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Have
Your Say
I recently
encountered several articles within the media, profiling various
students who have successfully escaped the 'student debt trap'.
The articles are somewhat misleading. The students profiled within
them have not avoided debt through their own actions - they have
'avoided' debt through the substantial aid from their parents.
Worthy
of praise?
To
actually highlight these students as being worthy of praise because
they parents are rich? Very strange indeed!
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| How
much can you take? |
This
should not be taken as a representation of the student body. For
many including myself, this is not the case.
I find
it very insulting when a student claims to have made a conscious
decision to avoid getting into debt and this decision consists of
taking cash from their parents.
What about those whose parents can't afford to shell out money for
the obligatory student-drinking binge four times a week? To hear
them complaining about how hard it is and how they have to economise,
and how they only went out on the lash twice that week!
The main contributory factor to student debt is credit. Banks seem
to get you to borrow so much and feed you with credit and debit
cards, leaving a lifetime of debt to pay back.
Disposable
income?
What's
more, companies spend millions pitching their marketing and advertising
strategies to the campus environment. It's easy pickings for them,
with so much disposable income and so many open pockets, why not
take students for as much as they can?
But
surely the onus in this case is on the students themselves. Yes
it is tempting to take out multiple credit cards and spend to the
hilt, but the key is responsibility.
I
have seen many fellow students max out several credit cards and
then sheepishly retire to their parents' home for the weekend, who
of course agree to clear them with a mild telling off.
Taking
responsibility for your actions? No. Lessons learnt? I seriously
doubt it.
Scope
for employment?
Obviously
some courses require a larger amount of lecture and independent
study. Medicine, for example. But with any course, there is scope
for some kind of employment even if it is limited to outside term
time.
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| Two
drunk students |
Equally,
there's no point spending all your time working to get yourself
through a course you then fail because you had no time to do any
studying.
There
should be a balance between the two and this will obviously shift
depending upon the requirements of each course.
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Case
Study
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I spoke to Carla Hyman, a student who has recently completed
her degree and worked throughout the majority of it.
Having
gained a first class degree, she is a clear example that working
whilst studying doesn't mean that university work has to suffer.
I have learnt much more about life in general, than my
friends who have never worked.  |
| Carla
Hyman, student |
"I
worked throughout 6th form and university having little breaks,
normally at exam times. I wouldn't have been able to get through
university without working.
"I
normally worked around 20 hours a week as well as around 15
hours of lectures, plus all the private study you are meant
to do."
What benefits do you think working has given you?
"I
think that working throughout uni has made me a more rounded
person. I have learnt much more about life in general than
my friends who have never worked.
" I think I am a lot more independent and responsible,
I have learnt not to rely on others, and to get where I want
to get myself. Skills such as teamwork and communication are
good to have and these are gained a lot more from a work environment
rather that at uni."
How
has working while studying affected your social life?
"I
would say it did affect my social life relating to university
as I missed many nights out due to my commitment to work,
but on the other hand I had a whole separate social life and
friends at the jobs I worked at.
" It was nice mixing with other people who weren't students.
I suppose it depends on how you look at it. I wasn't too bothered
about the whole university social life, but who knows, if
I had never worked it might have been different."
What
do you think of students who have never worked throughout
uni?
"I
think that most students who have never worked throughout
uni are spoilt! They complain that they are skint but all
they do is spend their parents' money on alcohol. Why don't
they get a job? A lot of students I know don't work throughout
uni, then in the summer their parents pay for them to go off
travelling.
"Fair
enough if they have the money to do it, but I don't think
this is helping the student develop as a person. They don't
learn the value of money and at that age most people should
be capable of working to support their social habits."
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It isn't just a matter of being lazy. Not working whilst studying
could also have a massive impact upon graduate employment. How many
students will leave university with no work experience whatsoever?
Having a degree in itself is no longer the chief factor in gaining
graduate employment - a university education is commonplace and
should be supported with experience within a working environment.
Unprepared
for working life?
Employers are known to take work experience seriously, considering
it as groundwork for students entering the workforce for the first
time.
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| Students
in a pub |
A common
complaint from employers is that graduates are unprepared for the
demands of working life. Statistics from the Association of Graduate
Recruiters indicate that graduates with relevant work experience,
paid or unpaid, tend to attract a higher starting salary than those
without it.
By no means am I trying to reinforce the stereotype of the lazy
student. My observations are based upon my own generalisations.
I seem to come into contact with more students who don't work, than
those who do.
Get
a job!
I'm
not saying that this stereotype has a large basis in fact, but that
those freeloading students do little in terms of PR for the rest
of us.
Hard work? Yes. Little time for social life? Most definitely! But
at the end of the day, I think I'm a better person for it.
I've learned to be independent, developed excellent organisation
skills, and also valuable experience within a working environment
which, I hope, will stand me in good stead for my future career.
I think that going it alone has helped me greatly and, in this respect,
I'm miles ahead of the majority of my university friends.
On
that note, students take my advice - get a job!
Have
your say!
What
are your views on this article? Are you a student who works through
Uni life? Are you about to start uni, and are you planning to work?
Or do you find that you have no time to work, or don't really want
to?
