starting uni - any tips and advice please

TDQO

What squirrel chops said...

You'll find you're accepted just the same no matter your age and you will get pestered as you'll be expected to know a lot more about life in general than most students!

All I would say is mingle and make friends with the younger students cus you'll have a blast and a whole load of new experiences.

rb1

Don't worry too much, you will love it. I had 2 stints at Uni, the second as a mature student. I paid off my credit cards first (very hard but do-able at that time). You will never take money for granted when you are a student- it's a good lesson for life as it makes you appreciate what you've got. It's tough but there's a great cameraderie amongst your fellow students as everyone's in the same boat. I think it's even better as a mature student. You can enjoy the best bits but are wise enough to avoid any potential hazards / unwise temptations.(well most of them!):rotfl:

No_Future

doesn't sound huge but...DON'T rush out and buy all the essential text books. search around online, use bookbutler, waterstones points etc for the best deals. wherever possible borrow from library and keep renewing if they have what you need especially if you only ened the books for a short time.

also DON'T pay to join lots of societies. i paid for one or two i knew i wanted to join and the rest i joined the email list for. you won't have time to go to all of them anyway. you can always pay to join at a later date

Char_pdc

I second the textbook thing, wait a few weeks see what you need and whether its any good before you think about buying it.

I bought loads of books in my first year I didn't need - luckily my sister went to a uni doing a similar course so I sold them all on to her

gunsandbanjos

lrr wrote: »

I have the added fun of being a female doing Engineering which will probably be full of guys!

I will probably end up being like their surrogate mum!

I think you'll be surprised how many women will be on your course;) I'm doing a maths degree and its about a 50/50 split, we're in the engineering building for lots of our courses and i see loads of women. One of my friends is doing mech eng and loving it!

Oldernotwiser

aurora_14 wrote: »

Forgot to mention - I will be keeping a spending diary. I keep two for our household anyway (1-standard bills and taxes, 2-other expenditures) - just because it helped to get some stability. Being in debt is not very good and we are about 6 months away from not being in the "red" anymore.:j But I am thinking, I really need the student loan to pay the fees (just over £3000 per academic year - that'll be £9000 for the 3 years :eek::eek::eek:) however, I am considering if I could manage without the maintenance loan - so to repay less in the end. What do you think? I am entitled to some sort of a bursary from my uni - circa £1200. The maintenance loan I think will only add a load more to the final debt. Don't know...

Do you understand what a soft option a Student Loan is and the conditions for the repayment? You really shouldn't be comparing it with normal debt because it's completely different.

squirrelchops

Hi aurora...I think it is the maintenance GRANT you are talking about...the means tested one.....you don't have to pay this back if you qualify for it.

There is a lot of advice on here about paying back student loans and the like. Personally, and some may shout me down here....I would say get the loan etc and don't use it for paying tuition fees unless you really must. Some put it into a bank a/c to get a better interest rate than what you pay back on the loan and then end of Uni pay back the loan but keep the extra interest accrued.

Of course currenlty with interest rates so low it is all a bit pants! however, to be honest I would get the loan and not be overly ocncerned about the 'end' debt.....I see it as a necessary debt to progress further. Also you don't pay it back until you earn over £15k. i just think it is better to have this extra £3k a year that can take some of your financial worries away as you will have lots of other Uni stresses to deal with let alone money.

Right best go as am working at Uni today showing prospective students around! Ah well £7 per hour is not to be sneezed at!

Aspiring

Hi aurora 14

I'm also a mature student starting Uni in September; there is a wealth of information/tips/suggestions on this board and I would suggest you have a very large cup of coffee on hand, make yourself comfortable and start reading :rotfl:

I have been accepted by all the institutions I applied to, so my greatest problem right now is deciding which one to accept. It's a very exciting time, bit overwhelming too.

Here are some of the threads I've found particularly interesting/helpful:-

The great "wish I'd known before I was a student" ----
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1129275&highlight=Aspiring

Ways of studying - - -- - - http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1481937

How long do you dedicate to your study time
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1473227

"Mature", mature students (past, present & future)
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1425433

Good luck :beer:

Oldernotwiser

aurora_14 wrote: »

Do you see what I mean? Help pls.


xxx

Sorry, what help do you want?

lrr_2

Does any of you out there have kids? Im just wondering how I will juggle everything especially as a single parent. However worked full-time before I went to college and not afraid of a bit of hard work.