Uni fees - student loan costs

[Looking for help]

Thanks Marylou - this is what I'm telling her, but maybe its just nerves surrounding the exams, we'll see

[Marylou]

DH came running into the kitchen wearing an enormous grin..."Great news, government's done a massive U-turn"..."Tuition fees?" chorus DD and I hopefully. "No, pasty tax."

[hermanmunster]

DH came running into the kitchen wearing an enormous grin..."Great news, government's done a massive U-turn"..."Tuition fees?" chorus DD and I hopefully. "No, pasty tax."

Could make all the difference!!!! DS and fellow sixth formers seem to fund Gregg's entirely! A 20% increase would have bankrupted the Skipton parents....

[Marylou]

Could make all the difference!!!! DS and fellow sixth formers seem to fund Gregg's entirely! A 20% increase would have bankrupted the Skipton parents....

[Looking for help]

Marylou - you made me laugh a lot here - a u turn would be great, but we are all living in cloud cuckoo I think

As Herman says though, Gregg's is still in business - good for the kids at least

[Fran17]

DH came running into the kitchen wearing an enormous grin..."Great news, government's done a massive U-turn"..."Tuition fees?" chorus DD and I hopefully. "No, pasty tax."

Could make all the difference!!!! DS and fellow sixth formers seem to fund Gregg's entirely! A 20% increase would have bankrupted the Skipton parents....

You have both made me have a good laugh. Goodness knows we need it. There is nothing good about the student fees as far as I can see.

LFH it makes me very cross when I hear of talented students like your daughter being put off of doing an English degree because of the fees. How many others feel this way I wonder?

[hermanmunster]

Have to think positive Fran - never know how the world is going to turn out.. !

Had a relative who, in 1941 joined the military - would have been called up within days. he joined a specific section (related to maintenance and electricals)- I asked why and he said "because it gave the best training and would be useful in civilian life" . This was days after Pearl Harbour and the world was looking into the abyss..... touch of the keep calm and carry on, he was thinking ahead.

Anyway it all shook down in the end and there were more crises that come and go .. I bought my first house on a huge mortgage with 13.5% interest - people were worried what the future held there too - well the value went up and eventually the rates went down - now we have more sensible rates but no capital gain - but we wouldn't have seen that then. We don't know what will happen but suspect that debt from university fees (a bit like the huge mortgages) will be the norm

[Rob Clark]

I think you’re right, herman, and it may be that the next generation see it in that way. However, I do wonder whether all the consequences have been thought through.

For example, I studied English in the mid-80s and I rarely had more than 1-2 lectures or tutorials a day. Furthermore, I couldn’t stand my personal tutor and as the feeling was clearly mutual, I just didn’t go and see him for 3 years If I was paying the sort of money the students have to now, I would have gone to the head of department and requested a different tutor, and possibly a bit more contact time too.

If students start to perceive themselves more as fee-paying ‘customers’ who are seeking ‘value for money’ from their course, it changes the dynamic between students and university in a way in which I’m not sure universities have fully appreciated yet.

[hermanmunster]

I agree Rob - I taught on a Masters (in the 90's) and we had quite a few international students + people being sponsored to do the course - we were conscious that it had to be good value and that the students found it worthwhile. I think the students being customers was definitely creeping in then.

While I was reading medicine I was conscious that many humanities students had next to no contact time (more like 1-2 hours a week I seem to remember...) - don't think that would be tolerated now.

[Belinda]

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