Parents of Uni students with min maintenance loan - parental contribution, which way to do it?

burlingtonfl6

You could teach her a lesson far better than any course a uni will and cut her off financially.
She's an adult, it's time to teach her the ways of the world.

suejb2

burlingtonfl6 said:

You could teach her a lesson far better than any course a uni will and cut her off financially.
She's an adult, it's time to teach her the ways of the world.

Yet another helpful response from burlingtonfl6!

Savvy_Sue

Yup, it's tricky, isn't it? 

It's partly why I started making them more responsible in 6th form: doing their own laundry (and learning WHEN to do it as well as HOW), and giving them their transport and dinner money to their bank but leaving them responsible for withdrawing cash.

It's possibly worth talking through with her what SHE thinks would help her be more independent. 

If it's any comfort, a colleague had a DD who would phone multiple times a day to ask for childcare advice. If my colleague didn't pick up her mobile, she'd ring the office. Because she often sounded panicky, I'd explain that her Mum wasn't available, and ask if I could help. All I was doing was offer reassurance along the lines of "I'm sure it doesn't matter if you offer a banana or grapes ..." but I'd have been embarrassed to get that kind of call on a daily basis from any of mine. 

Good news is that colleague's DD did finally develop into a competent mother ...

Spendless

Last night the application for student finance was made for both children, because for this September's starters the deadline for doing it so it is definitely sorted in time is today. We needed some info from DS, so in a phone call about it and a general family catch up chit chat, he had the view that his sister was daft to think I would have given her an unloaded student supermarket card, interestingly though he was equally as oblivious that a major supermarket especially when there's little else there in the area would highly likely have cash machines often located on their outside walls and if not look inside. He's 21 and has been away at Uni for the past 3 years! It certainly highlighted to me that a younger generation is far more likely to be using their phone to do all the work  That DD hasn't had internet banking to check balances that way has been an oversight and will be remedied in the next few days.

 This wasn't a case of me badmouthing one offspring to the other, just something that come out during a family catch up. I hadn't spoken to DS for a couple of weeks because he was spending his time doing an assignment that he'd missed the deadline for and needed to get in before his Uni closes today. This isn't the first time he's slipped up with deadlines, whereas DD never has and has also had the foresight to ask for an extension in advance on an occasion where she's been aware she needed more time. DS due to the foundation year has no further 'gift year' to use up should he have to re-sit a year and trying to fund that would work out far more expensive than any slip up daughter has made so far. 

tooldle

I’m intrigued to know where the University is that closes today. We have a few days closure at Christmas, but other than that we are a year round operation.

Spendless

tooldle said:

I’m intrigued to know where the University is that closes today. We have a few days closure at Christmas, but other than that we are a year round operation.

Students don't go home for the summer and then go back in the Autumn in the following year of their degree?  I've never heard of that. The staff might still be there all year long. Son's course finishes today. He therefore was required to hand in his assignments for this year by that deadline (which was extended for him and I'm hugely relieved and . grateful it was). So his Uni (ex poly in the North of England) might not be physically 'closed' but for him this is the last day of yr2 so is finished for this academic year, even if I've mistakenly written the wrong word to describe what I meant. 

tooldle

Ah, end of his undergraduate teaching then. So he had to get his work in today to meet deadlines for getting it marked and for those marks to be considered by progression board / exam board to allow him to be rolled into the final year. Some students have a summer break but these would be foundation year and undergraduate. This is part of what Universities do, but not the full picture. Student wise we have Postgraduate Taught and Postgraduate Research, both of which operate all year round.  Many of us staff are also research based and work all year round. Teaching staff get the same holiday allowance although obviously cannot take these in term time. Despite what the media say about Universities being ‘closed’ we are very much open and have continued to do our thing all year round. I asked as you previously mentioned your sons course being shorter  than the course your daughter is hoping to take. For us, exams are underway, which is followed by exam boards and results on 15th July.

Spendless

tooldle said:

Ah, end of his undergraduate teaching then. So he had to get his work in today to meet deadlines for getting it marked and for those marks to be considered by progression board / exam board to allow him to be rolled into the final year. Some students have a summer break but these would be foundation year and undergraduate. This is part of what Universities do, but not the full picture. Student wise we have Postgraduate Taught and Postgraduate Research, both of which operate all year round.  Many of us staff are also research based and work all year round. Teaching staff get the same holiday allowance although obviously cannot take these in term time. Despite what the media say about Universities being ‘closed’ we are very much open and have continued to do our thing all year round. I asked as you previously mentioned your sons course being shorter  than the course your daughter is hoping to take. For us, exams are underway, which is followed by exam boards and results on 15th July.

Yes, daughter's course is longer though it's still a degree because it's a drama school (it's not these but think like RADA, Royal Central  school of speech and drama, Lamda). rather than an actual Uni.

 My understanding of this is that some years back drama schools went down the degree route due to the funding. The other way of funding your training at a drama school  (other than privately!) is if they offer Dadas (dance and drama awards). You have to be offered one though, which is based on talent and is awarded in order of that till the school's pot runs out  and they don't suit every household income situation as the amounts of maintenance are smaller, and tuition funded by a  means tested parental contribution. Unlike student finance for degrees they  don't have to be paid back. They don't suit our household financial situation, so we had to tell daughter she couldn't go down that route. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dance-and-drama-awards-income-scales/dance-and-drama-awards-income-scales-2018-to-2019-academic-year


Drama schools have higher contact hours too. Here is the answer on Bristol Old Vic's FAQ page about whether it would be possible to hold down a part time job whilst studying with them.

https://www.oldvic.ac.uk/about-us/faqs/

There is very little room for part time work in the first year. A Saturday or Sunday job with a flexible employer may be possible in the second year, if you can manage your workload efficiently, although there will be times when you will have to work on school productions over weekends. Be prepared to work unsociable hours and be aware that work experience is often fitted into school holidays.


Even the less prestigious drama schools have high contact hours. Plus the day can be both physically and mentally exhausting. You might go from a dance/movement class to deciphering a Shakespeare text and then move onto an improvisation class which requires quick thinking on your feet skills  . 

Son's Uni course in comparison ran from late September till today. Yes, he had to get the work in today to be marked. He has slipped up before in a previous year not by missing a deadline but by overtyping and forgetting to save the previous work (absolutely stupid for a computer student!). He received the email about it around 5pm on his last day of that year, that also said there was no guarantee it would be marked even if re-submiited. After we'd managed to calm him down, we set him up on a laptop out of the way with food and caffeine and he worked solidly until the early hours re-doing it and sent it over and thankfully they accepted it. I find it always a worry if he messes up because the foundation year means he's already had an additional year of SF.  He doesn't lack ability just organisation! 

tooldle

One of my ex colleagues tried for drama school after having completed a drama based degree at University. I remember well the ups and downs of audition preparation. They were offered a place on their second round of trying, and for various reasons turned it down. Having tried a few other things (drama based) they have just completed their second novel which becomes available in July.  My ex colleague was self funded and had built up a significant pot of cash ahead of study although subsequent decisions meant it was not needed. On the funding front, we in the sector have to be very careful on what we say these days. If for example we suggest part time work is possible, students who fail, can and do claim we are responsible for suggesting they could balance work with their course. The environment is increasing litigious. It is not uncommon for those unhappy with their outcomes to look to pin the blame elsewhere regardless. 
Edited to add, i hope your son gets the results he wants and transitions to yr 3 without  issue.