2nd year uni (starting 2018)

[HSMMaCM]

The old thread seems to have filled up!

RedHelen, has your DD got an offer from Durham for History? DS still hasn't heard from them either way

Readsalot, I haven't been on that great in ages as my DM is ensconced in her Nursing home with severe dementia now. An ex colleagues mother recently died, 30 years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's

Newcastle reminds me a lot of Liverpool. I love both cities 🙂

DS went to Liverpool for the offer holder day for History & I was convinced he'd put it as his Firm, especially as he supports LFC.

I was really surprised when he chose Newcastle.

BigTilly she heard back within a week back in December I think with an AAA offer.

Horsemad dd1 liked Liverpool but not the course and Newcastle was always her number 1 choice.

Dd2 just got her results for her mocks back today, a bit disappointed with her history mark but there's time to work on essay structure under exam pressure.

That's great re quick offer RedHelen! I think DSs may be slow due to GCSE results not being top-flight. He has been predicted high Alevel grades - hope they are realistic!
Still lots of time to prep for the real thing.

It's at times like these, I'm glad I only have one child. I am definitely not jealous of those going through the whole process several times.

DD has her assignment deadlines and exam dates for the rest of this year. Seems like Year 2 has flown by already!

She still hasn't sorted her accommodation for Year 3, but hopefully that will all be sorted out soon. Properties are SO expensive in Bath and get snapped up in a bidding war.

I am on children 4 and 5 now so feel a bit like an old hand.

£24 yesterday - I paid my son for a big pan apparently needed to cook for a lot of people. I hope it went well and the pan lasts a long time. I am surely at the end of an era. In 1984 we started paying 50% of our net salaries for full time childcare for baby no. 1. I think I can manage paying for his pan when the 36 years of paying for children may nearly be up in 2020 subject to any post grad funding requirements I supppose......

SMac - your daughter sounds very organised. I have not heard when my twins have their exams yet. Just information about things like yesterday's tennis game and the forthcoming university ski trip when I was also prevailed upon to pay for. he also said he was not happy with one lecturer same as many others but I think they should just put up with it and get on with things. That often happens in schools and work places too and learning to deal with it is just part of life.

I'm an only child and my mum always says she was relieved not to have to relive the different stages. We have 2 sons with a 5.5 year age gap which wasn't what we planned. We hoped for 4 children with smaller gaps but mother nature had other ideas.
I'm conscious of the passage of time; in a couple of weeks we'll no longer have a teenager. We're hoping that DS2 will be financially independent within the next 3 years and that we can work on increasing our pension savings.
Xenia, I always picture you as the wise woman of parenting. You seem to have an ability to take everything in your stride and have a good balance of being there if they need you while fostering their independence.

Thanks. I hope so but you can only do a good enough job and not worry too much about it.

I have tried to say unless they do a suitable post grad then on 1 July 2020 the money stops (although any of the 5 can live here and I would buy them basic food if needs be - may be not my son's £9 a time preferred Waitrose steake however!)

Everyone has different ways of being a parent many of which are good but just different. I do think I have benefited from having 3 within 4 years and then the 10 year gap and then we had twins so had quite a bit of practice as a parent.

Just seen ds for a flying visit to deal with some bureaucracy (in a language he doesn't speak) to avoid being called up into the army of his dad's country or getting arrested. Oops! We'd already tried to renounce his nationality to avoid this but he'd obviously be useful as cannon fodder and they've lost his paperwork. Lovely to see him, very happy but very tired.

We're looking forward too to the end of subsidising student dcs. DS1 finishes his masters this summer and we've made very clear that when full time education ends so do parental hand outs. DS1 asked if we were planning to replace our ancient car and was quite shocked when I told him we'll be buying a new car with all the money we currently give him including all the extra unseen top ups such as phone contract and gym memberships. That'll help nicely

When I did my degree I qualified for a full grant as my parents had a very low income. My mum is really shocked at what it costs to get a degree these days.
I'm so grateful to have benefitted from a subsidised education that has allowed me to have a higher standard of living than my parents and grandparents could have imagined. My dad died suddenly half way through my 2nd year and without my grant I expect I would have had to leave.
Ds2 has texted to say he's collected a tux for the Law Ball tomorrow and that he'll try to remember to send a photo. I've strongly suggested he remembers as the grannies will definitely want to see some!

