Page 3 | SO, according to my boomer mum, sending a child through uni these days is the same as it was in the 90s

PotteringAboutIn · 2026-07-04T19:24:40+00:00

Because apparently they didn't have the wages back then Ffs Drives me nuts What when uni was free, accommodation wasn't anywhere near as expensive and you even got a grant

Original poster

PotteringAboutIn · Yesterday 21:12

titchy · Yesterday 21:08

I’m not sure I entirely disagree with her tbh… sorry! Fees are paid from loans, so no direct outlay as it was then. Grants were only available then if you were from a poor background - at least now everyone is entitled to a minimum maintenance loan. The majority of people I was at uni with relied fully upon their parents. So in a sense there’s been an improvement since then.

My accommodation was £30 a week, over half my grant went on rent. We all worked!

Lifestyle wise - no significant changes. Lots of time spent drinking, clubbing, parties, eating noodles and toast because they were cheap. Modules, assignment deadlines, exams - as now. Had to get physical books and journals out of the library as no internet, but environment pretty much the same despite that.

Great days!

Well in ralati9n to wages accommodation is double now
That's before you even start on the fact going to uni was free in the 90s

OP posts:

Overworkedandknackered · Yesterday 21:12

My parents were born in the late 50s and they haven’t a clue, both went to university with a grant and bought their first house for 4 X dads salary, mum was a SAHM for 20 years, when I had kids they said ‘oh why bother going back to work’ errrr because I have to pay for a mortgage and food, y’know, to live. Then when talking about preparing DD for 11+ they declared they don’t believe in tutoring, when they did 11+ no one needed a tutor, errr right, I’ll just disadvantage your grandchild shall I because the system was different 50 years ago??

APageInYourDiary · Yesterday 21:12

ofcolitas · Yesterday 20:37

It's expensive now but if you take money out of the equation, the rest of the university experience is much the same isn't it?

Totally different! I was at uni in the early 90s - I bloody loved it but it’s totally incomparable to now. We had seminars of about 8 people for starters - now they’re nearer 80 and often on line which is shit.

hay5689 · Yesterday 21:12

hourspassed · Yesterday 20:58

I think one of the biggest differences in generations now, university related, is that the vast majority of young people didn't go to university in the 80s/early 90s. I grew up in a major city and hardly anyone I knew did A levels. There was a 6th form at each comp but it was small! There were plenty of jobs about, factory jobs for those without lots of qualifications or office work for those with more qualifications. Only a few people did A levels and even fewer went to university.

It was deemed unattainable and too expensive. I mean, my parents and the parents of all my friends 'got by' but there just wasn't the money around that there is now. There would have been absolutely no spare cash for parents to subsidise uni rentals or living expenses. It was rent, bills and perhaps one holiday a year if you were lucky.

Just speaking from the experience I had. I actually did a degree in my 30s. The opportunities for young people now are absolutely huge compared to then but I don't think it's any easier or harder I guess, just very very different.

Completely agree with this. Hardly anyone I knew went to university because it was out of our reach but nowadays it’s the norm to go to university after A levels.

Original poster

PotteringAboutIn · Yesterday 21:13

Tradescanti · Yesterday 21:12

It was way easier back then, also was acceptable to leave kids as latch key kids from age 8 maybe even 7

I don't know anyone who thought that was acceptable and I didn't know anyone who was a latchkey kid at that age.
.

I was from 8, both parents worked fulltime

OP posts:

EconomyClassRockstar · Yesterday 21:13

Uni wasn't free in the 90s. My parents definitely paid for mine and my accommodation and it was, in relative terms, expensive. I took out a student loan and got a p/t job to pay for my living expenses.

BathersOnTheLine · Yesterday 21:13

WyrdHag · Yesterday 21:01

Mine is also Silent Generation.

Apparently her cohort didn't have the advantages of being able to get jobs for life then onto the housing ladder, raise a family on one income and retire at 60 if they chose...

I'm pretty sure the SG and the Boomers had it harder than anyone else in history....

My mum was of the Silent Generation and would be in her 80s now.

When she started work women couldn't get a loan without a male co-signatory, women workers had to resign when they married, there was no equal pay act, no sex discrimination act and no maternity leave. She was in her 30s before those things kicked in.

Between the ages of 2 and 8 the war was on. Her father was away fighting - when he returned he was a stranger to her. She slept in air raid shelters at night. Rationing didn't end until she was 17.

