The 'Bio camp' experience

Have you ever wondered how the 'pharmaceutical companies' function in general? Have you ever wanted to experience the 'corporate' more closely?

You are at the right place. No, I am not gonna give any tips or tricks to do so. I am gonna talk about Novartis' biocamp. I came across the biocamp via my college teachers.

This was held between 10th of January to 13th of the same month.

I really didn't know what to expect out of this. However, in one sentence all I can say is 'it was a really interesting and knowledgable experience'.

Who can apply?

Post-graduate students/young researchers in natural sciences, medicine, biotechnology, bioinformatics, pharmacy, business administration, chartered accountancy or law (Intellectual Property Rights specialisation)

What did I like about it?

• It had the convergence of all types of field, which didn't limit the perspective to just the pharmaceutical sciences when it comes to application. This was really important in the sense that in the real world, we have everyone at the same table to solve one major problem i.e health disorders.

• The first day they held an ice breaker session that was very true to its name. I met so many different people with such major accomplishments, yet humble in every sense, that the introvert in me left the door.

• We were assigned a problem or I must say a challenge for which we were given different groups. And, in the group, there was no person alike or from the same institute. This was, of course, threatening to me at first. However, in the end, I loved my group. We all contributed equally to the task and did more than we were expected.

• We were to make a presentation or pitch our ideas just like the way any team in the corporate does. This was a whole new experience. Even though I am confident in presenting and have done so on many educational platforms, knowing someone is going to be the judge for your whole team efforts based on your performance is a really different and huge responsibility.

• The sessions. The sessions were all intriguing and engaging. The major take away I had was the fact you can take risks, if you really know what you are passionate about, even corporate makes way for you. And, you tell your shortcomings honestly without having a hint of guilt in your story as long as you are working to be a better person.

• Novartis has a team of talented superheroes who are genuine and humble enough to respect all the doubts you have about them as well as the sessions.

• My favourite sessions were the breaks, which didn't allow you to procrastinate, yet managed to make me feel refreshed. These were called, 'energize for life' and included meditation, mindfulness and movement. The three M's of life.

• I think all sessions had something to teach or ponder upon but, we all are biased in the end, and the ones I really enjoyed were: 'Nudge', 'Learning in a changed world', 'Analytics in healthcare and Project LEOPARD', and 'Ethics'. These were the sessions I have least notes of, which means I was engrossed in the lecture and in amazing conversations on the lit chatbox.

• We live in a materialistic world my darling! This is my cue to mention the goodies I received as a starter pack. It included the famous chocolates of Cadbury silk, a backpack that is strong enough to carry all my baggage (just kidding!!! dark pun), a pen and to the book lover's delight, a book. I got these before my birthday, the gifts I received as a surprise. Even their certificates were couriered regardless the event was virtual and you were just a participant and not a winner. They treated us like we were actually there, which gave me the "FOMO' for the first time in life. And how I wished 'COVID-19' didn't happen. (I also wanted to be in that 5-star hotel yk).

• The lectures, all of them, were on time and crisp. I think I have never seen any online event that was so well organised and punctual that it stuck to its timings all the three days. Of course, kudos to the moderator.

• Even though I didn't win. I wish I did though. For the first time, there is sadness regarding this. Anyway, it is worth mentioning that you receive goodies for your team, individual win and they had special honour for the social bees as well.

• I was engrossed for all the three days. Didn't feel that virtual at all. I was dead tired at the end and my tasks were all over the place as we were up solving case studies and making notes till 2 am, I still will cherish every bit of it.

How do you get there?

This event is held annually and more than a thousand students apply. For you to get into the top 50 lucky peeps, they have set of rounds you need to qualify including registering, aptitude and essay writing.

Glimpses

Love,

Lunatica

---

PS: I thought really hard to make this blog a bit different. However, I couldn't do much about it. I kept it honest and simple. Hope you guys enjoy it :)