PhD by Published Work Computer Science

University of Westminster, London

The staff is very helpful and is always there to support students at any given time. The rooms are well equipped with the best computers and other equipment needed to get the most out of the lesson

My 3-year course at the University of Westminster has been nothing short of an amazing experience from Day 1. Westminster is such a great place to study, particularly because of its location in the heart of London and the accessibility of its different campuses. Throughout my time at the university, I had the opportunity to visit all five campuses: Cavendish, Marylebone, Harrow, Regent Street and Little Titchfield Street, while meeting people from different courses and across the wider university community. Although Cavendish was my primary campus, being able to experience different parts of Westminster and connect with students from different backgrounds significantly elevated my university experience. Even now, as an alumni, I feel incredibly fortunate to remain connected to and part of such an inclusive and supportive community. One of the best aspects of my time at Westminster was the number of opportunities available beyond my degree. I made sure to take advantage of as many of these opportunities as possible, particularly through employability programmes and extracurricular experiences. I took part in Westminster Working Cultures (WWC), the Westminster Award and several other initiatives that allowed me to develop both personally and professionally. One of the highlights was having the opportunity to participate in a six-week intensive programme involving the development of an AI solution project for Cognizant and Aston Martin. Experiences like this allowed me to apply what I had learned through my degree to real-world challenges while also developing my confidence, communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills. These opportunities also allowed me to build valuable connections, friendships and professional relationships with people I may not otherwise have met. Looking back, I believe these experiences were some of the most valuable aspects of my time at Westminster because they allowed me to grow beyond the classroom and make the most of university life. That being said, it is slightly difficult to identify the worst aspects of my university experience because, overall, I genuinely had an amazing time. However, one area that I feel could have been improved was the communication and consistency of information within my course. At times, information was not always streamlined, clear or communicated in sufficient time, which made it difficult for students to understand what was expected of them and plan ahead. As a Course Representative for Business Computing, I sometimes found it challenging to act as the person responsible for streamlining information and communicating updates to my peers when the information provided to us was unclear. I experienced something similar during my role as an EDI Student Champion, where some information was not presented clearly and I often had to speak with my peers, seek clarification and make assumptions to understand what was required. This made it more difficult to communicate confidently with others and, at times, left students unsure about the next steps. I believe this could be improved by providing students with clear, direct and consistent information in a timely manner. Giving students sufficient notice would allow them to plan ahead, understand expectations and organise their schedules accordingly, particularly as students have their own commitments outside of university. Better communication would therefore reduce confusion and prevent students from feeling caught off guard by changes or important information. Despite this, my overall experience at the University of Westminster has been incredibly positive. I have taken advantage of the opportunities presented to me, developed both personally and professionally, built lasting friendships and relationships, and created memories that I will always value. I genuinely loved my time at Westminster and, now that I have graduated, I dearly miss it.

the location and the people are what make it a great place to study at and it could be improved through increased student support.

The best aspect of my university experience has been the practical nature of the Computer Games Development course. I had plenty of opportunities to build projects rather than only study theory, which allowed me to develop my programming skills through real problems and learn from mistakes. I particularly enjoyed the freedom to experiment with different technologies and approaches in my final-year project, as well as working on group projects where I had to collaborate with other programmers, artists, and designers. The worst aspect has been that some parts of the course could have been better organised, particularly when it came to the consistency of teaching and the resources available for certain modules. Some topics required a lot of independent research to properly understand, although this did also teach me to become more self-directed and comfortable learning new technologies on my own. Overall, I appreciated the freedom the course gave me to explore software and game development, and I feel that the practical experience has been one of the most valuable parts of my university experience.

University of Westminster is located in the heart of London. It's closest to all of the historical monuments and places. Which makes it really fun to study. Whenever a student feel a bit bored or sad, can take a walk around and will immediately feel better. The student service is also the best. However, the timing of classes are sometimes not making sense. Like one class in the morning, and the next in the noon. Which makes life a bit difficult. However, overall it's a fun place to study