I don't know if that's harder or easier than now. But nobody gets an easy ride.

Original poster

PotteringAboutIn · Yesterday 21:14

Overworkedandknackered · Yesterday 21:12

My parents were born in the late 50s and they haven’t a clue, both went to university with a grant and bought their first house for 4 X dads salary, mum was a SAHM for 20 years, when I had kids they said ‘oh why bother going back to work’ errrr because I have to pay for a mortgage and food, y’know, to live. Then when talking about preparing DD for 11+ they declared they don’t believe in tutoring, when they did 11+ no one needed a tutor, errr right, I’ll just disadvantage your grandchild shall I because the system was different 50 years ago??

You gotta laugh at the delusion

OP posts:

thedevilinablackdress · Yesterday 21:14

Boomer is derogatory because people always use it in a negative context. How we use word matters. Not that OPs DM is one...

QueenOfHiraeth · Yesterday 21:15

Persephonia1966 · Yesterday 20:41

Boomer was never meant to be an insult to be fair. It's an accurate description of a phenomenon after WW2 when there was a baby boom. And then the baby boomers became teenagers/young adults in the sixties and because there were so many young people proportionally it had a social effect. And then they entered politics etc in the 80s. (And then they remained in politics in America through to now for some reason.) And now there is a very large cohort of retired people as a result of said baby boom and that's having an impact of its own.
I agree I don't like it when it's used to imply "ignorant boomer" kind of thing. But they/you did have a unique experience both as young people and adults and it's fine to indicate that.

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The problem is that Boomer is often used in a pejorative way and many of us were not born until the 1960s so are not guilty of a lot that generation are charged with

Livelovebehappy · Yesterday 21:15

Mylovelygreendress · Yesterday 20:33

As a 60 something year old , I really dislike the term boomer .
Why not just say your Mum ?

Exactly. Totally not relevant to the tale she’s trying to tell. In context, the situation might still have been difficult due to other outside issues. Mortgage rates were high then at 15% early 1990s. So whilst unis were free, parents didn’t have expendable income to support adult children - even with grants, living away you still needed some parental support unless you got a job.

RaraRachael · Yesterday 21:16

Mylovelygreendress · Yesterday 20:33

As a 60 something year old , I really dislike the term boomer .
Why not just say your Mum ?

Yep. Me too. Awful expression. In fact I hate all these kinds of terms like Gen Z, Gen X etc. I've no idea what those mean, nor do I care as I won't be using any of them.

midJulytarget · Yesterday 21:18

I don't like generational stereotyping one little bit.

OP, what's your mum like otherwise? Sounds like she could be winding you up deliberately for fun (some people are like this). Is she bored/jealous?

TheBrunswick · Yesterday 21:19

Your dm maybe a boomer @PotteringAboutIn but the apple didn't fall far from the tree in terms of being delusional.
My db went to uni in the early 70's, my dp's couldn't afford to supplement his meagre grant and he struggled to keep himself and worked all summer holidays to help pay basic costs.

AppleDumplingWithCustard · Yesterday 21:20

Persephonia1966 · Yesterday 20:41

Boomer was never meant to be an insult to be fair. It's an accurate description of a phenomenon after WW2 when there was a baby boom. And then the baby boomers became teenagers/young adults in the sixties and because there were so many young people proportionally it had a social effect. And then they entered politics etc in the 80s. (And then they remained in politics in America through to now for some reason.) And now there is a very large cohort of retired people as a result of said baby boom and that's having an impact of its own.
I agree I don't like it when it's used to imply "ignorant boomer" kind of thing. But they/you did have a unique experience both as young people and adults and it's fine to indicate that.

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It’s always used as a derogatory label on here.

BathersOnTheLine · Yesterday 21:21

Why don't young people actively protest about the injustices they face?

Students and young people have protested almost constantly since the 1960s but it seems to have stopped.

Young people are the group least likely to vote.
You can't blame politicians for not prioritising your needs if you don't even vote.

WyrdHag · Yesterday 21:21

BathersOnTheLine · Yesterday 21:13

My mum was of the Silent Generation and would be in her 80s now.

When she started work women couldn't get a loan without a male co-signatory, women workers had to resign when they married, there was no equal pay act, no sex discrimination act and no maternity leave. She was in her 30s before those things kicked in.

