GCSEs 2018 (15) The Reckoning

Aargh! I hope Oxford isn't going to be £100k since that's what DS has set his heart on I was very pleasantly surprised by the financial talk at the open day: I too have had preconceived ideas about Oxford and costs. All the colleges he liked offered halls for all 3 years, some in college, some in annexes. And almost none with cooking facilities - the idea seems to be that you work work work solidly for the 8 week term and don't get distracted by mundane things like cooking

Was it Warwick?

didn't mean to shout, either!! Caps Lock fail....

Also curious LARLARLAND WOULD YOU MIND pm-ing me, too?

(is that a verb 'to pm'??)

I have pm’d you.

now MUN and ILO seem much more fun than NCS! Well done to your DCs AH and drink!

Wow, adrinkofwater that is amazing!

That’s right goodbyestranger. DS said the way they explained it was they set out how the fees for very low ranking universities are the same as Oxbridge. They also named a particular university which they said was poor value money for £9k fees in terms of what they give back to the students. Said university is very popular on mumsnet so I won’t name it!

Dd wants to go here again next year.

munalfrink.nl/

She went in Year 10 and was chosen to spek at the opening ceremony (in the video link she is the 8th person on the podium). Has anyone elses dc done anything similar. She loved it (but hated the end of conference disco in a nightclub!

That's pretty impressive, adrinkofwater! Well done your DS. Possibly a bit young to appreciate Prague! Wonderful, beautiful sites and cheap beer! 🍺

DS is in Prague at the moment taking part in the international linguistics Olympiad. Yesterday was results day and he got a silver medal in the individual competition, so feeling very proud of him . Hope A level results and GCSE results day are as happy!

They are staying on for a couple of days now to sit around and play cards sight see. Not the same experience as NCS, but still very different from normal school life!

They had two enormous fridges so a shelf each, and two enormous freezers, also a drawer each. Not too bad. But only two cookers and sinks which could be a bit grim. To me, living like that is part of the experience of being a student. I can't get my head around en-suite rooms and kitchens of 4. Where's the squalor?

LARLARLAND it may be that that part of the talk - the poor value for money - was referring to the teaching as opposed to living costs. The tuition fees for Oxbridge students are far, far below the actual cost of tuition, so they're subsidised hugely, even those paying full fees. The same doesn't apply to other unis (though I don't know the actual figure for teaching costs elsewhere).

There's a minimum maintenance loan of around £4000 which most take, Jufus not dependent on your income.

DS1 was very proud that he lived in the cheapest halls for a Russell Group university! They were £84 a week and for only 34 weeks self catering. (So had to move out over Easter as they used them for conferences etc, but didn't have to pay for Easter.) Admittedly small rooms, narrow corridors, 16 sharing a kitchen, whole corridor sharing a bathroom with 3 showers and toilets, but they were all like minded (cheapskate!) students who really benefited from the big numbers sharing as it gave them lots of people to make friends with. There are advantages, I'm sure to kitchens of 4, but what if you don't get on with the other 3? If they are all party animals and you're not, or vice versa? They all stay in their rooms and you have no one to talk to? At least with 16, there's always someone like minded.

Just looked at DD's choice of Uni (oh yes she's decided already) and the halls are £129 a week for an en suite room, We will be paying for accommodation and food whilst she takes the fees on her student loan. Am thinking I will need to get another part time job!

That's my understanding too goodbyestranger. Interestingly at the Oxbridge talk, the sixth form were very scathing about other universities and how they are rubbish value for money. DS was really surprised they said this.

Oxbridge has more financial support for students from lower income backgrounds than any other university LARLARLAND and even if you're well off, it's no more expensive - arguably cheaper, because of rents - than any other uni. Some of the costs of uni halls at eg Bristol and Durham are eye-watering and that's before one even gets on to London. Oxbridge is a very good deal.

DS is due to attend a sixth form college in the NW. They are very positive about helping their pupils to apply for Oxbridge and have already given talks to some of the kids about applying. They said in no uncertain terms Oxbridge is no more expensive than anywhere else. I think they feel this misconception has put kids off who are from poorer backgrounds. Obviously the idea Oxbridge is expensive has worked very well in the past for certain schools because it takes out a lot of the opposition.

'Post-GCSE: new beginnings?' Bit vague though!

Don't let me be the spanner in the works. Dd will be taking two A levels in 2020 but she will then take her diploma in 2021.