Student loan rate will probably stay near 4.8%

melancholly

i don't really understand this thread. first it's a rant about how bad the interest rate will be, followed by 'actually it's ok'. i don't really get why the complaints started before the facts were there. i know last year was a big shock and a big rise, but this year it's a drop.... i guess i feel like there are plenty of things about the student loan system worth trying to change, so that hypotheticals (that turn out fine anyway) aren't all that helpful to the debate - does that make sense to anyone?!

phlash

melancholly, with greatest of respect it was about what it *could* be, giving exposure to the fact that the release of information was imminent. Like on any other board when something is about to happen that determines an outcome that affects people, it is often brought up prior to the event. i.e. BOE interest rates, theres whole polls dedicated to what the BOE's decision may be on the mortgage and housing boards.

The debate about CPI and RPI is a wide ranging one, so no shock there.

The thread was the first to publish the new rate to people, so I don't understand your point.

melancholly

if it was just about alerting people, then fine. i read it as a whinge about something that might or might not happen, and that eventually didn't. seemed like stirring up something before the facts were clear to me. but that's just my view on it!

i genuinely believe that the student lobby would have much much more impact if they chose their fights more carefully and didn't object to everything all the time. i'm saying this as a student. i don't think anyone listens to us anymore - the hugely publicised petition last year about how student loan interest is calculated that was based on inaccurate assumptions is a classic example of this kind of thing. as i said, i think there is a lot wrong with the way the system works, and my view is that concentrating on real issues rather than hypotheticals would give students a whole lot more credibility.