Student loans for very mature students

Wyndham

As an Admissions Officer, judging your motivation and ability is mandatory.....

JimmyTheWig

Dave,

My biggest gripe about these boards is when people ask a question, on an open forum such as this is, and don't like it when people give answers that don't directly answer their question.

It's an open forum. It will be inhabited by experts, idiots and various degrees between the two. If you only want expert opinions then find an expert (e.g. at your local university, maybe) and ask them. If you want opinions from all and sundry, ask on a public forum.

As well as anyone being able to answer, people are able to answer in the way that they see fit.

Now it sounded, from your first posts, like you were hoping to go down this route as an easy option, as a way to give up work earlier than you would otherwise have to and that you weren't that fussed about the course that you would do.
If that is the case then, regardless of whether you'd be able to secure funding or not, people trying to help have a duty to point out that if you don't put in a lot of work you will not pass the years of the course and end up being chucked off - at which point any funding you had coming would be lost. If you've given up work to pursue this "easy option", you'd then be stuck.
I think it is entirely correct, then, that people pointed that out.

Other people will feel a duty to speak out against what they see as an injustice. I think that is a very worthy thing to do.
People saw you wanting to take up a valuable university place, at an expense to them as a taxpayer, for no apparent reason other than to be able to give up work early.
In some ways your first posts came across as equivalent to someone saying "I want to give up work and live off benefits". I would expect such a post to receive some criticism.

It may be that you mis-represented yourself in those early posts. In which case you've been unfairly treated.
But I hope that you have learnt from the experience.
As Wyndham says, an Admissions Officer would have to make a judgement on you. It is better that you make those mistakes on here to a bunch of strangers than in real-life in front of someone able to say yay or nay to your university place.

So thank you, MSE forum users, I think in general you've done a good job. Slightly harsh at times, maybe, but a good job in general.

davestretty

I am not applying for anything other than information, and will be happy to submit to the examination of a "real" professional if and when the occasion arises, but not by you. How professional you must be if your judgement is based on a few forum posts and a very personal prejudice. Based on that "detailed" examination you and others have chosen not to provide needed information and help not only to me but to the nearly 3000 others who have viewed this topic hoping for an answer. You should hang your heads in shame.

As for my post Taiko refers to above, I objected to Taiko's tone in that post as that of Judge, Jury and executioner seeing only black and white and ignoring the fact that the system makes it impossible, in this students situation, to be totally accurate all of the time. Obviously Taiko took great exception to this.

JTW you are correct in some of your assertions, though "answers that don't directly answer the question" are actually just opinion and often judgement. In my defence I believed that this was a forum where people would freely give unbiased help and advice. I admit I have been shown to be wrong. I would and will continue to do this without judgement.

Taiko

What's to say the 3000 others were looking for information on this topic? Chances are, the majority were people much like myself or you returning to review the thread/reply.

Yes. the system is hard to estimate. But when you are knowingly overestimating things, such as the case I referred to, then it becomes fraudulent.

My earlier statement regarding maintenance grant stands, in that you will not be eligible for it at 60.

davestretty

Taiko wrote: »

What's to say the 3000 others were looking for information on this topic? Chances are, the majority were people much like myself or you returning to review the thread/reply.

Yes. the system is hard to estimate. But when you are knowingly overestimating things, such as the case I referred to, then it becomes fraudulent.

My earlier statement regarding maintenance grant stands, in that you will not be eligible for it at 60.

And chances are that many, many of them were looking for information - again not for you to judge.

Tell that to around 600 MP's (one rule for the rich, one for the poor).

Maybe, though not at all clear, and >60 a special support grant may be available. Eligibility for a maintenance loan does continue after 60 if established prior to 60 as I'm sure you now realise, but thanks for a civil response.

BTW If/when I am forced to join >6 million out of work I would much prefer to receive help to study than receive a different kind of benefit for doing nothing - that is and was my point.

Taiko

Guess you need to hope your admissions tutor isn't Wyndham then, and your assessor isn't as kind as I am for assessing student finance.

Wyndham

Taiko wrote: »

Guess you need to hope your admissions tutor isn't Wyndham then, and your assessor isn't as kind as I am for assessing student finance.

{{Giggles}}

Taiko

But in this field, you wouldn't need to pay for a professional. It's provided free.

Something smells a bit like duplication though tbh.

heartbreak_star

Duplication isn't the word I'd have used...

HBS x

Taiko

Oddly, the post I made that was helpful was removed.