IP Student Review
at AstraZeneca
Placement (10 Months+)
Research, Science
Cambridge
Review Submitted: July 2023
Overall Rating
4.4 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
4/5
-
Overview of Role
4.5/5
-
Skills Development
4/5
-
Support and Guidance
4.3/5
-
Company Culture
5/5
-
Overall Experience
5/5
-
Future Career Prospects
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis.
Daily tasks: planning and conducting experiments
Internal interactions: communicating with supervisors 1-3 times a week depending on how busy supervisors are. working with different teams, e.g., the flow cytometry team and the mass spectrometry team, on projects.
Responsibilities: Planning (e.g., booking equipment) and conducting experiments according to plans made together with (or mainly by) supervisors.
Internal interactions: communicating with supervisors 1-3 times a week depending on how busy supervisors are. working with different teams, e.g., the flow cytometry team and the mass spectrometry team, on projects.
Responsibilities: Planning (e.g., booking equipment) and conducting experiments according to plans made together with (or mainly by) supervisors.
Were you given much responsibility during your placement / internship?
Yes, I had to make a lot of decisions without my supervisor. The project was very self-driven as my supervisor wasn't around very often.
Please rate how meaningful the work you were doing was
4/5
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills, or developed your existing skills?
New skills: a range of experiment skills poorly or not taught by my university including cell culture methodologies (cell line handling, maintenance and quality control, standard light microscopy), cell line transfection, lentiviral transduction, standard molecular biology procedures (BCA protein assay, western blot using dry transfer), Mass spectrometry prep, various ways of lysing cells.
Existing skills (i.e., soft skills): time management, stress management, project management, communication
Existing skills (i.e., soft skills): time management, stress management, project management, communication
How would you rate the training provided during your experience?
4/5
How would you rate your development of industry-specific skills during the experience?
4/5
How would you rate your development of personal / soft skills during the experience?
5/5
Please rate how these skills have helped you in your career development
5/5
Support and Guidance
How much support and guidance did you receive during your placement / internship?
A lot of support for one of my projects but very little for another.
For one of them, my supervisor was always around, other people in the lab also gave me a lot of help & support. Not so much for the other, one because I don't really see my supervisor, and two because my project wasn't very relevant to other people in that lab and people were too busy with their own things.
I'd say the environment very much depends on who you work with.
For one of them, my supervisor was always around, other people in the lab also gave me a lot of help & support. Not so much for the other, one because I don't really see my supervisor, and two because my project wasn't very relevant to other people in that lab and people were too busy with their own things.
I'd say the environment very much depends on who you work with.
How would you rate the support and guidance from your line manager?
4/5
How would you rate the support and guidance from the wider team?
4/5
Company Culture
What was the company culture and general atmosphere like?
Most people are very friendly; a lot of social events; lots of free food; lots of charity events; people generally care about your mental health.
I'd say it's a healthy and welcoming environment to work in.
I'd say it's a healthy and welcoming environment to work in.
How would you rate the inclusiveness of the culture?
4/5
How would you rate the social opportunities?
4/5
How would you rate the diversity initiatives?
4/5
How would you rate the charity, sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives?
5/5
Overall Experience
To what extent did you enjoy your placement / internship?
I enjoyed it a lot. By immersing myself in an R&D environment, working with scientists who are doing things that will be applied to the real world changed my view of R&D, and my plan for the next step.
In addition, there were so many networking opportunities, and people here are generally very supportive. I think I'm now in a very good position for whatever my plan is for the next year.
In addition, there were so many networking opportunities, and people here are generally very supportive. I think I'm now in a very good position for whatever my plan is for the next year.
Please rate your level of enjoyment on your placement / internship
5/5
Please rate how your experience met your expectations
5/5
Future Career Prospects
Please rate the future employment prospects at AstraZeneca
5/5
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend AstraZeneca to a friend?
Yes
What advice would you give to others applying to AstraZeneca
Before application: research the company and showcase it during the interview.
During placement: embrace all the opportunities, network with people, learn as much as possible, and take challenges so you won't regret. At the same time, don't overload yourself, try to have a good work-life balance. Talk to your line manager or colleagues if you have any concerns with the project/life/mental health, people are very supportive here. Also, this year out of uni is a great opportunity to pick up something new, such as a new hobby. There are plenty of things to explore.
During placement: embrace all the opportunities, network with people, learn as much as possible, and take challenges so you won't regret. At the same time, don't overload yourself, try to have a good work-life balance. Talk to your line manager or colleagues if you have any concerns with the project/life/mental health, people are very supportive here. Also, this year out of uni is a great opportunity to pick up something new, such as a new hobby. There are plenty of things to explore.
