Placement Student Review
at AstraZeneca
Placement (10 Months+)
Science
Cambridge
Review Submitted: July 2022
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
4.5/5
-
Support and Guidance
4.3/5
-
Company Culture
4.5/5
-
Overall Experience
4/5
-
Future Career Prospects
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis.
My role involved working alongside several different oncology projects and the aligned staff to understand a specific mechanism of resistance. My days included time spent in cell culture, time in the lab where I would run experiments, time spent in meetings with relevant collaborators and company talks which were broadcasted across the organisation.
Were you given much responsibility during your placement / internship?
When I joined the company, I was given the specific research question I would be investigating. Alongside my supervisor, I have been working on this and have been involved with several different projects. Day to day, I'm fully independent in carrying out experiments and analysing my data. I'm then responsible for sharing this with the team/my supervisor who give their feedback. From this, I decide with them the future steps to take.
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?
Upon joining the comapny, I was trained in both cell culture practice and lab techniques/using lab equipment. I am now comfortable in the lab and with several common lab practices including HTRF, Western Blots and BCAs. Regarding more general skills, I have learnt to manage my time effectively as to stick to a deadline and how to present my data to fellow collegaues.
How would you rate the training provided during your experience?
5/5
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?
4/5
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?
The support I recieved from my supervisor was incredible- she was always there to develop my understanding of both project specific work but also more general industry understanding. I found the whole team welcoming and was very grateful for the placement leaders support and empathy.
How would you rate the support and guidance from your line manager?
5/5
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?
Everyone seemed very excited to be working for AstraZeneca, partly for the amazing company culture but also because they felt as if they were working for a company that really made a difference to peoples lives. There were many different social events put on for early talent and I atteneded a volunteer day in which we helped the local community.
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?
5/5
How would you rate the charity, sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives?
4/5
Overall Experience
To what extent did you enjoy your placement / internship?
I thoroughly enjoyed my time on placement. I found the work I was doing interesting and my team supportive. AstraZeneca was an amazing company to work for and I can see why lots of people come back to work there- it's definitely something I would consider in the future.
Please rate your level of enjoyment on your placement / internship
4/5
Please rate how your experience met your expectations
5/5
Future Career Prospects
Please rate the future employment prospects at AstraZeneca
4/5
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend AstraZeneca to a friend?
Yes
What advice would you give to others applying to AstraZeneca
Make sure you display the excitement you have for the industry/science. Don't be worried about knowing everything in your interview, just make sure you take the time to have a think about the questions you are being asked.
