A Thread for After Debt?

JulieGeorgiana

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

.... for some totally illogical reason I seem to need to be at the absolute fixed deadline in order to produce anything - when it comes to this point, I manage perfectly fine to do them, yet had spent/wasted goodness knows how many hours the previous weeks not getting anywhere!

I went to Uni Part Time as 'on the job' training... and I did the EXACT same thing!! It was as if the pressure of having to hand in the assignment made my brain work! The amount of hours I would spend 'trying to get away from it' was a LOT!!!!

I am now determined NEVER to do any 'formal' training again, because even though I got a distinction it's my prefessional qualifications that get me the job! My best qualifications were only 3 and 5 days long (granted 18-20 hour days but as it's only a week you can live with that!!)

rising_from_the_ashes

JulieGeorgiana wrote: »

It was as if the pressure of having to hand in the assignment made my brain work!

That's me totally! (so glad I'm not the only one:D).

It does put me off trying to finish it a bit ... but I really need to try to do it if it's at all feasible money wise - have had a read through O*Us credit transfer rules again and now looking doubtful. I don't know why they do it differently from other Uni's (?):

All Uni's I've applied to - except O*U .... automatic entrance to Yr 3 = 240 / 360 points so 120 to do

O*U .... 12 points / unit = 192 points so 168 to do . I know it's only 48 points but it makes a big difference both time wise and cost wise.

JulieGeorgiana

That's an extra 4 units!! How much does it cost per unit??

I've never done OU so don't understand how points and units work?!?!?!

But there is a 30% difference! That's a lot!!!

SOT2011

I didn't even try for transfer of credits from my first time around so I'm not sure how it works at all.

I only passed 9/10ths of my second year to even consider trying for credits but I was completely changing topic, since a big part of me not finishing first time round was having picked the wrong subject and losing interest

Wish I'd picked better first time round, but hindsight is a wonderful thing and I think I was just too young and naive, but at least I had fun whilst I was working it all out

rising_from_the_ashes

JulieGeorgiana wrote: »

That's an extra 4 units!! How much does it cost per unit??

I've never done OU so don't understand how points and units work?!?!?!

But there is a 30% difference! That's a lot!!!

I know To get my Hons Degree, I have to get a total of 360 points (from any uni, incl O*U).

I've done 16 units @ 15 credit points each (240 total) which is what everyone else is basing their offer on.

But for some reason I've yet to fathom, O*U only give you 12 points / unit which is where the difference comes from - really don't understand why they should award less points when the units have been evaluated at 15 each / others are willing to award that.:mad:

They're around £200 / 15 point units or £400 / 30 point units, so 120 points would cost around £1600 (which is what I'd originally thought) but that rises to £2400:eek: if I have to do the extra 60 (couldn't even do an extra 30 + 15 unit as I'd be 3 points short:mad:)

SOT2011 wrote: »

Wish I'd picked better first time round, but hindsight is a wonderful thing and I think I was just too young and naive, but at least I had fun whilst I was working it all out

:rotfl:I just could never decide what I really wanted to do & I ended up having to get a job so didn't have the opp to go to Uni when I was young - sure it would've been a lot easier then!:)

rising_from_the_ashes

mmmm just looked at another 30 point one and it was £800 :eek: - see we're now getting into unaffordable territory!:(

SOT2011

Ouch. They do vary and I have a feeling some of the level 3 ones are quite a bit more pricey, I'm taking it module at a time, I'm just relieved I have qualified for the transitional arrangements as if I hadn't I would have definitely had to stop as the prices for English students more than double if not.

rising_from_the_ashes

SOT2011 wrote: »

Ouch. They do vary and I have a feeling some of the level 3 ones are quite a bit more pricey, I'm taking it module at a time, I'm just relieved I have qualified for the transitional arrangements as if I hadn't I would have definitely had to stop as the prices for English students more than double if not.

Looks like you're right there SOT, it's mostly level 3 I'd need to do (probably a couple at level 2 to make up the shortfall).

So, a rough estimation would be 2 x 30 units @ level 2 = £800 plus 4 x 30 units @ level 3 = £3200

Total = £4k & def outside my price bracket

Yet ..... I could go full time & get it all paid for - or if I had kids & worked part time, I'd get it all paid for ..... brilliant system we've got in this country!

rising_from_the_ashes

mmmm re-read the above and it does sound a bit bitter which isn't meant.:o

I don't begrudge anyone being able to do it .... but I do believe the same opportunities should be available to everyone - if you've not already done your degree (which must be the case in both the above examples) then you should be able to get funding to do it ... it shouldn't make a difference whether you work full / part time, have kids etc.

SOT2011

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

... but I do believe the same opportunities should be available to everyone - if you've not already done your degree (which must be the case in both the above examples) then you should be able to get funding to do it ... it shouldn't make a difference whether you work full / part time, have kids etc.

Totally agree Rising, though to be fair I've already had a go and messed that up, so I don't begrudge paying this time around, I just wish it wasn't quite so expensive! My parents help a bit by giving me OU vouchers at Xmas and b'days and for example subbing my accommodation this holiday so the money I'd have used for that is going towards OU instead, but I know how lucky I am. If I had/wanted anything more that a minuscule entertainment budget I would not be able to afford to do it at all.

Re dog food, changing tack a bit, sadly gravy doesn't con her into eating the boring stuff

I've done some sums though and she isn't really eating me out of house and home and at least she will eat what she has at the moment, I have thrown so much away that she has refused before getting the "formula" right. Before this one I'd never met a dog that would sniff their tea and turn their nose up and walk away from it :eek:
She is only small, so I get a 15kg bag locally made chicken and rice kibble £29.99, and she has a little under 100g per day split into two meals, so 20pence per day kibble, plus £2 of cheap chicken boiled up with a bit of veg and frozen in portions last at least 2 weeks. So her food works out as 35p per day or £10 per month plus gravy bones

If only my food were so cheap!

SOT x