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Student spongers

**helen****helen** Deactivated Posts: 9,235 Supreme Poster
edited March 27 in Work & Study
Sounds like a Daily Mail headline doesn't it? :p

Thing is, Jade is a student and this is a rant about her 'mates.' Ever been at the receiving end of this? Ranty
Post edited by JustV on

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i do agree...

    people seem to think i have loads of money because i (have in the past) been able to buy a new pair of shoes when i've needed them and that i get top wack loan - not that i tell everyone that. but even if i don't have to pay for things that they might, i came to uni already in debt after being ill and living independently since i was 16...

    with £150 of food going missing over a term, and having to buy so many replacement items that had been stolen or broken, it mounts up, and i've ended up in the posistion i am now...utterly skint...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It's more about her being a doormat. Stand up for yourself woman.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    RubberSkin wrote: »
    It's more about her being a doormat. Stand up for yourself woman.

    agreeeeed. it isnt fair your friends are doing that! dont let them get away with it
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    RubberSkin wrote: »
    It's more about her being a doormat. Stand up for yourself woman.

    :yes:

    And get a job :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Olive wrote: »
    And get a job :thumb:

    lol :)

    Also she says she 'eats out a lot'. Now that, to me, implies she has money to spare. I go to the cinema because it is an 'experience' and you get to see films at least a year before they're on tv. I go to the pub as it's moderately cheap for a few hours sociallising. I go to clubs because i can hear loud music without annoying the neighbours etc...

    But eating out, to me, is a bit of waste of money especially 'eating out a lot' If it was a big family do or special ocassion then ok but to 'eat out a lot' then complain that people think you have money to burn is shortsighted in the least. And i really don't think your maintenance grant was intended for you to 'eat out a lot'.

    I think she might also need some referal r.e. her parents' divorce.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The full maintenance grant and loan for a student outside London is over six grand, tax free. That's nearly double what I had to live on when I was a student. Plus she then gets parental contributions from two families, not one, yet is only assessed on the income of one parent.

    Excuse me whilst my heart fails to bleed.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote: »
    Excuse me whilst my heart fails to bleed.

    Well you're just grumpy :p.

    I wasn't surprised that it's another journalism student trying to get something up on the internet so they can put it in their CV, but ah well.

    Point 1: I do agree with her that students do judge other students on their financial status and particularly those who get more loan or less loan. I've been getting it in the neck since I had EMA, so these days I just don't tell anyone. It's none of their business anyway!

    Point 2: she has no excuse for being hard up if she's as reckless with her money as she says. For starters, it doesn't matter if you are a millionaire or living on benefits, if you don't look after your money you soon won't have any. But even so, if she didn't get the full loan and grant she would soon be crying and begging her friends and parents for money if she continued the way she is. Something I learnt not too long ago is to live within your means, your outside of them. Can't afford a car but really want one? So what, you can't afford one.

    Point 3: Get a job!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ShyBoy wrote: »
    I do agree with her that students do judge other students on their financial status and particularly those who get more loan or less loan.

    They do. Not always the way round you'd expect, either. I remember getting all sorts of attitude because my parents helped me out with money through uni.

    I didn't get diddly squat from the government, and I worked part time (full time in the holidays) from 15 onwards, but somehow they thought that I was a spoilt brat because my mum and dad chose to put some of their hard-earned cash towards my tuition fees. :chin:

    Oh, and my idea of 'eating out' while I was a student was nipping home to scrounge a meal off my mum. :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Olive wrote: »
    Oh, and my idea of 'eating out' while I was a student was nipping home to scrounge a meal off my mum. :thumb:

    lol, I'm sure some people would agree with you there.
    And then there's the maintenance grant - an exclusive non-repayable lump sum available only to those with single or low-income parent.

    Generalisation much about single parents?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Students with a familial income of less than £50,020 will get some maintenance grant. That's really not a low income at all.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I just have a massive overdraft to disguise my poverty and, unlike my spoilt friends, my parents won't bail me out at the drop of a hat, so I've learnt to manage... on my own.

    Doesn't sound like it love.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Sounds to me like a rant borne of jealousy rather than any great inequality in the system.

    When I was at uni, some people had more money than me, some had less. Big deal. It's called life. So shut your whining trap and do some fucking studying.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Big deal. It's called life. So shut your whining trap and do some fucking studying.

    And you're extremely grumpy!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Bloody students.

    Seriously though, what's the thrust of her rant? This seems to sum it up quite nicely;
    I had to bite my tongue over dinner yesterday. My fortunate friend who has her tuition fees paid for her by her mum and drives a brand new mini cooper paid for by her dad, moaned that she only had £2000 in her savings. I had to restrain myself from jumping across the table and hitting her. What student has two grand sitting in the bank?

