There's always a place to work, there's enough space for students, Futureworks has everything you need to work, amazing drawing pads and subscriptions to all the software you need. The place is very down to earth. There are lounge rooms and it's all very open. I can't really think of any issues I have with Futureworks. The staff listens to student ideas and they model the uni around them.

The tutors are very caring and understanding, when you have an issue they're really easy to talk to. There are student services you can talk to if you're having any personal issues. It's obvious that the tutors all really care about what they're teaching and they enjoy it. We haven't had many online lessons as we started just after lockdown. This might change considering the things we will be learning next year but I'm sure they will be able to handle it. I have full trust in the staff at Futureworks to help me on my journey to working in the games industry.

The main building itself is quite a small, quaint campus - it is quite easy to bump into people and get to know others who aren't on your course. The location is extremely convenient, you are a 10-20 minute walk from most places in the city centre, and although there is no specific Futureworks student accommodation, there are plenty of student accommodation facilities in close proximity to the university, many of my friends stayed at places such as Riverside, X1 Lettings and iQ. Public transport in the city is very convenient, there are free buses that take you around the city centre and you are close to both Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria train stations. The metrolink service is also very convenient. The uni hosts a few events, such as Life Drawing classes and talks from game companies/industry professionals, but it would be nice if these were more frequent. As it is only a small uni, there is no students' union per se, but social and live music events are hosted during the semester and during reading weeks which are a good opportunity to meet other people at the uni who are not necessarily on your course. The facilities are quite good for a small uni, for the art students we can book out Wacom Cintiqs and other smaller tablets to use within the building for our work, and there is a drop-in area where you can work on computers outside of lecture time. Double-monitor setups are used in all of the Art & Design classrooms, which is extremely beneficial when you are using the specialist software, however it would be nice if this was also the case in the drop-in area where PCs currently only have one monitor. There is quite a small library in the building, but we also have access to UClan's online library. I've personally never used either of these myself, but I have friends who frequently use the library to borrow out books. I have not had much interaction with student services and support, but I am aware there are free counselling sessions, financial support and bursaries available. On a day to day basis, the tutors are very supportive and understanding, it is easy to reach out to them if you have any concerns.

The tutors are extremely knowledgeable in their field, and are all past/current industry professionals - their feedback and support is invaluable and easy to obtain. Lectures are usually 4 hours long 3x a week, which consists on average of 1-2 hours of tutor-taught content with the rest of the session being a workshop-like environment where you can practice what you've learnt and work on your coursework with the tutor on hand to give 1-to-1 feedback. You're expected to complete independent study/practicing on days where you do not have a lecture. Class sizes are also quite small, maybe no more than 20, which is really beneficial as you really get to know your classmates and build a close-knit, supportive creative working environment. The course content itself is relevant to the current industry standards and incredibly engaging, allowing you to build upon both your 2D & 3D skills before later specialising in your preferred area as the course progresses. I personally found this very beneficial, as it allowed me to study mediums I had never considered before - I went into the course wanting to be a 2D Concept Artist and have since decided I would like to be a 3D Character Artist. Support and advice is given on preparing you for life in the creative industry, with modules geared towards personal professional development, presentational skills, and portfolio building skills to name a few. There are no work placement years or internships available as part of the university course, but I don't feel as though my educational experience has suffered for this, my time is spent practicing and learning my skills, I don't feel I would necessarily be ready to work in industry during university as a lot of technical knowledge and educational experience is required before attempting this - it's a really competitive industry to entre in to by default. I still feel as though I am being well-prepared for a job in the creative industry without a year of work experience.

No