Hiii. Im studying past 2020. (I cant state my year otherwise I could be easily identified). Heres my piece on this programme.
1: You are definitely privileged to have been chosen for this programme, but you are unfortunate to have to go through this programme.
2: The programme is particularly aimed at students who graduated from a MSc in Quantitative Finance, Mathematics, Physics. I do not recommend this programme at all if you have chosen Economics, Finance, Engineering or Computer Science because you will suffer to understand the maths covered; there are better programmes that target students from the backgrounds mentioned for the similar Risk Management programme
3: The professors are exceptionally well qualified, and the resources you gain are plentiful (provided you actively search for them). But from personal experience, the professors do not have adequate pedagogical skills to teach students the mathematical fundamentals before approaching the financial parts, (the interactivity and teaching is approximately as good as watching a youtube video with a big slide pack).
4: If you wish to continue, keep in mind to use the student resources during your 1 year to your best potential as the fees for this programme is exceptionally high, (beyond adequate reason). Try to take full advantages of all UCL facilities, they are top class besides the education.
5: Getting to the question: UCL during my year organized work placements. We had a choice of projects offered by industries, (anonymized so that we dont choose based on company profile but rather project interest). Note: you can choose a work placement of your own provided it aligns with your programme and you can identify a project that meets the criterion of your placement and espescially university programme. You can also choose to work on an academic project with a supervisor. BUT; only work placements you seek out yourself can be with pay. Nothing UCL offers comes with pay for the most part.
To sum up; a degree at UCL can go a long way, and your experience at UCL can be good given you match the criterion as mentioned above, and actively involve yourself. But I am sure there are better opportunities elsewhere for a lower fees with better teaching, (though perhaps not with the same brand value as UCL).