For students throughout the entire world, the student loan holds short term joy alongside long term anxiety. The loans themselves are the main form of direct government support for students in higher education in the UK. Money is loaned to students at a subsidized rate that helps contribute towards maintenance costs as well as tuition fees.

The whole notion is seen to financially support as much as possible, trying not to deter potential students who may be put off by the economic restraints associated with university.

The current system in place however does have its critics, with the maintenance loan often becoming an issue with a large number of students whose parents earn more than the average amount.

Many view university, or higher education as the perfect platform to mature, both academically and personally. This learning curve includes financial dependency for the majority of students, who are encouraged to use their loans wisely in what is fast becoming an economically strained society.

The value of the maintenance loan has severely increased over the last twenty years, with the average annual sum standing at £390 per student in 1990/91, when only 28% of eligible students accepted their loans. 1995/96 saw an increase to £1,250, whilst the turn of the millennium saw an even larger increase, with the annual average reaching £2,900. This academic year has seen the highest average at £3,700 per year, or just over £1,200 per term.

The whole idea behind a maintenance loan is to cover accommodation fees and imperative living essentials. However following on from last weeks article which focused on the party culture in the UK, this modern society we live in is failing to grasp what is viewed by many as one of universities, if not life’s fundamental learning stations.

More and more parents are naively agreeing to pay their children’s accommodation fees, which in turn leaves the said student in possession of the entire maintenance loan to spend how they wish. With a figure of over £3,000 million a year spent on student loans throughout the United Kingdom, it is obvious that in many cases this can amount to a lot of money.

Even though many parents feel they are providing beneficial financial support to their children, in many cases, individuals are left with over £1,000 a term, to spend how they wish. With a term being no more than a few months long, students who have this luxury are able to live fairly comfortably, a standard or living not associated with student life.

The excessive amounts of money available to students despite the stereotypical beliefs surrounding modern students is astonishing, which leads onto last week’s article that highlighted the party culture, excessive drinking and illegal drug taking that has become accustomed at many universities throughout the United Kingdom.

The stereotypical views associated with students, in these particular cases, are down to their own doing, and lack of financial responsibility. To be presented with such a large sum of money at the start of term and then to reach the final week’s and be well into your overdraft is an unnecessary deterrent that is easily avoidable.

Although it’s often said that years spent at University are the best of your life, this current party culture seems to take this term too literally which in turn is seen to jeopardize their academic studies and financial stability.

Although this financial ‘blessing’ doesn’t lend itself to every student in the UK, those who may be considered unfortunate in the short term will definitely benefit from their style of living, as they work hard to make the money they need to survive, developing good values and even better morals.

The article Student Loans Finance Excessive Lifestyle in UK appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

To choose to be a student right now in the UK is to place yourself in a very precarious situation. You can go the university route, where high tuition fees will hopefully be offset by strong career prospects, or you can go the technical college route as a means of earning a vocational skill which will result in more practical and accessible work experience.

Alternatively, you can choose to study abroad for the sake of your resumé, you can study part-time and find part-time employment to avoid incurring massive student loans, or if all else fails then you can take a gap year from your studies and attempt to find significant work experience which will potentially guide you onto the right academic path at a later date.

However, do a little asking around and you will soon find that a lot of people at different ages in these various positions are struggling to answer the question of, ‘Is education, in this day and age, and in this economic climate, even worthwhile?’.

What it all comes down to is all the statistics you have heard before: fees are up, the job market has narrowed, those already in employment are putting off retirement by a few more years, and so as a result the next generation of professionals are cast somewhat adrift.

Danielle Lavery, 24, attended both Belfast Metropolitan College and University of Ulster, and had the following to say about the attitudes of the staff in each institution:

When it comes to Uni, I think they get paid for nothing … [College] is a different story. They are dying to help in any way possible. I would study there forever.

This comment about being ‘paid for nothing’ is an echo of a point raised by many in the past – do university students get their value for money? Even before the fee increase became an issue, the majority of undergraduates were paying over £3,000 per year in tuition for less than a dozen hours of taught class per week.

At postgraduate level, the fees are higher and the taught class hours per week are lower, a structure which by its very design is becoming increasingly unappealing to younger students just starting out in higher education. Charlotte Hart, 18, is in her first year at Manchester Metropolitan University and said:

Joys = Getting to choose what you learn about more so than in previous education, and getting to move away (some people). Pains = lack of money.

Thus, the financial problem persists. Universities may offer a range of clubs and societies, and some may be developing world-class facilities, such as Queen’s University Belfast’s (QUB) McClay Library, but if students are not being compelled to make the most of these then the focus again turns towards the tangible benefits which students are receiving in turn for their tuition fees.

To go from a first year undergraduate to a PhD student, Amanda Krentzel, 23, spoke of the challenges and responsibilities that come from the mere development of one’s academic career. Having finished her undergraduate degree less than a year ago, Krentzel now finds that:

Suddenly, in the eyes of undergrads, you’ve aged a decade.

This point brings to light the academic hierarchy which is not nearly as well-documented as the financial burdens of student life. Pursuing academia through all of its stages means finding yourself becoming a relatively senior figure before you have reached your mid-20s. That routine of simply going to class, doing assignments, complaining about exams, and partying in the student union?

That is forgotten very quickly as the ‘student’ becomes a more active participant in the university community. Now, add together the personal responsibility and the workload, as well as the financial challenges, and the full extent of the pressures of student life become more apparent.

All this, however, is not to downplay the fundamental love of education that many students, even those in dire financial straits, manage to maintain. Sarah McBride, 25, is a postgraduate student at QUB and explained:

I’m pro-education. I’m here for the love of learning, not just for the job prospects.

