In the midst of the nations concerns over austerity measures and political uncertainty with the new conservative government, students are concerned and anxious, rightly so, about their current financial situation and where the future will take them. For the Eton boys and elitists who were born with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouthes student life is one big party but for the rest of the population things could be looking a lot grimmer.
The average student's outgoings, outside of London, is around £650 - £850, this is without taking into consideration travel costs home to keep vital support links alive between family and friends and, of course, the extortionate yearly tuitions fees of up to £9,000. Many people may consider the student life to be all about drinking, drugs and loose sexual practices; however these outdated views could not be further from the truth for the working class majority, with most students holding down more than one job as well as studying, attending lectures and getting involved with voluntary work, charity work or work placements to give them vital vocational experience. Gone are the days of the 'easy life' for students, and more and more are turning to loan companies for that much needed financial support to keep their heads above water whilst trying to better their futures. The average student on a three year academic degree will need around £41,000 to complete their course.
Some students are opting for living with young professionals as a way of studying and gleaming valuable experience from motivated post graduates rather than in Halls of Residence or student dominated households. We talked to one such student from Sheffield Hallam who gave us a valuable insight into his financial situation, "Currently I am living in a house with 3 young professionals, I find this works better for me as I am away from the hustle and bustle of student areas but close enough to still be involved. There is a quieter environment in the house that helps me to study and work, as opposed to if I was in student accommodation. However the problem is that I have to pay a fourth of the council tax even though I should be exempt as a student. There are no discounts added to our household bill to compensate for this and it's not fair to expect the others to pick up my share."
Another student, from University of Leicester, in the same position gave us the following statement, "I am currently in the middle of organising a peaceful protest for students to attend outside Downing Street, the dress code for this is stockings and suspenders. The lingerie is a symbolic statement to signify how students are being shafted by the Tory government. I am expecting a decent turn out as there are many students who are in similar financial situations and feel strongly about such issues. Something needs to change otherwise the next generation will be a bunch of brainless, uneducated idiots, which I'm sure the government would not want, well not publicly anyway."
In a recent student survey from savethestudent.org four in five said they constantly worried about money whilst at university, one in three do not know how to budget properly and 80% worry about life after university. A startling insight into the reality and pressures of student life and a disturbing trend for the future of our higher education system.