As you might have guessed from my Salford review, I'm something of a Salford University fan. And…read morewhile Manchester Metropolitan is still a great university, there's one word that comes to mind when I think about it. 'Fragmented'. I could be completely wrong, after all, it was a post-grad course I did here and they tend to be sectioned off somewhat from the rest of the crowd... hang on, I tell a lie. One of my best friends is currently doing her Masters at Salford and she feels part of the machine, so it goes to show, there can be differences. The fact that Manchester Met has so many campuses has a great deal to do with it, I think. The main campus is set across Oxford Road, which as we all know is one of Manchester's main party streets. Bars, clubs, pubs aplenty are dotted along the street, so your student accommodation would only be a stone's throw from someone being sick via too much sambuca. Depending on what kind of student you are, this can be a good thing or a bad thing. But there's more. While Oxford Road has a sense of community, some students are chucked far, far away on a campus entitled Crewe and Alsager. Have you ever passed Crewe on a train from Manchester to God-knows-where? I have. Many times. It takes a very long time. And I visited the Crewe campus. There is NOTHING there. Similarly campuses are scattered around Didsbury as well as other parts of Manchester... perhaps I feel like I've been spoiled with Salford and the fact that everything's within walking distance - in fact I know I have. I do admire Man Met's student union building, as it even has a rock club in it, and the Humanities department has a great mix of teachers. I adored my supervisors during my Masters, they were fabulous. However one of my best friends did make the mistake about talking about Man Met's 'not so great reputation' (the rumour that they'll let anyone in regardless of grades) on The Weakest Link, to which Anne Robinson raised an eyebrow and the Man Met head honchos chastised him greatly. So my conclusion would be, don't get drawn in by its central location and party atmosphere. Go there because you like the tutors and find a course that suits you. If you do, you have the potential to make good use of Manchester's student Mecca. Enjoy! (Just don't get stuck in Crewe, for the love of God. Unless you're into suburbs and trumpets.)

mmu = mickey mouse university…read more the happiest place on earth! This area includes All Saints, The New Business School, Hollings Faculty, Mabel Tylecote, School of Art and Geoffrey Manton to name a few. On the other side of Oxford road are delicious cheap takeouts and easy-going cheap pubs. Lovely place to go for a pint when you have had enough of seminars and lectures.

The School Sound Recording (known by most as SSR) is a leading media training facility and…read morerecording studio. Winner of the Manchester Evening News 'Business of the Year Award' in 2009, SSR has been attracting a lot of attention recently, and rightly so. The venue is a little out of the way but inside the bland looking building is a sweetshop full of studios, suites and computer labs to satisfy any nerd's wildest fantasies. All of their facilities and equipment are top of the range and expertly kept. Aside from running a tight ship the staff at SSR are great teachers, offering courses to suit a range of interests, levels and abilities. Alongside the teaching spaces and little dark rooms with twiddly nobs and pushy buttons are a few great places to hang out. There is a large live performance space where bands play and record and a penthouse recording studio graced by the likes of The Smiths, New Order and The Stone Roses back in the day. I'd highly recommend SSR to anyone looking to further their media career or learn their way around some new software. Rates are competitive with those at similar studios like Futureworks, but I'd say SSR is just a tiny bit more special.

From the owner: Welcome to Spirit Studios - the UK's first music production and sound engineering school. As…read morepassionate about music as you are, we're a small community of expert tutors and talented students in the heart of Manchester. Here, you'll learn from industry professionals. You'll get your hands on cutting-edge kit in our professional studios. You'll get ready for a successful career in music or sound.