Anybody NOT work whilst at university?

platinum87 · 16 Nov 2010 at 15:24

DanTheMan said:
Just wondering if anybody went through university without working? Was it easy with all the funding you get or is it nigh on impossible?

Well in london its difficult

Assuming you dont have any savings, and do not live at home, and you dont just sit at the PC all day every day, never go out where you spend money.

Obviously you should work this out on an excel spreadsheet, or if your too lazy for that, i think a few websites have a simple calculator to work it out roughly.

Spyhop · 16 Nov 2010 at 15:41

I didn't, because I was lazy. Luckily there were no fees in Scotland and I slapped living costs on the loan.

Souness said:
I didn't. Got a First. Go figure

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Disco Boy · 16 Nov 2010 at 15:57

No - bank of Mum and Dad.

Abraham · 16 Nov 2010 at 16:38

It depends what other funding you have before going to uni as to whether it's possible.
I could have got by without working, but wanted spending money so I worked.
I worked during the summers too but didn't tend to get much saved really.

iraiguana · 16 Nov 2010 at 17:04

I would work in the summer to pay for nice things whilst I was at uni, again lucky situation for me.

Always do some kind of work in the holidays, get relevant experience if possible (usually very hard).

[TW]Fox · 16 Nov 2010 at 17:08

Judgeneo said:
I can survive very comfortably on my means tested loan, and its less this year than last year.
I worked last summer though to buy this PC.

If your careful the loan is more than adequate.

Maybe now. I started in 2005 when there was no fees loan. I had to pay fee's, up front. So this had to come out of my student loan. Which was £2k if I stayed at home and £3k if I moved away.

If you can survive an entire academic year including accomodation for less than £2k then well, you are very good

Because apparently if your parents both work, you are expected to get them to pay for your life choices.

OpenToSuggestions · 16 Nov 2010 at 17:11

[TW]Fox;17802659 said:
Because apparently if your parents both work, you are expected to get them to pay for your life choices.

I just got an email from the University about grants and that if your household earns under around £36000 then you can get one.

If you are 18 then your parents will be about 40 (or 34 if you live in Stoke On Trent) and if they don't earn £36000 between themselves then they really have not achieved much in life!

[TW]Fox · 16 Nov 2010 at 17:19

mglover070588 said:
If you are 18 then your parents will be about 40 (or 34 if you live in Stoke On Trent) and if they don't earn £36000 between themselves then they really have not achieved much in life!

Thats the thing, I just don't understand it, many of my friends at Uni didnt need a job, were able to live comfortably in rented accomodation etc etc all paid for by a £4k max loan *and* in most cases a £1k completely free 'hardship grant' *and* EXEMPTION for fees, so they didnt need to find £1125 to pay those either.

Whereas I got just the min loan from which I had to pay my fee's because I guess it was expected that at 19 years old I should get my parents to just give me thousands and thousands of quid so I can have a great time for 4 years when they've already done enough for me over the years.

Great situation. So in the end I stayed at home and worked for the entire time. I was financially comfortable as a result and enjoyed the experience but it would have been perhaps nice to at least have a choice!

Moses99p said:
You started uni in 2005, and went to Devonport High School for Boys? Did you have a gap year, perchance?

I did, yea. I also cannot count, as I started Uni in 2004

memyselfandi · 16 Nov 2010 at 17:36

I didn't work (as in part time job) at all whilst I was at Uni and neither did anyone I know. Admittedly this was quite some time ago (I graduated in '97).

Not drinking whilst I was at Uni probably helped me a lot financially.

Salsa · 16 Nov 2010 at 18:33

I work 16 hours a week during term time and full time during holidays to pay for Uni. My means tested loan + independent student bursary go straight into my savings account every month and have not been touched since i started.

By the time i finish my 4 year course i should have made around 2-2.5k after paying back my loan.

Find it hard sometimes to juggle socialising, work and uni but it is possible.

Could probably afford to live on just my loan but would not be able to run my car, buy components for my PC, go out drinking etc.

Dont think i would want to go through uni without working however. I am able to have enough money to spoil myself occasionally and it also gives me something else to do. Has innstilled a good work ethic in me too, which a lot of students these days seem to lack.