    From this I can ascertain two things:

    1) Some people are richer than others and buy things for their children
    2) The author doesn't like the fact that her friend has more money than her. Jealousy perhaps, trussed up as moral indignation?

    Grow the fuck up. So it's not fair, big fucking deal. Life is not fair. The sooner she gets over it, the better. Reverend Spooner woul have called her a shining wit.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think shes quite well off compared to some students, especially if she is eating out a lot.

    Shouldnt really have the right to complain about a friend having £2k of savings, hey whats wrong with being prudent.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Is that the sound of the world's smallest violin I hear in the background?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    This kinda story gets on my nerves a bit. I did an NHS course to become a health care professional. My parents don't earn loads, but have enough money for themselves and a bit to help me out. But I only got £2000 in my first year, going down to about £1500 in my final year. That is all student loan, all repayable with interest. That alone would not cover my rent for the year. They do not even consider you might need more, because they say this is where the nhs bursaries should help out. I'm not sure of the cut off point, but I got nothing in bursary, and my parents were trying to support both me and my sister through uni all the time I was there.

    I also could have a job because of our unpaid placements that were spaced out randomly through the year and meant I had to move house all the time.

    I'm only pointing this stuff out as a comparison. I'm not moaning, because I am glad I went to uni, I've now got the opportunity to go and do the career I wanted. No one forces you to go to uni though, and I met so many people who were just there for the hell of it, which is fine, but it is their decision.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You should have had an NHS bursary- which is tax free and non-repayable- so you should have had more money.

    I don't understand why more people don't talk to their universities and students unions about their finances, especially if money is tight.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    And then there's the maintenance grant - an exclusive non-repayable lump sum available only to those with single or low-income parent. Luckily for me, I fit into both those categories and get the full amount. Apparently this means I should be grateful. Well thank you mum and dad for divorcing, thanks so much because now I get what I always dreamed of, a maintenance grant. I'm made-up your 25 years of marriage have gone down the pan, but hey, let's look on the bright side! Never mind that I don't have a job, our rent's going up and the electricity bill is through the roof. My grant might seem like a lot of money, but it really doesn't stretch far.


    :eek2:

    Who is she ranting at here? Her friends, Student Finance, or her parents for getting divorced?

    Yes, students sponge off their friends, but there are students out there who get it in the neck from scrounging friends a lot worse than this girl does.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote: »
    You should have had an NHS bursary- which is tax free and non-repayable- so you should have had more money.

    I don't understand why more people don't talk to their universities and students unions about their finances, especially if money is tight.

    I did say in my last post, I didn't qualify for a busary (which is the NHS one I was talking about). It doesn't take much of a high wage your parents are earning to stop you getting it. On my course it was means tested so they look at your parents income. Other course it's non means tested, so it's a value for everyone.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Depends what you define as a 'high wage' really- your parental contribution will be higher than the bursary if there's a family income of £57,500pa or more. That's really not a low wage.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    To be honest I don't know how much my parents earn, I don't enquire, they just did the bit of the form to do with that and sent it off. I appreciate that they aren't hard up for money, and can help me out a bit, but with me and my sister at uni (I did 4 years and my sister will be doing 5) it was not exactly easy for them. They certainly didn't have £1000 a year for us each spare for rent, plus money for food, bills etc. I would highly doubt their salaries can be any higher than that, neither are in highly skilled jobs.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Bloody students.

    Seriously though, what's the thrust of her rant? This seems to sum it up quite nicely;



    From this I can ascertain two things:

    1) Some people are richer than others and buy things for their children
    2) The author doesn't like the fact that her friend has more money than her. Jealousy perhaps, trussed up as moral indignation?

    Grow the fuck up. So it's not fair, big fucking deal. Life is not fair. The sooner she gets over it, the better. Reverend Spooner woul have called her a shining wit.


    I admit I had a couple of friends like this when I was at Uni. And I did find it a bit annoying. Not because I'm jealuous but because of their lack of appreciation for what they have when some people, like myself, have struggled for money in the past.

    I am more than happy I went through that struggle now because I have come away with some very valuable life lessons about how to manage my finances.:)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Not because I'm jealuous but because of their lack of appreciation for what they have when some people, like myself, have struggled for money in the past.

    But then aren't we all the same when we go and spend our time on the internet and having luxuries when many in the world have to walk miles just to get food and water and live a hand-to-mouth existence?

    Everyone has different incomes and the sooner people stop caring about what everyone else has and focuses on themselves the better imo.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    .
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