The Guardian today announced that concerns over finances are preoccupying sixth form and college students as they commence their preparations for University life. And it seems that it isn't just the continuously growing fees that are of concern; the reality of life outside the parental home is also starting to dawn on these 18 year old students, as they have to start to think about the real costs associated with living independently; food, utilities, rent and travel.
Funding provisions are poor for University students, particularly those who fall into the middle category of 'not too poor to require support', yet 'not sufficiently wealthy to not require any support'. A future University student who the Guardian is following, Zowie, will be the first of 5 children in her family to go to University. Her mum is as medical secretary and her dad is a building site manager. When talking about University funding, Zowie states that; 'even though my household income is enough to rule me out of much of a maintenance grant, my parents are not going to be able to fund my living costs, especially with the cost of living going up so much. One of the Unis I've been reading about says a single student can work on day-to-day living expenses of £200-£225 a week. That seems like a crazy amount of money.'Zowie advises younger students to start putting money aside as early as possible. "I would suggest saving lots of money before university if you're in a similar situation to me," she says.
Difficult times ahead for the youth of today.
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