Between the ages of 2 and 8 the war was on. Her father was away fighting - when he returned he was a stranger to her. She slept in air raid shelters at night. Rationing didn't end until she was 17.

I don't know if that's harder or easier than now. But nobody gets an easy ride.

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I agree that every generation has their crosses to bear.

Tbh the OP comes hot on the heels of my having a barney with my mum about this kind of thing earlier in the week. She had some horrible experiences as a war baby (which I acknowledged) but omg she just cannot accept that anyone else has difficulties and it's bloody infuriating.

I must ask my mum how they managed practically/financially - her dad passed away in 1952 but which time her older brothers had left home so it was just my mum and nan. My mum basically became the 'man of the house' 3 years later when she turned 16. I don't know if the financial stuff had changed by then or exceptions were made as mum worked for a bank.

Papyrophile · Yesterday 21:21

Why would you even think that @midJulyTarget? Have you not hit your quota yet this month?

ExplodingSmittens · Yesterday 21:23

PotteringAboutIn · Yesterday 20:37

Yes she's over 80

So not a Boomer then. The Boomer generation started in 1946 I think?

Dontlletmedownbruce · Yesterday 21:23

I'm your generation OP and while your Mum is inaccurate about Uni I do have some idea where she is coming from. I don't know your circumstances obviously but it must be hard for people who grew up with such little luxuries and did everything they could to educate their children to give them a better life, only to be met with a resentment of the comforts they eventually got late in life and a constant moaning about how hard it is now for their adult kids. I'll bet your mother would have given anything for some of the things you took for granted as a young adult. Ensuites and annual holidays abroad and hen weekends, getting your hair done for a wedding, romantic weekends away. I'll bet you had all those things and I'll bet your mother did not.

dancingdeidre · Yesterday 21:25

Mylovelygreendress · Yesterday 20:33

As a 60 something year old , I really dislike the term boomer .
Why not just say your Mum ?

Yes, she's your mum, not some stereotype.

nonevernotever · Yesterday 21:25

PotteringAboutIn · Yesterday 20:49

I'll ask chatgpt ..... halls around 35 to 45 per week

I went to uni in 1986. My college bill (room and board) was £395 per term. My notional grant (my parents were just over the income threshold so it all came from them rather than as an actual grant) was £1800 a year. So £600 to pay for everything else (inc books, laundry transport etc ) for the year. We didn't have to pay tuition fees though which is the single biggest difference.

Original poster

PotteringAboutIn · Yesterday 21:25

midJulytarget · Yesterday 21:18

I don't like generational stereotyping one little bit.

OP, what's your mum like otherwise? Sounds like she could be winding you up deliberately for fun (some people are like this). Is she bored/jealous?

Bit bitter I think, always comparing grandchildren
Hates that fact dh has the kind of job she know he will earn a high salary
, not that I've discussed that with her but it's obvious from his job

I think she would be a happiest if I had a shit life, scraping by so she could tell me that's just how it is

She actually hates that fact my life is good and comfortable

Think she's quite bitter about getting old too, which I do get a bit as it is hard

very bitter that she worked full-time while doing everything at home, all cooking cleaning etc

Likes just coming out with random shit

OP posts:

BathersOnTheLine · Yesterday 21:25

WyrdHag · Yesterday 21:21

I agree that every generation has their crosses to bear.

Tbh the OP comes hot on the heels of my having a barney with my mum about this kind of thing earlier in the week. She had some horrible experiences as a war baby (which I acknowledged) but omg she just cannot accept that anyone else has difficulties and it's bloody infuriating.

I must ask my mum how they managed practically/financially - her dad passed away in 1952 but which time her older brothers had left home so it was just my mum and nan. My mum basically became the 'man of the house' 3 years later when she turned 16. I don't know if the financial stuff had changed by then or exceptions were made as mum worked for a bank.

Edited

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I guess if you're carrying a gas mask to school and the Luftwaffe are dropping bombs on your town our modern problems must seem quite insignificant.

My mum got annoying when she was older. I so wish she could come back and annoy me some more.

nonevernotever · Yesterday 21:27

And certainly not ensuite! I had a single room on a corridor of 12 (and the others were all men. We had two loos, 2 baths and 2 showers in a bathroom block up the stairs and round the corner.

Edited to say I'm certainly not complaining. Every generation has its own advantages and disadvantages so I don't think it's ever particularly productive to try and compare such different things.