A different post from me today, I am going to talk about student loans. The loan system in the UK is wholly unfair to all but the rich of the world (shock horror), with the middle of students getting the worst of the deal. Students underneath the threshold can get maintenance grants and a bigger amount of loans. After the threshold, you get the minimum loan and your parents are expected to pay for you. But what, if like me, you do not have the luxury of your parents paying for you?
I get the minimum loan because my parents are over the threshold. Student loans do not take into account other siblings (which I have 4 of) and actually told my mother that a child only costs £3 a day to feed, house, cloth etc,which is quite frankly the most ridiculous thing anyone could ever say. 1 of my siblings is at university also. My parents work in the building trade, where unlike when you walk into a shop and have to pay for things there and then, you can be paid anywhere from a month to a year or more later. This means my parents have to front the cost of these jobs from their company savings and their own personal savings, which means I, my sister or any of my other 3 teenage siblings will not get a look in. Before someone says 'go get a job' I have worked since I was 16 every single weekend. When I moved away to university, I travelled the two hours home via a £30 return train (and that is with railcard) every weekend because I quite simply could not afford not to.
I took a placement year from university because I would not have been able to afford final year without it, which is the limited money I am living off now. My rent for the duration of the 4 years I have been at university has been at least £500 over, and I have lived in the both the worst and cheapest accommodation the university provides all 4 years. I also go to a 'cheap' northern university. I am also, due to having to actually live, £2,000 into my overdraft.
Not all people who are classed by student finance are 'rich', whilst not all students who are classed as poor by student finance are 'poor' (believe me).
What I am trying to say here is that the system should not be means tested. All students should be able to apply for the right amount of loan that both suits there own personal needs and their living costs by themselves. The entire system is floored, can be abused by people from all backgrounds and simply does not help those who need it the most.
There is currently a petition running to address this, please sign HERE so that it can become discussed in parliament, to try and help the future students of university in this position.
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