Just because it didn't happen for you doesn't mean it doesn't happen for other people.
Student support grants likely to be axed
- Thread starter thebennyboy
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Just because it didn't happen for you doesn't mean it doesn't happen for other people.
In fact, he didn't. He was being sardonic.
Humorously, you just didn't see it. Presumably, because you are in agreement that poor people should not be educated (?)
I studied full time and worked in the summer. Started with nothing, was given nothing. I didn't work during semesters. The only reason people needed help before was to fund tuition fees which were paid up front back then, now they are not. You don't need any grants to help you.
Soldato
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Good for you, but that solution doesn't suit or isn't available to many.
Literally never.
The poorer students when I was at uni (myself included) had to be noticeably much more frugal than our wealthy peers. It's frustrating and demotivating when you're working your arse off to compete, and your classmates have £thousands more to spend on leisure every term because their parents are picking up the tab for their accommodation and food.
Do you actually think that "how often do you read about" gives you anything approximating an accurate picture of how often something actually happens?
Let me give you an easy comparison: how often do you read "plane lands safely at airport" compared to "planes crashes and everyone dies"? Now, how often do planes actually land safely compared to the number of times a plane crashes and everyone dies?
Soldato
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As with every news story, more often than it happens in reality.
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I only got £4500 when I was in uni. That was for everything, it gave me £1500 per term. £900 went straight into my rent and was supposed to live off £50 per week including bills and food. Its near impossible to live off that whilst paying bills. The only way I could manage was to make use of my student overdraft, which I hated using but had no other choice. I am nowhere near to paying it off but thankfully it'll remain interest free for the next couple of years so I can pay it off.
I'm going to be controversial and say "good!".
Just because your parents earn more than the £32k or whatever the limit was combined, doesn't mean they're going to/be able to give you cash for University. I funded it all myself via part time jobs and the standard student loan except the odd food shop done by my parents. 2nd summer I done an internship. Why should someone with parents who earn half that of my own get a load of free money?
They should take loans like everyone else. If they do something where they earn a lot of money, they'll pay it back. If they decide to sit at home, they won't and it will effectively be a grant anyway.
I get that it was meant to be an incentive to get poor people to go to University but it doesn't work when its unfair and shafts others.
Note: More well off students will have parents who will pay for their fees/rent. Not much you can do about that. Just don't shaft those in the middle.
Just because your parents earn more than the £32k or whatever the limit was combined, doesn't mean they're going to/be able to give you cash for University. I funded it all myself via part time jobs and the standard student loan except the odd food shop done by my parents. 2nd summer I done an internship. Why should someone with parents who earn half that of my own get a load of free money?
They should take loans like everyone else. If they do something where they earn a lot of money, they'll pay it back. If they decide to sit at home, they won't and it will effectively be a grant anyway.
I get that it was meant to be an incentive to get poor people to go to University but it doesn't work when its unfair and shafts others.
Note: More well off students will have parents who will pay for their fees/rent. Not much you can do about that. Just don't shaft those in the middle.
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It doesn't "shaft others". You didn't get money taken away from you to give to poor students.
FWIW, I was relatively poor at Uni, but parental income (being approx £35k combined) was above being grant-worthy and still necessitated some (but not all) of the income based tuition fees (uni 2000-2003). I even had to cover those tuition fees myself as my parents couldn't pay it.
People complain about degrees in non-subjects but if you're doing a serious degree in science or engineering then you don't have time for a job as well. Remove these grants and poorer students will be put off from going to university.
Everyone benefits from our brightest students going to university. This feels incredible short-sighted and mean.
Everyone benefits from our brightest students going to university. This feels incredible short-sighted and mean.
The only way this could work is if they were to up the amount available to low income students as part of the maintenance part of the student loan. So same amount of cash but all of it via a loan instead.
Or possibly keep grants for specific subjects where there is a recognised shortage?
Or possibly keep grants for specific subjects where there is a recognised shortage?
Caporegime
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Do people have an expectation to receive this money?
No-one is 'entitled' to any handouts whatsoever.
But i'm sure some angry unwashed students will shout in London for a few days.
No-one is 'entitled' to any handouts whatsoever.
But i'm sure some angry unwashed students will shout in London for a few days.
U wot M8
We're talking, idealogically, about encouraging the poorest to attend university. We know, statistically, that poor gifted students are much less likely to go on to higher education than their wealthier equivalents. We also know that grants have been an important part of helping redress that imbalance.
It's not about people being all "entitled", it's about the fact that they simply won't go to uni if the costs appear too high. That's creates a real opportunity cost to the country in lost productivity. And it's hardly meritocratic to increase barriers to poor people's social mobility.
Get the full maintenance loan and top it up with working part time during term time or full time during holidays. It's what most non grant aided students do.
While on the surface it seems not great it seems similar to the grants they used to give to sixth formers. Most of it was spent on going out and having fun, while those slightly better off had to work for the same amount of money. Unfortunately the few that actually needed it lost out but the majority just lost their play money.
Isn't this also offset in part by the significant increase in grants to poorer students from universities themselves, which was part of the promise given when tuition fees went up.
On a different note I hope people will start to realise that they were WAY too harsh on the Lib Dems for their performance in the last government. We will be seeing a raft of cuts and laws the Lib Dems blocked coming back in over the next few years, hopefully people will remember for next time.
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But I just showed you how the system is broken.
Get rid of it entirely then.
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No. I just feel that they should support themselves doing it. The tax payer shouldn't have to foot the bill for students getting drunk when what they could and should be doing is working as many jobs as possible outside of their studies to support themselves.