The Student Room Group
University College London, University of London
University College London
London

How am I going to survive?

Hey everyone, I recently got my entitlement summary for this year's student finance (my first year) and it's just over 10K, (830 per month). This seems like a lot, but as i'll be living in london it's actually hardly anything. The cheapest accommodation that ensures you don't stabbed during the night is £325 per week and this excludes food, transport etc. Per month that's £1300. So if i'm getting £830 per month, but i have to pay £1300 just for a roof how am i meant to survive? My uni isn't a typical uni where you have days off to get a job etc. It's monday to friday 9am-5pm. Which only gives me enough time in the evening to get home, eat and recover for the next day. So that rules out the option of getting an evening job. I also plan to visit my family every other weekend, so a weekend job isn't applicable - nor would it pay enough. Do you guys/girls have any advise on what to do?

Thank you.
(edited 7 years ago)
The cheapeat accomodation "that ensures you dont get stabbed during the night" is not £325 per week. That is utterly ridiculous. My advice is to stop being so picky, you still get a huge amount more loan than most people. And even if your course is 9-5 you could still work on the weekends (do you really need to go home every other weekend!?! And if you have 'no money' how do you plan on paying to do this) or in the holidays in your home town (which I'm hoping you've been doing all summer).

Also a good job to get at uni and in London specifically is with an agency (e.g. One that provides staff for catering events). There are loads of them around, the pay is usually around £8-9/hour and you can work as little or as much as you like (flexible, zero hour contract).

Basically, you just have to deal with it and make sacrficies like most people do. The majority of people cant afford to live in such expensive accomodation without getting a job. So be realistic about what is really viable and what you would be willing to sacrific most. Just because halls arent in a 'nice aream doesnt mean you will get stabbed you know, just be street wise.
University College London, University of London
University College London
London
Original post by AbroSteel
Hey everyone, I recently got my entitlement summary for this year's student finance (my first year) and it's just over 10K, (830 per month). This seems like a lot, but as i'll be living in london it's actually hardly anything. The cheapest accommodation that ensures you don't stabbed during the night is £325 per week and this excludes food, transport etc. Per month that's £1300. So if i'm getting £830 per month, but i have to pay £1300 just for a roof how am i meant to survive? My uni isn't a typical uni where you have days off to get a job etc. It's monday to friday 9am-5pm. Which only gives me enough time in the evening to get home, eat and recover for the next day. So that rules out the option of getting an evening job. I also plan to visit my family every other weekend, so a weekend job isn't applicable - nor would it pay enough. Do you guys/girls have any advise on what to do?

Thank you.


Yup, same situation as everyone else, you just have to be more realistic. You can get cheaper accommodation that that. You can still work evenings. You can't afford to go home every other weekend. Just like all the other students around you that don't have independent incomes!
Reply 3
Original post by LiquidGold
The cheapeat accomodation "that ensures you dont get stabbed during the night" is not £325 per week. That is utterly ridiculous. My advice is to stop being so picky, you still get a huge amount more loan than most people. And even if your course is 9-5 you could still work on the weekends (do you really need to go home every other weekend!?! And if you have 'no money' how do you plan on paying to do this) or in the holidays in your home town (which I'm hoping you've been doing all summer).

Also a good job to get at uni and in London specifically is with an agency (e.g. One that provides staff for catering events). There are loads of them around, the pay is usually around £8-9/hour and you can work as little or as much as you like (flexible, zero hour contract).

Basically, you just have to deal with it and make sacrficies like most people do. The majority of people cant afford to live in such expensive accomodation without getting a job. So be realistic about what is really viable and what you would be willing to sacrific most. Just because halls arent in a 'nice aream doesnt mean you will get stabbed you know, just be street wise.


Woah i didn't realize uni would be like that... Thanks for the tips.
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 4
Original post by threeportdrift
Yup, same situation as everyone else, you just have to be more realistic. You can get cheaper accommodation that that. You can still work evenings. You can't afford to go home every other weekend. Just like all the other students around you that don't have independent incomes!


..
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 5
What special uni is this thats making you do 9-5. Please enlighten me?
325 a week?

Seriously?

You can get a decent place (without being stabbed) for 140 easily...*
Reply 7
325£/week? You are looking at the wrong places. Go for a room share. It will be as cheap as 85£ per week. NO univ is for 9 to 5 Kiss luxury goodbye for a year and welcome the student life.Skype with your family. Take it as a challenge. Discipline yourself.
Reply 8
Original post by okrahuh
325£/week? You are looking at the wrong places. Go for a room share. It will be as cheap as 85£ per week. NO univ is for 9 to 5 Kiss luxury goodbye for a year and welcome the student life.Skype with your family. Take it as a challenge. Discipline yourself.


While no uni is 9-5 every day, I did have 6 weeks of 9-6 solid lectures on Mondays at UCL...that was not fun.
Reply 9
what? xD I pay 105 per week and until now I didn't get stabbed or robbed. That is too much.. you can easily find a room paying 140/150 in a good area with bills included
Reply 10
Original post by TVIO
While no uni is 9-5 every day, I did have 6 weeks of 9-6 solid lectures on Mondays at UCL...that was not fun.


Which course? I hope it was not PEM? Anyhow, you can't make exceptions the rule.
i paid 140 for my accomodation at uni in london and i didnt get stabbed... because i wasnt given a massive entitlement and even the nicest accomodation i knew of cost 250 a week so i dont know what planet you live on.
Reply 12
Original post by okrahuh
Which course? I hope it was not PEM? Anyhow, you can't make exceptions the rule.

Computer Science. Thankfully it is the exception not the rule, yes.
Reply 13
" The cheapest accommodation that ensures you don't stabbed during the night is £325 per week . "

Someone got stabbed in Russell square recently so that isn't a smart thing to say.

Normally rooms to rent near central are £800 pcm.
Reply 14
omg i didn't expect a reply from a bunch of smart asses who have no standards in life. What an earth does uni turn you into...:ahhhhh:
Reply 15
Original post by Gman786
What special uni is this thats making you do 9-5. Please enlighten me?


go **** yourself

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