I just bought a Ps3, 360, £2000 computer and a 40" plasma screen with my Uni grant!
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how random said:
They're not actually supposed to give you £2500 in cash. It is £2500 worth of support, which can include things like food and bills while you are living with them (Gov't assumes everyone lives with their parent every summer).
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Amp34 said:
Am I the only one that sees the flaw in this argument?
That would cause so much grief. I wouldn't have been able to survive on monthly payments. All the books, equipment and other bits needed for my course were only just covered by the first term's loan. And they were all needed in the first month.
I would much prefer half the years payment to be given in the first term and the other half seperated between the other two. Unfortunatly idiots who can't control themselves put paid to that idea.
I would much prefer half the years payment to be given in the first term and the other half seperated between the other two. Unfortunatly idiots who can't control themselves put paid to that idea.
big_white_dog84 said:
What?
I am saying that even with my parents paying my fees and accomodation I don't have much spare money left over each term to buy luxuries like games consoles and TV's.
The budgeting comment was aimed at the people who buy all these expensive bits and pieces then have to live of £6 a week at the end of term...
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Amp34 said:That would cause so much grief. I wouldn't have been able to survive on monthly payments. All the books, equipment and other bits needed for my course were only just covered by the first term's loan. And they were all needed in the first month.
I would much prefer half the years payment to be given in the first term and the other half seperated between the other two. Unfortunatly idiots who can't control themselves put paid to that idea.
A Monthly payment system would require universitys to alter their systems accordingly also.
Which is why it will never happen, not only would it require co operation between the SLC and the uni's it would also require effort on both sides, something lacking in the current system.
Their argument of course is that "they are young adults, they are responsible for their own lives, what they do with the money is up to them"
Well yeah, technically thats true, but having seen what most "young adults" (i.e. JUST ex teenagers who have never looked after themsevles in their lives) do with a £4000 (now even more) payment when they get it, i can tell you for sure, for at least the first year they NEED to be spoon fed the money in dribs and drabs.
It will annoy the sensible ones but will stop the stupid ones ending up wih thousands in personal debt (but a nice collection of shiny things...) and beyond the first year isnt really necessery.
Should also say, when i was in that situation i firmly believed no one should interfere with what i did with that money. As it happened my parents had taught me well and I even saved some of my loan, but with the benefit of hindsight and experience I can see exactly why some people need to be protected from themselves at that age.
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The problem is uni's can't stagger all of the costs. Books are needed from the word go, the same with most of the equipment and other bits. Unless the university completely drops some parts of the course and reschedules the modules so they are taught one after the other (causing issued because a lot of my modules are interconnected) people will always need more money at the beginning of term and less at the end.
The current system of giving the largest payment at the end is totally silly. It means you may have to go into debt to pay for equipment and food then pay that debt back at the end when the larger payment goes in. At the moment the largest payment is given at the beginning of the shortest term when it is least needed. The argument being that it clears the debt from the other terms, which wouldn't be there for a lot of people if it was given at the beginning.
The current system of giving the largest payment at the end is totally silly. It means you may have to go into debt to pay for equipment and food then pay that debt back at the end when the larger payment goes in. At the moment the largest payment is given at the beginning of the shortest term when it is least needed. The argument being that it clears the debt from the other terms, which wouldn't be there for a lot of people if it was given at the beginning.
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I didn't have a loan for uni, at all.
I paid the tuition fees and my parents gave me £50 a week for food & essentials.
If you're smart you can budget and come out with no debt
It winds me up when people blow their money on DVDs and CDs just because they have surplus cash to spend.
I paid the tuition fees and my parents gave me £50 a week for food & essentials.
If you're smart you can budget and come out with no debt
It winds me up when people blow their money on DVDs and CDs just because they have surplus cash to spend.
No the unis COULD stagger the costs, by absorbing them themselves and offering required reading material to the students on a monthly payment system.
My experience of things such as reading requirements is that lecturers pick 3 or 4 texts as they feel they have to but then never truly identify which are essential. I for one never bought a single "required" course text book and found the notes provided to be more than adequate.
I think its easy to forget as students we are paying the universities near on £3000 a year now (well i didnt but new ones are). In research instititutions, students, especially undergrads, get lost in the system and are literally treated like cash cows.
With a bit of financial jiggery universities could easily ensure that first year students were able to access everything they needed even though they "only" had a monthly payment.
Personally my loan covered my fee's, accomodation and a few other larger costs. My general living cash came from me working 50 hour weeks for every single week during every single holiday.
It meant I could run my car, go out three or so times a week and never once touch my overdraft. I even bought a new computer and car half way through, yet didnt take any extra loans out, always finished the year with a bit of cash to spare too.
It was also my experience that the people who spent all their lump sum payments never worked to sustain their lifestyle, yet another reason to spoon feed them the money. You cant spend what you dont yet have...
My experience of things such as reading requirements is that lecturers pick 3 or 4 texts as they feel they have to but then never truly identify which are essential. I for one never bought a single "required" course text book and found the notes provided to be more than adequate.
I think its easy to forget as students we are paying the universities near on £3000 a year now (well i didnt but new ones are). In research instititutions, students, especially undergrads, get lost in the system and are literally treated like cash cows.
With a bit of financial jiggery universities could easily ensure that first year students were able to access everything they needed even though they "only" had a monthly payment.
Personally my loan covered my fee's, accomodation and a few other larger costs. My general living cash came from me working 50 hour weeks for every single week during every single holiday.
It meant I could run my car, go out three or so times a week and never once touch my overdraft. I even bought a new computer and car half way through, yet didnt take any extra loans out, always finished the year with a bit of cash to spare too.
It was also my experience that the people who spent all their lump sum payments never worked to sustain their lifestyle, yet another reason to spoon feed them the money. You cant spend what you dont yet have...
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Nathan said:I did a lot of illegal stuff at uni, that was why I was able to aford the car I had and spend lots on going out + tech stuff. i.e. my 360 + lcd. You do what you can
No, you stay within the law and work harder
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shifty_uk said:
If your parents could comfortably pay you through, would you have so much angst?
markyp23 said:
I don't really know the answer to that question, as it's not the way I've been brought up. I wouldn't really want to live out of a parents pocket, and certainly wouldn't feel comfortable letting them pay a large sum of money towards my Uni education.
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My student loan and placement earnings have paid for exciting and neccesary student essentials like:
a) Car insurance
b) Uni fees (unlike most I actually have to pay these)
c) A BMW 5 Series
d) Pimp graphics cards
Thats actually about it. To be honest after I've paid for car insurance and my Uni fee's the loan is pretty much gone anyway.
a) Car insurance
b) Uni fees (unlike most I actually have to pay these)
c) A BMW 5 Series
d) Pimp graphics cards
Thats actually about it. To be honest after I've paid for car insurance and my Uni fee's the loan is pretty much gone anyway.
HeadlessChicken said:I'm quite chuffed, I'm getting the normal maintainance loan (£3350ish I think) then and extra £2750 non repayable grant every year.
Working full time from 18 - 24 then going to Uni does have some benefits I guess
See this is what annoys me. Why on earth do you get a £2750 grant? I don't get that.
Technically 'grant' is non-repayable money from the government .Although nothings stops you doing as you wish with it, I'll be using mine to live off ( also get the full grant of £2800). But if they have the savings to get them through uni, why the hell not eh? 
Afaik, its based on parents income? much like EMA.
Afaik, its based on parents income? much like EMA.