Please could someone give advice

Wendy1_2

In a couple of years my daughter will be thinking about HE.
She is starting her last year of year 11 and then going to sixth form after.
I know its a bit early to think about this.
She is very interested in graphic design and wanting to get a degree for this.
She likes the idea of moving and living at Uni.
However, there is a school of design that offers the degree close to where we live.
If she could go there it would mean not costing as much as if she had to live away and far less debt at the end of it all.
Please could anyone give some advice - I really hate the thought of her ending up in thousands of pounds worth of debt when she could do it here and not have half the debt.
She won't qualify for any bursary or grant as we just make the household income that won't qualify.
Many thanks
Wendy

mrcow

Wendy1 wrote:

She likes the idea of moving and living at Uni.
However, there is a school of design that offers the degree close to where we live.

What's the university that's near you? Is it any good for the course? Just because a university offers a particular course, it doesn't mean that it's got a good reputation etc. I think she's better off picking a wide selection of universities initially (including the one close by) and visiting them all (with you if possible!) before a decision is made.

If she's got her heart set on moving out, then you need to sit down with her and do the maths! It's a great experience for any 18 year old IMO but if it's going to cripple you and/or her financially, then she has to look at her options like the adult she's going to become.

chatta

Same boat as you. Sorry, I tried to bribe my daughter with all sorts, a car that i would pay for, free living at home. She already had key to front door and believe me I never gave her hard time with times to be in at night. If they want to go away to uni they will, it seems all part of growing up. She has sorted out her loans etc, which appear to be cheap, and there was nothing I could say or do. Try to be happy that she is at least going on to HE. We have uni less than 10 minute walk but it made no difference. All you can do is be supportive and hope she earns enough at end of it to pay off the loans they are encouraged to take out.

md_14uk

I agree with Mr Cow! You should visit as many of the potential Uni's as possible. I studied at a Uni close to home and at the time felt I had missed out a bit on 'Uni life.' Four years on from that I'm please to only have a tiny student loan.

I would suggest that you explain to your daughter what the situation is with money in your family. Perhaps she could get a part time job whilst doing A Level's?? Obviously you don't want this to affect her studies so maybe only a few hours a week + working extra during holidays. She could then start to save a little bit towards Uni costs now!

You could also start up a Uni fund if she has her heart set on moving away... The lloyds TSB regular saver account at 8% for two years might be a good bet for this - Try other parts of MSE for money generating ideas.

Otherwise pray she gets a boyfriend (or girlfriend!) at sixth form and they want to stay at home together throughout UNi! - No seriously a lot can change in 3 years, especially when you're 15-18!

ffeindadifyr

As mrcow says the quality of the degree is important in this type of subject, as you would be using the uni to make contacts aso.

In my opinion an university degree is a big commitment financially and more and it is important that you invest wisely. A degree that works out cheaper as you study might not actually work out to be the best deal in the long term as a degree at a "better" university could make it easier to find better paying jobs in the future.

After saying this though I stayed in my home town for my first degree (physics) and stayed in Halls for the first year and lived at home for the final two. I think this could be a good compromise for your daughter as she will be able to live a full student life in the first year with family support close by - which saves a bundle of money. Then in the 2nd and 3rd she could decide whether to stay in halls or rented accomodation or living at home, which could give the right environment to push for a top grade.

kittiwoz

I think moving away from home and learning to live as an independent adult is an important part of the uni experience. I also agree that the reputation of the art school and quality of the course is important and this is something your daughter will need to do some research into. Also consider whether she would benefit from doing an art foundation. This is a one year FE course for which she could recieve fees funding from the LEA but will not recieve help with living exepenses for and so would probably have to do at a local college.

Wendy1_2

mrcow wrote:

What's the university that's near you? Is it any good for the course? Just because a university offers a particular course, it doesn't mean that it's got a good reputation etc.

Thanks for all the replies.
It would be the Norwich School of Art and Design.

Savvy_Sue

Let her look around and choose where she wants to go. I was very chuffed when 5 of DS1's Uni choices were within a 2 hour drive, and his 6th choice was somewhere he didn't really want to go but his friend was going there so he just put it down to fill up the form! :rolleyes: Me, I made my choices almost based on distance, all the other end of the country to my parents! :rotfl:

He even put our local uni down and said he'd liked the look of it better than he wanted to! Because he did want to get away, and he's been very happy with his choice.

Volcano

If you have a top class uni like UEA on your doorstep then you really should consider that first before an art school, if she does decide to stay in Norwich.

Do bear in mind that graduates generally earn more than those without a degree AND several thousand pounds of student loans are completely different to several thousand pounds of a bank or other loan.

Wendy1_2

Volcano wrote:

If you have a top class uni like UEA on your doorstep then you really should consider that first before an art school, if she does decide to stay in Norwich.

Yes - agree that graduates should earn more and this should outweigh the debts. Unfortunately UEA does not do any graphic design courses.

AliceTickband

I don't have any experience of art schools but have just been through whole university application process with my daughter - she starts uni next month. It's very difficult as a parent because you don't want to interfere or make them feeling you're trying to tell them what to do, but on the other hand they may well need a bit of a push to start thinking about the world after school/college. This is what we did.

Used guides like those published by The Times, Virgin and Push to get some idea of which unis had a good reputation and which were ranked highly for the subject she wanted to study. After listing about 25 unis she visited their websites, checking on what the course entailed, the entry requirements etc and generally trying to get an idea of what they offered. She then requested prospectuses for all those she liked and whose entry requirements she thought she'd meet.

Last summer we visited seven universities that she'd shortlisted - many have Open Days in the vacations or September/October. A university can look very appealing in the prospectus and then just not feel 'right' when you get there. She received offers from five of the six unis she applied to - quite a few more than most of her friends - which I'm sure was because she'd done so much research. (And she's got a place at her first choice.)

Hope this is helpful, Wendy, and the best of luck!