Exam Results

[Scurra]

EDIT: Scurra - if this becomes politcal debate, then feel free to cut it.

Ah, well, I have double-standards in this respect - I tend to think that it's only political when neither side is willing to even entertain the notion that the other side might have a point.

[gill216]

wish I knew how much more I had left!)

Eirian, if you google student loan repayment uk there is a government site where you can check your balance.

[Bunnylump]

I just wish I was rich enough to be able to pay it for them. Sadly this is not the case. And MBH - I totally agree with you, it's rubbish to have debt at that age. I also agree with you about tax. Personally I'd prefer to pay more tax and then have better services, plus things like education funded properly. But then I am odd.

[SparkOut]

Personally I'd prefer to pay more tax and then have better services, plus things like education funded properly.

But one of the biggest problems is deciding how all that extra money would be spent "properly".

[Scurra]

That's easy. A range of people would offer their proposals about how it should be spent. Obviously it wouldn't be possible for all the proposals to be implemented, so we would get to pick the one we liked best, and the one with the most support would be, um, what would be a good word - how about "Elected"?

[SparkOut]

That sounds like a good idea. If only we could get a system like that to work in the real world.

[Biscuit]

Hi

I like all your suggestions.

I must admit I was a bit surprised when my oldest studing psychology at Exeter told me she only has 15 hours of lectures a week but she would not be able to get a job because she had so much netball training etc. She is a hard worker so I suppose she must be right. During the holidays she has done a variety of jobs to earn a bit more. She also did lots of things like help the sports at the local primary school twice a week too, whilst in Exeter.

I am hoping she will be able to get one this year.

At OU i am doing a 9 month course which is worth a fifth of a degree asnd I am spending a lot more than 15 hours a week but then that includes my studying time too rather than any lectures. Still it is a bit of a struggle with work and PB too.


Anyway the point I would make is that having seen my daughter do her 1st year and I think she would agree that it was a bit of a fun time and that you could probably do the course in two years.

[Bunnylump]

Yes, definitely. My daughter ended up only having 6 hours tuition a week, and was only there for 6 months by the time all the holidays were taken out.

[supersleuth]

My son's attempts to earn money wsere scuppered from the word go, as he's had over 20 hours of lectures and tutorials and, to give him his due, does about as much as again himself, and, yes, it really does seem that he does this. Fortunately we are in a position to give him some financial support, but his student loan seems to be charged interest from the time he takes it out (not, as we had fondly supposed, from the time he starts working and/or is eligible to start to repaying it). He is now entering his fourth year, and so far it has cost about £20 000, and (as he has had a year out) his fees are "only" about £ 1 200. The whole thing does seem a bit desperate.

[Biscuit]

does anyone know what interest rate is charged?

I thought it was the rate of inflation so presumably if we contract they should pay back some of the interest to make it fair.

also they presumably charge interest from the date they pay the uni which is a lot later than the time you would have to pay independantly. = need to check that too. It is difficult to get inforamtion off of the loan company.

[supersleuth]

Well, I have just done a quick scout round, and "Directgov" is full of information about how to apply for a loan, but very reticent about how the total amount you have to pay back is worked out. I just know that my son had an annual statement a year ago which indicated that he owed a few hundred pounds more than he had borrowed over the previous couple of years (not megabucks, but enough to ring alarm bells).

[giraffe]

My niece got her GCSEs today. 6A and 5B She's disappointed, but much better than her brother got in his AS levels last week.

[MBH]

Very consistant - my CSE's {no 'G' in those days} were scattered all over the place (plenty of grade 1s but managed a grade 5 in German ). I think my 'O' levels were all Grade 'C'

Don't mention Additional (now AS) levels


[I did get my 'O' level Physics at 'A' level Not quite the way to do it!]

[giraffe]

I have two O levels in Chemistry, one of which was when I retook my A level to try to improve the E.

[Scurra]

I have a grade "U" for "unclassified" in Latin. That actually takes some doing, since you ought to be able to get at least an F just by turning up and writing your name on the paper...

[giraffe]

Did you write the right name?

[Biscuit]

I managed a U in French. Very unfortunate - I was useless at the subject anyway and then our teacher left and her replacement had a strong scottish accent so I couldn't understand her when she was speaking english.... also cse grade 4 in needlework

Funny thing is that when on holiday with OH and he wrote off the car (don't ask) I was the one who had to try and speak french to all the locals who misteriously didn't speak any english but my husband had an A grade. Also once I left school I used to make myself all sorts of clothes and even made a few fancy dress things for the children. So even though I was useless I still got through. I am not very good under pressure so perhaps that's it. As long as I can sit and ponder over a dressmaking pattern for hours I am fine. Also my mum used to make loads of stuff and she would always teach me to do it a different way to the pattern to save material. So I am probably not v good at doing it the proper way.

Biscuit

[giraffe]

When I'm making costumes I tend to draw round a garment that is vaguely the shape I want the costume to be and then fiddle with it until it turns out ok.

[Biscuit]

that is so much more creative than following a pattern.

Biscu it

[giraffe]

I'm just not very good at following rules!