My student daughter cannot get a student account!

notafan

That's from 2007 although that is still a rent only figure.

All the ones I've mentioned previously will apply at that point.

I've been through figures with you, you just said they wont apply to you.

notafan

Jennikay wrote: »

1. That's a private hall, and it's ensuite. (No-one needs ensuite.)
2. Halls owned by UoM are significantly cheaper. (Mine is ~£4200 catered.)
3. Rented accom. is significantly cheaper. (Mine next year will be £3003. And I now won't need a bus pass at £175 for the year.)

£5900 is MORE than I paid last year to stay in Beit Hall, overlooking the Royal Albert Hall! :eek:

I don't dispute there are cheaper halls, some uni's allocate accommodation and as such there's limited choice. It might well have 1000 hall spaces at 3000 per annum but it might also have 1000 at 4500 per annum. Some students will pay more. And yes it is a private hall, but as there aren't enough University built halls in Manchester the Uni's contract a handful of companies each with 10/20 halls which they bulk buy the rooms and put there students in. You apply through the Uni accom office in the normal way and some students are allocated those halls.

Rented accommodation is cheaper but it comes with the rest of the bills attached.

There will a range of accommodation from cheapest to most expensive but not everyone will get to live in the cheapest and not everyone will live in the most expensive. Its likely to be somewhere in between. And as i keep saying depending on those circumstances with what people end up with its not amazingly easy to live the student loan in its self.

Are all the students in debt, working or getting funding off there parents just really bad at budgeting or being excessive with spending? Some maybe but others its because 6k didn't get you far a few years ago and it gets even less now.

Jennikay

notafan wrote: »

I don't dispute there are cheaper halls, some uni's allocate accommodation and as such there's limited choice. It might well have 1000 hall spaces at 3000 per annum but it might also have 1000 at 4500 per annum. Some students will pay more. And yes it is a private hall, but as there aren't enough University built halls in Manchester the Uni's contract a handful of companies each with 10/20 halls which they bulk buy the rooms and put there students in. You apply through the Uni accom office in the normal way and some students are allocated those halls.

Rented accommodation is cheaper but it comes with the rest of the bills attached.

There will a range of accommodation from cheapest to most expensive but not everyone will get to live in the cheapest and not everyone will live in the most expensive. Its likely to be somewhere in between. And as i keep saying depending on those circumstances with what people end up with its not amazingly easy to live the student loan in its self.

Are all the students in debt, working or getting funding off there parents just really bad at budgeting or being excessive with spending? Some maybe but others its because 6k didn't get you far a few years ago and it gets even less now.

I applied for 3 ensuite halls. What did I get? Chucked into one of the cheaper ones. No-one wants the cheaper ones here. If you apply for Owens Park, you'll get it, without fail. And that's £4200, catered.

(Sorry. I appreciate you're probably not anything like as familiar with UoM's accommodation as me. But £6k is absolutely extravagant for Manchester. I also have no idea about MMU other than the one person I know there, who does actually live in a private hall.)

I don't believe for a second I could live on £6k a year, but I'm a total wastrel. But that's a different matter!

Jennikay

Ahhh and I think you're quoting for ~50 weeks. My halls are ~40 weeks.

Derivative

That's another one I don't understand either.
Most of the students here went for expensive accommodation - we run a ballot for halls, I got first pick of all of the budget rooms.

It's a box I sleep in, no need for a huge space. Work in the library, sit around in common areas.

My aim is to get in and out of Uni as cheaply as possible, I can start enjoying my money spending it on trinkets when I'm actually in the black.

£4200 catered sounds awesome though. Our meals are bloody expensive if you don't cook for yourself.

System

EdgEy wrote: »

That is my main point. The assumption is that you stay home outside term time, the loans are worked on the idea you spend roughly half the year at Uni.

Yes, there are situations in which people may have to stay all year for some reason. It is not common and it is generally a personal choice.

I do get halls after first year BTW, but even if not, you still pay no CT and to be honest, my halls are more expensive than private simply due to city centre location. If I were to go private I'd go further out and end up paying less even after bills.

It is "possible" to pay over £1k a term in the South, remember not all universities are there. I am saying that is the top end and many students pay less than that. The Universities that "aren't in Sunderland" as you call it charge around £3k/uni year, which is manageable. I would be impressed if you can find me anywhere charging more than 4k for term time that doesn't include cafeteria allowance or something.

I barely knew anyone who went home during term time, mainly because they were busy working over summer. The only ones who went home were the rich kids who's parents paid for everything and the ones lucky enough to have had a job at home that was kept open for them whilst at uni.

The rest of us worked.

Derivative

Okay, sod it.
I give up.

http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Prepare/Cost.htm (bottom of page)
2008 Natwest Student Living Index
Average per week spent on the following things:

Alcohol £28/wk
Cigarettes £14/wk
Clothes £17/wk
Going out £16/wk
Eating out £15/wk

That's £90/week straight off the bat. 30 weeks of that is £2700.

"Average student" is a lost cause. I concede. All of these things are essential to live on.

Look, these expenses are not things you have to do. If you really think that it's worth getting into more debt over this and not using the loans for what they're meant - then you are going to run into trouble and need that part time job. I've never said otherwise.

susan42

Hi

I watch all these student debates with interest as my son goes in september.

If anyone can answer these questions i`d be much obliged....it all seems a mine field

Firstly someone mention Child Benefit - does it stop. I thought it did.

also child tax credit does that stop?

And can anyone tell me if foods expensive in leeds met....the digs seem to be at £100 a week

Thanks in advance...

Derivative

susan42 wrote: »

Hi

I watch all these student debates with interest as my son goes in september.

If anyone can answer these questions i`d be much obliged....it all seems a mine field

Firstly someone mention Child Benefit - does it stop. I thought it did.

also child tax credit does that stop?

And can anyone tell me if foods expensive in leeds met....the digs seem to be at £100 a week

Thanks in advance...

Both stop when your son enters a degree course.

References:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/ChildBenefitandChildTrustFund/Childbenefits/KeepingyourChildBenefituptodate/ChildBenefitafter16/DG_173715

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/TaxCredits/Keepingyourtaxcreditsuptodate/Changesthataffectyourtaxcredits/Familychanges/DG_172979

This site has some good info on which halls have kitchens: http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/accommodation/

notafan

Jennikay wrote: »

I applied for 3 ensuite halls. What did I get? Chucked into one of the cheaper ones. No-one wants the cheaper ones here. If you apply for Owens Park, you'll get it, without fail. And that's £4200, catered.

(Sorry. I appreciate you're probably not anything like as familiar with UoM's accommodation as me. But £6k is absolutely extravagant for Manchester. I also have no idea about MMU other than the one person I know there, who does actually live in a private hall.)

I don't believe for a second I could live on £6k a year, but I'm a total wastrel. But that's a different matter!

I'm very familiar with UOM accommodation , i'm pretty familiar with Owens park too - does it have any fire extinguishers left or are they still throwing them off the roof :rotfl:

But i'm with you on the living on the 6k!