Sandwich Student Review

I have loved being on placement - its a really nice place to work, I've loved every minute and I'll be sad to leave.

I was assigned to work on a high-profile project, so I generated a lot of data that was really useful to the project team. They seemed very appreciative of all the work I had done. I was also always included in all social activities organised by work colleagues.

My supervisor would always give me guidance if I asked - usually just to talk through a thought process on what I wanted to do next. She didn't actually do lab work herself (most senior members of staff dont) so day to day support was given my people in my office/lab. Everyone was always willing to help but there were a few times when there was nobody around to ask.

I had time periods where I wasn't very busy at all, and other days where I was extremely busy. It was always manageable though - the changes in workflow were just the nature of my department.

I was given a great deal of responsibility - for the majority of my placement I was the only person tasked with doing the work I did for the project so there was nobody else to fall back on if I didn't deliver. I enjoyed having this much responsibility as I felt I was really making a difference.

Even though I may not use the specific techniques I have learnt here again, developing general lab skills will always be useful for the rest of my career. Presentation skills, time management and professionalism will also always be beneficial.

My office was a very relaxed and friendly environment. It was really enjoyable - I felt welcome from the start and settled in immediately.

Overally it was well organised. The least organised expect seemed to be the fault of Hays, a recruitment firm through which AstraZeneca placement students are employed. There seemed to be some disorganisation in terms of paperwork and often pay. However, in terms of my actual placement work and project, that was all wel organised.

They did invest quite a lot, they were keen to get us trying out as many techniques as possible and visit other peoples labs to learn new skills. They also let us attend conferences and symposiums to build our knowledge of the industry.

You are not guaranteed any future employment with AstraZeneca after completing a work placement. However, it will definitely boost your application if you were to every apply in the future - which I am definitely considering doing. I think it is a great company to work for.

Yes! There is a network called AZ Freshers which organises social activities both in and outside of work. These include symposiums, 'lunch and learns', quizzes, nights out, parties, day trips etc... Also, as most placement students lived close to each other it was easy to be social at weekends, there was almost always something going on.

Cost of living is cheap compared to a student area - average rent seemed to be around £250 per person per month. Cost of socialising was relatively cheap too as it is a small town rather than a large city.

The nightlife in Macclesfield was okay but not great - there is a Vodka Revolution and a couple of small clubs. These were completely fine to go to often, as being close to Manchester meant we could easily take advantage of the manchester nightlife when we wanted something more.

There are lots of local sports clubs, a gym, plenty to do in manchester. Its very easy to just sit and do nothing but you would defintely get bored after a while so I would recommend finding a hobby or activity to do in your free team - chances are there will be another placement student who will want to do it too.