University

[Aldo]

Not sure why it matters whether I stay at home or not. I don't want to spend all my money living in a flat or in halls where I can stay at home for next to no money at all.

I have friends that have flats in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Stirling that I'm more than welcome at if I want to stay the night there after going out or whatever.

Fair enough it would be pretty fun living alone or flat sharing, but then is have to do stuff like tidy up and to the dishes...

 

[CMvan46]

I don't know about across the pond but over here in Canada the idea that you need to move away for college or university is pretty much gone. I've lived at home my first 2 years and won't be moving for any of the others. It's useless debt and a major distraction. There are plenty of other ways to be involved with your school besides living there.

Of all my friends from high school and university I know 3 staying on campus and 2 of those are only doing so because of their full ride scholarships. The 3rd moved home after first year because of how awful the dorms are. It's simply not needed but I'm sure the schools are glad they've made that impression on you, makes them a ton more money.

 

[Sage]

I had to live at/near school all four years (home is 3 hours away), but it was completely worth it (even though I'm paying for it now through a crapton of student loans). Yes, you'll have plenty of opportunity to cohabitate after the fact, but it's nothing compared to living with 10 people in an area made for 4 and struggling through the same classes and talking and drinking and bitching about school till 5am even though you all have a test at 8am and making the same walk every day and participating in awkward mixers and figuring out the most passable food at the dining halls. It's all worth it - I wouldn't take any of that back for the money I'd have saved.

 

[ExigeEvan]

I don't really care for my student debt. Sure, it's money, but it has interest that matches inflation, no re-payments unless I earn over £15,000 and it's unsecured.

It's a graduation tax with a finite repayment.

 

[Danny]

I don't really care for my student debt. Sure, it's money, but it has interest that matches inflation, no re-payments unless I earn over £15,000 and it's unsecured.

It's a graduation tax with a finite repayment.

I'm finding that ignoring it until it goes away is a legitimate course of action.

 

[CMvan46]

I don't really care for my student debt. Sure, it's money, but it has interest that matches inflation, no re-payments unless I earn over £15,000 and it's unsecured.

It's a graduation tax with a finite repayment.

Well that's a fantastic financial planning strategy there. I hear closing your eyes makes assignments complete themselves too.

 

[ExigeEvan]

I'm finding that ignoring it until it goes away is a legitimate course of action.

Stay abroad for 35 years?

Well that's a fantastic financial planning strategy there. I hear closing your eyes makes assignments complete themselves too.

Tell me where I'm going wrong on this, or are you the kind of person that thinks "Urgh Credit cards are evil!" when in fact they're ideal when your Debit account is restricted (And I've never entered my student overdraft in 3 years) or when you are purchasing expensive items (like holidays that will be protected by credit card insurance).

If I earn over £15,000 I pay them back at 9% of earnings. If my earnings then dip below £15,000, I stop paying them. If I never earn over £15,000 I never pay it back and in 30 years (I think) it is struck off the record.

And it doesn't affect my credit rating, because the banks know the debt means nothing.

So okay, lets say I decide to pay back the debt early. Now in today's financial climate that would make sense provided I had no other debts (Student loans are at inflation, loans will track above that), but in a normal financial climate interest rates on savings would track higher than inflation meaning you'd be better invested saving the money than paying off your student loan.

So tell me, with all that information, where am I going wrong?

 

[Danny]

Stay abroad for 35 years?

Let's go to Mexico!

 

[ExigeEvan]

Let's go to Mexico!

See you there!

 

[Danny]

 

[N99GT]

argh 10 days and counting!!!

ill be going to Birmingham City Uni to do Motorsports Technology! and im excited to starting the course but not for the 18th....

 

[ExigeEvan]

Amazing Danny! And I really need that 'tache!

 

[Dragonistic]

Thread dig up time, it's coming to the end of another year at university for most people in the UK now ignoring exam results (which some people will be doing anyway!).

For me, it's my final year at uni leaving me both pleased and extremely worried at the same time. On the one hand, it's been an awesome and fulfilling experience which in general have turned me in to a better person and put simply the best years of my life. On the other, I'll be going back home (which is fine by me for now) in to a life of nothing but job searching and stressing about what exactly I should do and if I even have any options. Do I try to get employed on any random job and wait for graduate schemes to come up (for CIMA Chartered Institute of Management Accountants qualifications) or do I go straight in to the first relevant job I can and complete the qualification as I work? Likely I'll be running my printer dry daily printing out CVs and applications to apply for anything and everything.

