihull nightlife but I know there would be a handful of pubs and clubs, as well as a handy close proximity to events happening in Birmingham.

There were a handful of social events, lunchtime lectures/talks and charity activities.