Anne Lien, a Biomedical Sciences with Industry Placement student, reveals why she chose to study with an industrial placement and what she’s hoping to get out of the experience.
If you’re wondering what an industrial placement is, or whether or not to switch onto the pathway with an industrial placement, maybe my experience will help you out a bit.
I started off my journey at The University of Manchester to study BSc Biomedical Sciences with the intention of graduating after just three years. Soon enough, after my first semester, I started to hear of the many opportunities an industrial placement would offer.
At that time, I was unsure of what I was interested in, let alone what my degree would allow me to do in the real world. After speaking to my tutor and many professors, along with other students who had done a placement year, I decided to switch on to the placement pathway.
So, what is an industrial placement?
Essentially, an industrial placement is a 12-month internship/work experience that takes place in your third year of university and is part of and related to your degree. This can be arranged through trusted partners of the University or through arranging one yourself. Either way, it will need to be approved by your respective department.
From my own experience, the application experience can be quite overwhelming. Therefore, I would recommend starting early. This means researching potential companies, organisations, or universities, as well as being proactive and learning how to write a CV, cover letter and mastering interviews. The University of Manchester has extremely rich resources for these areas and has very supportive and helpful career services that I recommend taking advantage of.
How do you switch from a normal degree to one with an industrial placement?
The transition from a normal degree to one with a placement was slightly tricky in my case. Therefore, if you are currently a prospective student who is slightly intrigued by a placement, I strongly encourage you to apply for a degree with an industrial placement to start with.
Although it realistically isn’t very difficult to fill out some forms and receive approval, it could save you a lot of time and effort if you already are on the pathway. This is especially important for international students.
As a fellow international student with a student visa, switching on to the placement pathway means that you are required to apply for an extension of your visa as you will technically be at university, and in the UK for one year longer. Even if you are unsure about whether you will do a placement, or be offered one, it is easier to transition from a degree with a placement to one without.
What will I be doing on my placement and how did I choose it?
After my first year of biomedical sciences, I began to realise what my interests were: molecular biology and pharmacology. I became increasingly interested in drug discovery, development, and research. As a result, I focused on placements offered by pharmaceutical companies.
I applied to a wide variety of companies, some based in the UK and some overseas. I also applied for both lab-based roles as well as regulatory-based roles.
After many applications, assessments, and interviews, I received an offer for a 12-month placement at Boehringer Ingelheim, a pharmaceutical company based in Germany. I immediately accepted the offer, as I heavily agreed with the company’s values and was also fascinated by the company’s research goals and their focus on central nervous system (CNS) disorders. I was then offered a role in the CNS department, working on in-vitro neuropharmacology which is something I’d like to explore further.
What do I hope to get out of my placement?
I am extremely grateful and excited for this opportunity. Despite the many lab experiences that are provided by the University, I look forward to becoming more familiar with lab processes and techniques. I hope to apply the knowledge that I have acquired from university over the past two years and gain more insights into industrial research.
Additionally, I look forward to being in a workplace environment, gaining new perspectives, meeting, and networking with professionals and better understand what potential jobs will entail. I also hope to get a better grasp of what I am interested in and what I would like to do in the future. Lastly, since my placement is taking place in Germany, I hope to travel more, develop my German and immerse myself in a different culture.
Learn more about studying Biosciences with an industrial placement:
Biology, Medicine and Health Student Blog 