Therein may lie the reason why so many young people continue to apply to higher education courses when they are well aware of the complete lack of guarantees of finding jobs: a love of learning.

In a year where recent graduates have emigrated from Europe to the United States, and vice versa, there are still plenty who believe that the student experience is still an invaluable and ultimately fulfilling endeavour to pursue. Yet for those who have emigrated to pursue their studies, the reasons are equally persuasive. James Hughes, a QUB graduate, moved to Maastricht to do his MA, and lists his motivations for doing do as:

The cheap fees, the potential employment prospects and the international atmosphere of the student body. Chance to live in another country is appealing and, for Maastricht specifically, it’s a great central ‘hub’ for travelling.

For those who remain at home, it remains to be seen whether the joys of education will continue to outweigh the pains, as another year goes by with more graduates than ever fighting it out for that one, elusive, perfect dream job.

The article Weighing Choices: The Student’s Dilemma appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Modern day perspectives are changing, with recent years focusing on binge-drinking throwing up alarming statistics. Predominantly throughout Europe, the younger drinking age seems to go hand in hand with the excessive rise in alcohol related incidents.

The figures relating to the topic make interesting reading, with a 2006 report from the USA stating that almost 80,000 people a year throughout the nation die as a result of excessive alcohol consumption. This statistic has cost the United States a shocking $223.5 billion. Such appalling stats continue, with a more recent study, published in January 2012 reporting that 50.9% of people over the age of 18 admit to being regular drinkers, as opposed to just 13.6% of the same age denying it.

Further numbers highlight the global stigma of the problem, with both America and England falling victim to a mortality rate of thousands related to alcohol a year. Whether it be directly linked to excessive alcohol intake or even alcohol abuse, the facts are present and make unpleasant reading.

However, alcohol addiction and binge-drinking amongst younger adults is a recognized issue, while underlying matters exist and remain un-tackled. Drug abuse among the age 18-25 throughout both Europe and America is on the verge of becoming a bigger issue now than in recent years.

Many teenagers and young adults are turning towards drugs in the search for euphoria in the nightlife, with several different forms available, each slightly different if ultimately reaching the same goal.

Through my University, I was able to speak to a young gentleman who openly admits to both excessively drinking alcohol and abusing drugs when on nights out and social events.

The individual will be referred to as ‘John’ but his identity is known by Toonari Post. He spoke openly and honestly during the interview, confessing to his substance abuse.

Toonari Post (TP): When did you have your first alcoholic drink?

John: I would have said i was about 15, but i wouldnt say i started drinking heavily ’til i was around 16/17 and managed to get my brothers I.D.

TP: Did you find it easy to get alcohol?

John: With I.D saying i was 19, even though I was 16/17 it was easy, no-one ever questioned it, shop keepers were all more than willing to make the sale.

TP: When was it that you first took drugs?

John: The summer before my move to University was the first time i experiemented with drugs. Several of my friends often took MDMA, M-cat and pills and had no side effects. They used to go on about how ‘good’ it was and how i should experience it.

TP: How accessible are drugs?

John: Extremely easy to get hold of. We went away on a lads holiday and didnt even drink much whilst we were away because drugs were so easy get hold of and surprisingly cheap too.

TP: Why do you continue to take drugs as opposed to drink alcohol?

John: Drugs are cheaper, simple. The high you get from taking drugs/pills is totally different to drinking. Alcohol leaves you bloated, lethargic and feeling horrendous the next morning. Drugs have a different effect all together, much more enjoyable from personal experience.

TP: Are you not afraid of long term effects? Addiction for example? 

John: As a university student, i have four years on my course, then i’ll head out in to the world of work and I presume I will have matured by then, but for now, I’m just living my life as it comes, and going out and having a good time is part of that.

TP: Do many of your friends take drugs? Is it a recreational habit for you all?

John: We all do it together yeah, but when i moved to university it was something i had in common with alot of people, and we just went from there.

TP: What about the risks of what you’re actually taking? How can you know for sure?

John: You can’t be 100% sure, but with alcohol becoming more expensive and drugs so easily accessible, making you feel better and becoming much cheaper, you can’t complain.

TP: How do you feel knowing that over 50 people this year alone have died from taking such substances as MDMA and M-Cat?

John: It does make you think twice, but aswell as thinking of the bad effects you think about how good it feels when you take them. You feel on top of the world. Yeah it does scare me everytime i take any kind of drug but then again once I do, it feels good, so it all balances out in my eyes.

TP: How much would you spend on a night out, if you were just taking drugs?

John: Depends what drugs you are buying. Class A’s such as cocaine cost around £40 a gram normally, but others such as m-cat are around £20 a gram. So if you work out how much you’d spend on alcohol rather than to drugs, drugs are the cheaper and in many peoples eyes, the better choice.

Recession to blame

The tough economic climate has hit hard in more ways than you can imagine. Increasing prices of alcohol, rather than deterring youngsters from excessively indulging in alcohol, is forcing their hand in other directions, encouraging drugs abuse.

The factors add up, and despite the last decade or so being dominated by a culture obsessed with binge-drinking, increasing levels of peer pressure, alongside falling economic stability, all seem to be lending themselves to the trend that sees more and more young adults turn to drugs as opposed to alcohol.

In order for these potential disasters to be averted, younger children must receive better education concerning substance abuse from an earlier age. The current generations, with its ‘party-university’ mentality that for the majority revolves around having a good time, are still able prevent further damage, to themselves and society.

If not, this culture has the unfortunate potential of influencing younger generations, which highlights the argument for more information to younger children, teenagers and even younger adults, the age range where these issues lie.

The article Party Culture UK: How Drugs Become the Alternative to Drinking appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.