Student Loans are crippling me!!

sarah_elton

ab7167 wrote:

I do agree that if you can't pay back you are living beyond your means.

Ditto.

It costs a fortune to provide education. Too many people now go for it to be free anymore. Statistically speaking, in most cases you earn more if you get a degree. Both for that reason, and for the experience/education, you have to pay for it.

Without the student loan system you'd have had to save for 10 years instead of paying it off for 10 years - which would you have preferred?

I graduated in 2003 and am repaying mine too. I do freelance writing work in my spare time and pay full deductions on that when my self-assessment goes through, since my full-time job puts me over the threshold. I don't begrudge that.

webwiz

The Labour ministers and MPs who voted through university fees nearly all went to Uni at a time when not only were there no fees they even got generous grants - not even means tested! They then completely wasted their education by going into politics, the majority have never done a "proper" job. They only got the increased fees for English students through Parliament with the assistance of Labour Mps for Scottish seats even though Scottish universities don't charge fees! Don't blame me - I voted UKIP.

sarah_elton

We still have lower fees than several other countries, and foreign students pay a lot more than domestic to attend British universities.

ReportInvestor

Scottish universities do charge fees. And voting UKIP may have helped Labour at the last election. It was the LibDems who were most strongly against fees & and where did a vote for UKIP do Labour any damage?

sarah_elton wrote:

We still have lower fees than several other countries

Give it time.

I do think that increasingly indebted students may start to set a different political agenda in 10 years time.

And it's not tax increases to fund baby boomer healthcare that they'll be voting for.

Poppy9

Sorry but I have little sympathy when I see the university student car park packed, students buying expensive junk in supermarkets and getting p'ssed in the City Centre. If you don't want to end up with horrendeous debt at the end of uni work your way through and limit your spending. Lots of cleaners in our office block are Chinese students working to pay their way through uni, they find the 1.5 hours per day.

Oldernotwiser

webwiz wrote:

The Labour ministers and MPs who voted through university fees nearly all went to Uni at a time when not only were there no fees they even got generous grants - not even means tested! They then completely wasted their education by going into politics, the majority have never done a "proper" job. They only got the increased fees for English students through Parliament with the assistance of Labour Mps for Scottish seats even though Scottish universities don't charge fees! Don't blame me - I voted UKIP.

You're completely wrong on the means testing; when there were grants there was quite strict means testing. Also,if your parents couldn't or wouldn't pay the amount that they were assessed as needing to contribute, there was nothing you could do about it. You might not like the current system but get your facts right about the way things used to be!

Sarahpuggy

Sorry Poppy, but i dont think you can just generalise like that!??

I know that side of student life can sometimes be seen as the most promoted area, but there are just as many hardworking dedicated people in university as there are the sloppy dont give a **** ones! Me included! I worked two jobs whilst at uni, but i chose a course that needed alot of money (fashion design), i hardly ever went out and shopped in anywhere that had offers on!

I think its unfair to generalise thats all.

webwiz

If it's desirable that 50% of people should go to university (I'm not sure about that personally) then it's got to be paid for somehow. The idea is that graduates will on average earn more so can afford to pay for their tertiary education. Of course the Civil Service dreamt up the most bureaucratic scheme they could. A much simpler and fairer scheme would have been a graduate tax - either an extra % or two on the standard rates or a lower personal allowance. Then those that did earn more would pay more, but they could afford it. This idea was mooted but not taken up because it would not have produced any civil service jobs, so we have a generation of graduates crippled by debt and in many cases considering emigrating to avoid paying it.

Strangled

I have to agree with Poppy, my daughter is at Uni, packed in a good job to do it, has a part-time job and scrapes by (with a little help fom us) I know 'students' who have taken out loans to buy new cars, what better credit deal is that.

floyd

Poppy9 wrote: »

Sorry but I have little sympathy when I see the university student car park packed, students buying expensive junk in supermarkets and getting p'ssed in the City Centre.

I have ranted on this one previously so I will keep it short but I completely agree with this one. I work at a Uni now after doing a 4 year degree and 4 year PhD and it infuriates me when I see 18 year olds who have never worked a day with brand spanking new cars, eating out every day tapping away on their sparkly new laptops while waffling at length on their top end mobiles. It makes me wonder who is paying for it, 9 times out of 10 its the poor (or daft) parents but the 1% who are in debt up to their neck really worry me.

I worked very very hard to get what I have now and do not begrudge paying back £150 a month to the old style Student Loans company because without it, I wouldn't have the job I do now. It means I haven't bought new clothes for 6 months and have to sae for 2 years to go on holidaybut thats the price you pay.