I would happily go straight in for the first relevant job if it is in a sector I'm interested in, corporate is a must for me as I understand the business of profit maximization much more then I did my work experience with the NHS. That brings with it problems of course, can I even get a job locally? Will they even consider me until I've officially graduated or qualified through CIMA? Etc. etc.

All in all my future is very unpredictable which is of course a frightening prospect, I would like to say I'm excited about the prospect of finally becoming self sufficient but the simple fact of the matter is I'll need a bit of luck for that to become a reality. I'll be 'over-qualified' for most basic jobs (i.e. they know I won't be sticking around) but under-qualified and under-experienced to get right to work in a job I know I could do if I'm given the chance.

The good years are over for me, that's for sure.

 

[Danny]

I'm in the same boat. Rocketing towards the end of my Masters degree, I'm going to have to grow up and get a full-time job!

Plans are currently to move to Manchester with this girl who treats me nice.

 

[Dragonistic]

I plan to save a good bit of cash before I move out, complete full motorcycle test and upgrade to something more reliable then my current transport (or failing that downgrade to something more boring, completing a driving test and owning/running a car is far to expensive short term). Moreover I've been with my girlfriend for 4 and a half years now, and she'll be going on to do some sort of extra qualification so to move together would be very difficult until she's completed that or I can focus on finding a job within the same area though I'll hopefully already be employed which brings about issues regarding our relationship but that's for another thread .

More then anything my biggest fear is having nothing to do with my life for months, as good as spending my life playing video games sounds I can't make a career out of it . What I need to try to do is not get to de-motivated by things though and stay pro-active in the job hunt and finding out my options. Of course that's easier said then done in the current climate.

 

[Joel]

Me, I'm looking at Concordia in Montréal, the John Molson School of Business more specifically.

Scratch that. This past week I've been accepted to Saint Mary's University in Halifax, NS! I was born in Halifax, and I always dreamed of going back there as a kid, but in the last couple years I'd been looking at Montréal and Ontario universities and kinda pushed Nova Scotia to the backburner. I was letting my thoughts be clouded by my girlfriend here, and my friends all going to Ontario schools. Over time I just kinda did some thinking and I started to miss Halifax more and more.

Another aspect of it, is my math marks are really bad. I wouldn't be able to get into an Ontario school for a Commerce program this year (it's too late to apply anyway). I was planning on staying back at high school for a year to repeat math, and then going off next year. Then this year happened, and the more time I spend at high school the more I realize I absolutely need to get out of this little hick town. So I sent out the application, and I've made my decision.

I'm really excited to be going, at the moment I'm enrolled in a Bachelor of Business (BA) program, but if I get a 60 in Calculus I can just transfer into the BComm for September. Otherwise I'll just take the same courses labelled as a BA, and then transfer after one year. I'm planning on majoring in accounting, and then pursuing a CMA (certified management accountant) designation after my bachelor's degree.

I'm really excited to be going, I have a feeling that the summer is going to go by really really quickly this year.

 

[Dragonistic]

Stealing my life plan!

I started on a BA and moved to a BSc (Bachelor of Arts to Bachelor of Science) for my accounting and finance course, totally the right decision for me and it seems more relevant to the accounting field for obvious reasons. That being said in practice alot of the more mathematical modules were much more appropriate to economics than anything else and haven't been vital to my understanding in the field. Swings and roundabouts.

 

[ExigeEvan]

Nearly a year on from graduation and I'm still looking for a grad job. I'm not short of options though, just everything takes soooo long.

Fingers crossed my dream job gets back to me next week with good news. Otherwise it's retail management making good money or a masters. Who knows.

 

[Dragonistic]

Well I just got classification for my BSc Accounting and Finance, so I assume other universities in the UK will also be classifying degrees around this time. How did fellow GTPers get on?

I didn't even know results were coming, the email telling us didn't come through to many of us so when Facebook exploded I was a little suspicious of mass trolling but then an hour or 2 later and an email comes through with my results. First class, extremely pleased after trying so hard this past year to push myself up from a 2:1 (which is by no means bad as it is).

 

[Touring Mars]

Congratulations on the...

 

[Aldo]

Congrats mate 👍
I just passed first year. I are noob!

 

[Dragonistic]

Thanks TM and Aldo.

You are a noob in training Aldo, there is much to learn you have but learn you shall. Become Jedi you must.