David Cameron vs. Universities!!!

On the news today, I found out that David Cameron's universities minister hinted they're almost certainly going to raise university tuition fees EVEN MORE!! They are already £3,225 a year, which causes students to be forced into ridiculous amounts of debt anyway; and that interest rates on student loans will also increase in line with the Bank of England rate.

Here's an article on it--
http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/uni-fees-students-a-burden-on-taxpayer-skynews-1fb0c8eb28b4.html

I find his idea absolutely ridiculous, and although this will not put me off going to university in a couple of years time (i want to become a scientist so a degree will be very important in this), I can't believe that degrees are described as a "burden on the taxpayer"! In a time where the recession is making times hard, we will need good thinkers and specialist professions to help get the country back on track; and to say that degrees are a burden is frankly an insult!

Okay, rant over, but what do you guys think? Have you been to uni, and if so how are you managing with debt etc?

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20 replies since 10th June 2010 • Last reply 10th June 2010

Reply #1:

holy crap, they did the same in canada.

Maybe we should all learn German, free education. Or atleast 100 euros a term plus books. I am trying to get my German up to standard so I can study there one day

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Reply #2:

forgot to mention, even forigerns can study for free in Germany

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Reply #3:

I don't envy school leavers here in Britain who want to go to Uni, it's such a struggle now ( apart from those privileged ones that you will meet there with their trust funds, rich parents who buy them a luxury flat to stay in etc.)
When I was at Uni, fees were paid by the education department, and there were student grants...not a lot but if you had a weekend job, and a summer job you could manage to get by, but now most students are leaving Uni with huge student loans to pay off.
This is one of my major gripes at the moment...my daughter has taken big student loans, over £3000 per year are going back to the University to stay in their Halls of Residence, necessary because we live so far from the uni, she works all summer in a hotel to earn money to spend during the term time, and it's a constant struggle to afford books, food, transport etc.
Compare this with my niece, age 18, single parent, no qualifications, no intention of working or doing further study...has her own house, rent and council tax paid for her, gets enough money every week to do whatever she likes.
I think that all education should be free, and a weekly allowance, at least equal to those who do **** all, should be given to every student, who is trying to gain useful qualifications and actually do something constructive.

SnazzyEarrings...That's intersesting you want to be a scientist....what do you have in mind? I was a research microbiologist before I had children Happy

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Reply #4:

The cost of Uni these days is completely insane. I'd like to go for a four-year program next year, and the cost is $16 000 for each year, not including books and residence, and other fees. How ridiculous that so much money has to be paid for an education. . . (oh, I'm in Canada, by the way).

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Reply #5:

girl I know, I am Canadian. I have had my loan for 10 years now, almost paied off :s

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Reply #6:

really michelle? perhaps i actually SHOULD go to germany; i used to study it at school so i know the basics already of the language! lol

it is really unfair, specially people who don't want to further their education etc like your niece nora.. a weekly allowance would be really useful!

i havent really decided what type of science specifically i would like to do yet; something biology/chemistry/both- perhaps biochemistry, DNA or plants? microbiology also sounds interesting too, what does it involve?

whoa, ten years to pay a student loan off! :S

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Reply #7:

Yeah, it takes people a really long time to pay off their student loans here, and its really difficult. Especially while trying to get a job and living expenses to boot. You could possibly be in debt your whole life (or a good majority of it, anyway).

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Reply #8:

yup I got 6000 left on mine, and mine wasn't a full loan.

I just got tution and books covered

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Reply #9:

I should mention that I went to an expensive uni at $3000 a term, not a year. It was like $6000 a year plus books which were almost $2000 a term. then there is living costs...

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Reply #10:

SnazzyEarrings...I think microbiology is the most interesting, biochemistry is the most difficult! Microbiology includes bacteria, viruses, fungii and parasites...my favourite post was working in the Vet Hospital at Glasgow Uni carrying out research into animal diseases, but I also worked in an NHS hospital inthe Microbiology Dept. so there's quite a wide choice of jobs.

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Reply #11:

oh no! that's a lot of debt.. :S

those microbiology jobs do sound interesting; there's a lot to choose from then Happy
do you mostly work in a lab?

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Reply #12:

Yes, microbiology is nearly all lab work....but I gave it up to be a full-time Mum!

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Reply #13:

ahh yeah, i thought so; that sounds good!

aha oh right, do you miss it? Happy

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Reply #14:

wow, sounds interesting

All I wanted to do is study art and German Language.

But everyone, and I mean EVERYONE TOLD ME NO, You will never do anything with it. So I did History and FAILED!!!! REally the uni kicked me out because I had like a 2.9 GPA. FAIL!!!!

then I went to Ireland studied Photography, then to Germany to work as a nanny, then China as a Teacher and then Yukon as a sales clerk. Back to Newfoundland to study Graphic Design.

Now I run my own jewelry busniess.

So study what you want to study, not what people want you to study.

I got a huge A$$ loan now...

plus I really want to study jewelry design but its too expensive

$5000 a term for two years

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