Hewlett-Packard Medical Products Group

HKN Underground Guide to VI-A

Location: Andover, Massachusetts
Number of Respondents: 2

Hewlett Packard Medical Products Group is located in suburban Andover, MA. Responses were contradictory regarding whether Hewlett Packard provided help in locating housing or rented cars for the interns. Both respondents lived in MIT dorms and paid approximately $1300 for their summer lodging. One commuited by car, and the other via the company-provided shuttle.

Both respondents found that MIT and the Boston area offered a good number of activities, but declined to comment on them. Unlike the HP location in Boise, HP Andover sponsored many activities to bring its interns together, including a scavenger hunt and a baseball game. Not surprisingly, the respondents felt that they came in contact with many students over the summer, but reported that they had only a moderate amount of interaction with their fellow interns.

The working environment was described as laid-back and the hours as very flexible. Dress was casual. The students rated their co-workers as very competent, and they were respected within the workplace. The students worked in cubicles and had access to state-of-the-art equipment.

The respondents worked in groups ranging in size from 5 to 25. The second-year student worked on product development, while the graduate student did applied research relating to his thesis. It was moderately easy to switch between groups in different years, and doing so was somewhat encouraged. Students felt their work was somewhat important to the overall objectives of their groups.

Hewlett Packard did not pay for health or moving expenses, but did pay for fifth-year, first-term tuition. Salaries seemed to be slightly above average for the East Coast.

Overall, the students loved Hewlett Packard and their groups, and would choose to work there again. Both also expressed interest in working there after graduation.

"Very conducive to productivity and teamwork."
"LOTS of help from very friendly folks."

Statistics:
Difficulty in finding housing: 1.0/5
Housing expense: $100/week
Travel expense: $170 total
Freedom in defining one's project: 4.5/5
Ease of switching groups between years: 4.0/5
Encouragement to try out different groups: 4.0/5
Satisfaction with current work assignment: 5.0/5
Amount of interaction between students: 3.5/5
Flexibility of hours: 5.0/5
Amount saved during the summer: $3000
Overall impression of the company: 5.0/5

Hewlett-Packard Business LaserJet Division Connectivity Laboratory
HKN Guide
IBM (Almaden Research Center)