More than 1child at uni!!!!

Alikay

Dunroamin wrote: »

I'm afraid I disagree with this. The savings will be so small compared to the overall cost (and not immediate savings either) that it's better to go to the best university possible and study the most suitable course rather than worrying about saving a few quid long term.

That depends on whether the student is focussed on a specific area of study, or the more general "I think I want to study something like X/Y/Z" which my children and their friends were coming out with over the last few years. Yes, there were the odd ones who had certain degrees and career paths in mind but they were in the minority. The savings in rent alone can be £4k per year living at home. Obviously its not so easy in a remote area, but we live in Derby and have 2 former polys plus 2 more established universities within a half hour drive. People living in large cities like Leeds, Birmingham etc would have even more choice.

Dunroamin

Alikay wrote: »

That depends on whether the student is focussed on a specific area of study, or the more general "I think I want to study something like X/Y/Z" which my children and their friends were coming out with over the last few years. Yes, there were the odd ones who had certain degrees and career paths in mind but they were in the minority. The savings in rent alone can be £4k per year living at home. Obviously its not so easy in a remote area, but we live in Derby and have 2 former polys plus 2 more established universities within a half hour drive. People living in large cities like Leeds, Birmingham etc would have even more choice.

But whatever you study, you'd generally be better going to the University of Manchester or Leeds (if you could) compared with going to the University of Derby. (No disrespect.) If you're going for the sake of it, much better to work for a year or two until your aims become clearer and save money that way.

All universities are not the same in the education that they offer or the way employers regard them and it could be a very short term policy to stay at home, particularly as many people will still be paying some rent to their parents if they do so.

Alikay

Dunroamin wrote: »

But whatever you study, you'd generally be better going to the University of Manchester or Leeds (if you could) compared with going to the University of Derby. (No disrespect.) If you're going for the sake of it, much better to work for a year or two until your aims become clearer and save money that way.

True, Manchester and Leeds ARE, in general, considered better than Derby. Loughborough and Nottingham are good though, and it very much depends on the course chosen, anyway.

Working for a couple of years may be an option, but have you seen the state of the job market for 18-25 year olds? Plus, schools really push the "straight to uni" route for some reason (reporting students onward destinations maybe?), and most parents would rather their children studied than became a NEET statistic.

None of my childrens' friends paid rent to their parents until they were working full-time by the way. Whether that's fair or not is a completely different debate, but the fact of the matter is they didn't, so living at home while studying would in general be cheaper than paying rent in another city.

devildog

Yes savings can be made by the student studying locally but then you have to consider that they will be funded less for living at home, I think it all boils down to swings and roundabouts.
What they will gain from living away though is priceless (lol do not believe I just said that!) they grow up and experience so much from living away, much as I did (I'm not academic so uni was not an option, I joined the Forces )
As Taiko stated, there is a split contribution. I eagerly awaited my youngest's entitlement when the eldest completed their degree only to discover that they received approx £6 more for the year!!

I also think students are led to believe that if they work hard at school, go to Uni and get a reasonable degree then work will fall into their lap and apart from a few courses this doesn't happen. Eldest finished degree this year with a reasonable 2:1 at a red brick uni and has struggled to get a job. They have their degree, have done some part time work but employers want experience too. As luck would have it, a local company was recently approached re giving work experience and they have been taken on (and being paid for it too albeit NMW but they would have taken it unpaid just for the experience.
It does make you wonder though, perhaps they would have been better approaching the company when they left school and spent the last few years there without the expense of uni.