Latedecember, I also got a full grant and couldn't have gone without it which would have been tragic because doing my job is impossible without a degree and professional qualifications and I have never ever regretted my career choice.
I also benefited from signing on and housing benefit in the long summer holidays as stayed in my uni city, so £££ our DC can't get now.

Yes, I'm the same, BigTillyMint. I'd forgotten about the signing on and Housing Benefit. I did that too even though my dad wasn't keen on me doing so. He only agreed when I convinced him I'd more than pay it back in tax once I was working.

I had no qualms
And I was in Sheff while Blunketts 2p - 10p bus fares were in operation!

So I'm paying it back now for the DCs education!

Ah, I got a minimum grant only. The maintenance bit was £50 a year and my parents made it up to £900. People with parents who did not and who didn't live at home had to try to earn that in holidays buti t was very hard to do. In a way the loans system is fairer even though the minimum loan is less than some people's rent (depending on your family income) - at least you still do get a loan.

The fault of the old and new system is if you have a middle class parent who is able to top up the maintenance loan or in my day minimum grant but chooses not to do s as they are awful or just a bit mean then the state doesn't say poor you here is the mnoey - it just chooses to discriminate against an 18 year old ust because of something they are not responsible for - the home they were born into, the meanness of their parents or whatever.

Yes, it can be very hard for students who dont have money from parents for whatever reason. I worked in a pub when I was at uni as my mum couldn't give me any more. And DD works in a bar/nightclub despite the fact that we top up her minimum loan - she is planning to do a Masters atm.

One of my friends from 6th form college was in that situation, Xenia. Her parents were happy to pay their contribution for her sister who went to Durham, but not for her because she went to a polytechnic. There was just no logic to it and, as you say,at least now students do have access to finance where parents won't or can't help.

We haven't been able to top DD's loan up to a full loan. We did it for year 1 and increased our mortgage, but just couldn't afford it all this year. It's a shame they only take income into account and not expenses. Last year they told us if we got divorced she could have a full loan. We briefly considered it.

Yes, it is a bit unfair they only consider income not expenses - eg if you (the parent) have 5 children as I do or you had to move from the NE to London for work so have a much higher rent if that is not considered for whether you get the minimum or maximum maintenance loan.

I understand the principle behind it - that apparently the less well off are put off university because of the cost so we need to give them that extra leg up which no one else gets to try to balance that other perceived unfairness - that they come from a home with a very low income so apparently are psychologically less able to take on the concept that a loan and the degree that comes with it might increase their life chances and mean despite the 9% graduate tax they are better off.

Quick viist from one of mine for a medical thing but he just left altjhough not without taking me to Waitrose for a massive load of shopping and after we had gone a lot of washing but that's all fine and rather nice. Seems happy.

DD has been applying for student finance today and it looks like her maintenance loan is a lot lower next year.

I tihnk that is because year 3 is counted as a shorter year. I have certainly told my lot unless they are doing some decent post grad or are very good at making a case to me of something sensible after graduation their funding from me (no student loans) ends on 1 July 2020. ( will obviously still house them here of course and provide bread and potatoes... and probably more....laughing as I type.. but the end is nigh or rather the exciting start to the whole of your adult life)

Oh I hadn't realised that. I dont think DD will have either!

Thanks Xenia. I thought someone had mentioned the lower third year. Shame it only covers 7 months of her rent and none of her bills. This year she was able to just work for food and clubbing.

Hi All, I hadn't realised that finance was less in year 3 (not that it really matters as DS isn't getting a maintenance loan due to a bursary plus parental top up). But they have to pay for houses from July to June so it's hardly fair.

I remember fondly the full grant that I got (and laughingly how my mother still insists that she "educated all four of us" - quite what she did apart from saying if we failed our exams we could go and work in the local factory, I don't know!). I also signed on in the holidays and got housing benefit - happy days.

DS texted to say he'd got 82% in an essay on research methods. I've started a doctorate (what was I thinking?) and am struggling with my research questions so maybe he can help me articulate them!

But they have to pay for houses from July to June so it's hardly fair.

Surely that's exactly why it's less in the final year - the first years loan is supposed to cover costs from the start of year 1 until the start of year 2 etc, but in the final year just from its start until the end of the summer term. Number of long vacs is number of years study minus one.