Whatever
your opinions, be sure to have your say! Just fill out the form
below!
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| Your
comments |
kirsty,aylesbury
i think its disgusting the government dont help more in more diversely different students lives im becoming a student this september and feel i have nowhere to turn to financial help due to my circumstances i am planning to work in a part time job and its gonna be a struggle without a social life i think students dont all have champagne lifestyles and lay about getting drunk because i certainly wont be and i wont be asking my parents for help because they cant afford it, its not all about having fun its for my future.
Chris, Sunderland
I would tend to agree with the article to some extent, I haven't got time for someone who chooses not to work yet moans about having no money. Fair enough don't work, but don't moan about having no cash aswell! I work and attend uni, and have a VERY active social life, I'm always going out. The only reason I can afford the things I want without getting shedloads of debt is by working.
I do appreciate though that some courses such as medicine are more demanding so may restrict the amount of paid work you can do.
Beth, Durham
I don't work either. I think there are only so many things you can fit into the day without starting to sacrifice either you work, social life or sleep! The girl in the interview said she 'wasnt too bothered about the whole university social life', and i think that shows how much shes missed out on, because anyone who has been part of the 'whole uni social life' will have had the best three years of their lives! (and no my parents dont support me, i work in the summer and live cheaply)
Tim, Lancaster
Fact is there are a lot of ways to get through university. Whether it's a student loan or financial help from parents. I say as long as you come out the other end with a decent degree there's no worries! People come to uni for an adventure and a good time as well as degrees, so as long as there's some kind of balance it doesn't matter if you're in loads of debt because by the time you have to pay it off you'll be able, plus you should have a lot of good memories too! And at the end of the day you have to remember that some people are just well-off, so just remember to be their friends when the next rounds being bought.
Graeme, Durham
Working while at university presents a multitude of challenges to any student, however I agree with the author the student develops into a more rounded individual and understands the sacrifices that sometimes must be made while in employment.
Beth, Cardiff
I dont find this offensive or anything like that but i do agree that it can be hard to get a job, cardiff is very much a student based city, i worked all summer before i came here and decided to give myself a month to settle in before i got a job. i went to the union job shop and there are no jobs available with 15,000 students here its hardly surprising that there arent enough jobs for everyone.
The only problem with this article is the implication that if you are a student and you dont work then your parents are rich, i come from a large family and there is no way my parents could help me out even if i asked and as i have said i dont have a job.
Dave, Spennymoor
This article does not offend, as it is written about the stereotypical minority of Durham students. I am a student but I have also worked since i was 16, and know its value (or lack of it). If parents are prepared to bail out there children, let them. Work isn't easy and it isn't fun, by going out every other night these people are only compromising their own education. The longer these people stay out of work, the longer they are ignorant of how horrible work can be. We all know that ignorance is bliss!
Si, Durham
Yeah Nick, and I bet Mummy and Daddy pay for everything your entire life!
Nick, Durham
I don't work and am a student, my parents bought me a house up here and a car. I get an allowance every week for clothes and food and going out, but so what?
Kat, Cardiff
Brilliant, you're all part of a mature, clear-minded minority. Don't slag off the writer just because you don't live up to the, sadly all too pervasive, stereotype. There are 10,000 students at Durham and a sharp percentage of those live up to the attributes of this article.
Paul, Newcastle
In response to Katy in Jarrow; I am the writer of this article and I know a great deal about being a student and managing my finances. I am a student and I support myself financially. I am 22, work as a journalist for a north east magazine company, drive a car which I have paid for myself and live in a house with my partner, which again, was aquired with no help from my family. I would also point out that I am doing a full time degree in politics. The article is not meant to cause offense, but it is written to question the attitudes of many students to university and work.
Stephen, Peterlee
I find this offensive also. I am a student, but I certainly don't go out drinking or watch the TV everyday.
When I can, I will certainly work, I hate having to depend on other people for money-matters, I'm a pretty proud person
Helen, Durham
Whilst I agree that alot of students at Durham do have affluent backgrounds and spend like there's no tomorrow alot of us don't. Durham is tiny and due to the sheer number of students not all of us can get a job, even if we really need one. It's not always as easy as this article makes it out to be!
Katy, Jarrow
I would just like to say my parents offered me money so I wouldn't have to get a student loan but I said no. However I do not think that accepting would have made me less of a student. I wonder just how much the writer knows about being a student who struggles with financial issues.
Rich, Durham
I must agree with most of this article. I worked throughout the summer before I started uni and again this summer. I earned it doing 69 hour weeks and lots of night shifts and I really appreciate the worth of the money that I have earned. I do go out drinking, but not excessively, and I always have money left over for bills and such. I did find in my first yr that there were a load of people that were completely naive about money and used to spend as if there was no tomorrow! They're parents were rich and never taught them the value of money. No wonder that they're like that. Once back at uni though I do not work. I find that I cannot balance the work load of the course with my socialising, but I do not need the money because I have already earned it.
Elle, Durham
I find this article quite offensive. I don't work but at the same time I don't drink so I save a hell of a lot of money through that. Not everyone that doesn't have a job spends all their money drinking and then moans. You don't have to have a job to save money.
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