An education system based upon how much mummy and daddy earn NOT academic ability?

It surely depends on the course which one is studying. i am fortunate enough to be studying medicine and I have learnt first hand how extra costs can soon mount up. Especially when the course is 5 years long. Travel costs to and from your outblocks are no longer covered.

The fee loan is a pittance and barely covers the requirements. Not only that it's the principle that people are going to think "If its going to cost 100k i wont bother" its dissuading people from education because they are grossly off put by the enormous monetary cost.

It's silly tbh because most people arguing are in Uni and will not face these high fees.


Although it's pretty irrelevant I hope Uni's don't start drastically changing accommodation prices. I know that prices everywhere are going to increase no matter what, however the maintenance loan and grant probably won't increase. Some kids (mainly middle class) won't be getting a full loan or a grant at all. I don't understand the logic behind assuming that if your parent earn slightly more money, they can just hand out a few grand here and there, at any time. Loans don't cover much at all. And I can see part time jobs becoming less and less.

/whine

This year, the syllabus in my Philosophy class was pretty much tweaked, but my Buddhism class' was totally different, like 7 new topics.

It is impossible to deny that it is HARDER for students from poorer colleges to get good A-level grades. It is HARDER for one to do everything by themselves than have it spoon fed.

I don't buy this whole "your attitude" thing. I agree, with enough work, you can excel, but I would say that BBB at a crappy college somewhere in London from a low income background is better than the AAA someone gets from Eton.

If they 'just couldn't care less', then that's their problem. We have scholarships to independant schools, they could apply.

No you don't. There are benefits to support the poor, no one 'needs' to get a job. Surely your parents would want you to get your education more.


Yes they do, anyone can be anything if they want to be. A lot of people have a job while at uni. It's not impossible. If you're too short-sighted to see that, then that's too bad.

Then why do the crappy inner London schools that get absolutly plowed with funding and multi million equipment upgrades still fail to perform?

It is harder yes, but it's nowhere near impossible. The attitude of the student has a much, much, much greater effect on their study.

What kind of background does the student from a low income area have?

Do they typically have friends that want to excel as well?
Do they have goals that are high, or do they see what their parents have and think that's normal?

Attitude is something that emerges from circumstance, not something that one can manipulate autonomously usually, or at least long term.

I'd actually say it's harder for someone from my background, as the really poor people get grants.

My parents have to pay high rate tax, child benefit will be cut in 2013, and pay more towards my university costs. I don't get grants or anything.

It's also buggered up my plan a bit, I was going to take a loan anyway and leave my trust fund in the bank, gaining intrest, and then pay off the loan as soon as I get out. I'm not sure I can fully pay for it myself anymore.

I still think this is much better than a graduate tax, though personally I'd favour aboloshing mickey mouse degrees like Health and Social care, Media etc (no offence to anyone taking these!) and making unis purely academic once more.

Thank you. Finally someone who is seeing the other side of this.

Also major respect to you for your part time job, I know there is absolutely no way I could do what you are doing. Medicine is exhausting enough.

What kind of background does the student from a low income area have?

Do they typically have friends that want to excel as well?
Do they have goals that are high, or do they see what their parents have and think that's normal?

Attitude is something that emerges from circumstance, not something that one can manipulate autonomously usually, or at least long term.

Well, the point that private colleges make it easier to excel still stands.

That's true, but my brother will be affected. So although it won't affect me personally, I do take a large interest in it

(Plus, the debt gets cancelled after 25 years anyway).

The debt does not get cancelled after 25 years that is the biggest load of rubbish i have heard. Look on the direct.gov.uk website. This happened many years ago but has been the case for ages, it is the same as running off to another country that also doesn't cancel the debt. I beleive it gets cancelled when you are 60.

Currently student loans take on average 12 years to pay off for men and 16 for women. This will double or triple when the fees come in. Having a huge whack of your income taken away from you for a quarter of a century will have a dramatic effect on peoples lives. The idea of getting into 30 to 50,000 pounds worth of debt will definatly put people off going into university. Debt is a chain around your neck restricting your options in life.

My bad. Cancelled when you're 60 them.



True, but my previous point was that, while the debt will be increasing dramatically, it will increase for everyone who goes to university, regardless of how rich their parents are. And since the debt gets charged to the students themselves via PAYE, it really doesn't have anything to do with "how much mummy and daddy earn" as the OP puts it.