Alison Jarvis: BSc Biomedical Sciences with Industrial Experience.

Placement: Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Why did you choose to do a placement?

I did not take a gap year before coming to University, so I wanted a year to be able to go aboard and do some work with travelling ideally. I also wanted to get more experience both culturally and in my field of interest work-wise.

How did you choose your placement?

I always knew I wanted to go abroad for my placement year and go somewhere that was out of my comfort zone. I had heard about the MRC placements in The Gambia before and as soon as I heard they were re-offering I knew that was the one for me. I really wanted to do fieldwork as well as lab-work and this placement offered me both.

Did you get your first placement you applied for? For students who don’t get their first placement what advice can you give them?

I applied for one other placement before this one. It was with Public Health England, but this was in the UK and although it was in my field of interest, ideally I wanted to go abroad. It was a very competitive placement and I did not get it, but it was good to get a feel for the application process. Do not be disheartened if you do not get your first placement- I held out until the end of second year to find mine (I found out after summer exams) and it was well worth the wait!

How much responsibility did you have on your placement?

I worked directly with a PhD student on her project so in the beginning there was a lot of teaching and help but by the end I was able to run experiments alone and felt confident about my ability to perform them. It was only my supervisor and I working on the project so we both relied on each other on a daily basis.

How has the placement year developed you as a person and your skills?

It was really nice to get out of the University bubble and experience a different culture. It was my first time in Africa and the placement really put a lot of things into perspective and made me appreciate a lot of things. I have learnt so much, both scientifically and about myself; my lab skills have developed enormously. I have made great local and international friends and met people who are experts in my field of work who I hope to keep in contact with and network with in the future.

Would you like to tell us anything else about either your placement experience or placement support in general at UoM?

I felt the placement office provided a good support network for my placement and there was good communication at all times. We had two academics come and visit us whilst we were there too.