Undergraduate Senior Technologist Review

I really enjoyed my placement overall. I don't think there could have been many improvements made, to be honest, I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I have but I honestly would not change a thing! BAT invests so much in their students and the work we do is important to the company. It was comforting to be surrounded by people who are experts in their field and not just in the area of tobacco research but they have a lot of knowledge and a lot of advice that they are keen to pass on to the students which I thought was amazing!

I have felt like a valuable member of the team for the whole year, I am very much involved in all the work we do and in fact I often contribute to the high priority tasks which really makes me feel like I am contributing. In fact, I often get asked for my advice by full-time employees which took me by surprise initially!

My manager has been supportive throughout my placement, it took some time to strike the right balance of support but she was always there if I needed her. Also, my assigned mentors were fantastic helping me with everything including my university work!

I was constantly busy, not so busy that I became stressed but I enjoy having a lot to do! Also, I was surrounded by people that were very supportive so if I ever needed help there were plenty of people who were happy to be there for me.

I had my own project that was solely my responsibility; to organise, run and report. I also had the opportunity to support high priority work-streams that made me feel really "important".

There are a lot of opportunities to develop your personal skills. Personally, I feel that I have improved my communication skills to no end. I have also had the opportunity to work with a lot of ground-breaking equipment that my lectures had never even heard of! I think this is one of the best placements in terms of personal development, investment into the students and general perks.

My office is very lively and friendly but not distracting. We celebrate everyone's birthdays and bring in cakes as well as going out for meals. There is a very "family" atmosphere that is just fantastic, I feel at home in my office and I have made some life-long friends.

The work placement is organised fantastically, the team at BAT who set up the placement scheme are fantastic and supportive throughout the year. They made it very easy to settle in at BAT with the induction booklet they send out beforehand which gives you all the information you need. Also, there are welcome meals and a hand-over from the last years students which is really nice to get advice and tips.

BAT invests heavily in the students, from speaking to my other friends at university I think they are actually the best placement for it. Personally, I have been on numerous courses improving my communication skills and technical skills.

There have been many students in the past that have been on placement at BAT and now are working full-time. So, the prospects look very good and I have personally had employees asking me if I would like to come back!

I commuted to work everyday and therefore didn't live with the students but I didn't feel left-out at all. Everyone gets on well and we often go out for meals and celebrate together which is lovely.

I commuted to work which wasn't cheap but socialising in Southampton was not too expensive at all if you know the right places (there is a university in Southampton after all!).

There are plenty of pubs and clubs as mentioned above the university generates a lot of night life!

There were a lot of activities organised by people in my team at work as well as the student group.