Member Since: 22 May 2020
Location: Newcastle
Posts: 1626
Uni Offer
The eldest is just finishing his BioMed degree, now he informs me he’s got an offer for Medicine. First one to come in out of his choices. I am going to be bankrupt at this rate before he starts earning.
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15th Mar 2023 2:32 pm
kajtzu
Member Since: 10 Aug 2017
Location: Helsinki
Posts: 6769
University education is not free in UK?
15th Mar 2023 3:03 pm
disco chris
Member Since: 25 Apr 2022
Location: London
Posts: 292
That's what my partner did - a 3 year Biomedical Science BSc, then got into a postgrad medical course, 4 years. She left uni eventually with about £80k of student debt which is now about £85k as the interest is accumulating faster than she can pay it off
Although she loves medicine / being a doctor and helping sick kids, her advice for anyone looking to do it would be make sure you at least go in with your eyes open and know exactly what it entails...
15th Mar 2023 3:14 pm
disco chris
Member Since: 25 Apr 2022
Location: London
Posts: 292
And no, university education costs around £9k per year in tuition in England or Wales.
If you take a loan, interest will be charged, currently at a rate of around 6-7% if you are a higher earner...
If you're Scottish and go to university in Scotland, it's free for you / funded by the taxpayer.
15th Mar 2023 3:21 pm
disco chris
Member Since: 25 Apr 2022
Location: London
Posts: 292
And, congratulations - it's a great achievement to get an offer like that you must be proud.
15th Mar 2023 3:23 pm
RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
Location: Here
Posts: 13606
Re: Uni Offer
JordsDisco wrote:
The eldest is just finishing his BioMed degree, now he informs me he’s got an offer for Medicine. First one to come in out of his choices. I am going to be bankrupt at this rate before he starts earning.
Click image to enlarge
Children are like Land Rovers - you shouldn't have them if you can't afford the bills.
And congrats to the eldest for getting an offer at an internationally well-regarded University. Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
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2008 RRS TDV8
"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
15th Mar 2023 3:28 pm
JordsDisco
Member Since: 22 May 2020
Location: Newcastle
Posts: 1626
Thanks guys, yes I am pleased for him. It’s something he really wanted to do.
Tuition fees are payable in the whole of the UK for English students, Scottish students free in Scotland for first degree, but pay a reduced rate for second one, however they pay no matter what in England. Wales and NI have slightly different arrangements. Tuition fees are just over £9k per year.
Then you have accommodation and living costs. Student loan is parental income related. My one gets the minimum of £4.5k which he uses for food and day to day living. I pay his accommodation and everything else tbh.
I also have his sisters Uni costs, so it all mounts up.
Sort of hoping if he chooses St. Andrews, he might stay with my sister, who has a house in that town, but knowing my luck, he will want to strike out on his own.
Better than his Chinese national GF. She had to pay £30k out for a one year Masters degree in Glasgow, then there was accommodation and living costs on top. There is no state help for her, so her mum paid it.
15th Mar 2023 3:30 pm
RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
Location: Here
Posts: 13606
Re: staying with your sister. Sounds like a choice to be made - stay with her or go elsewhere and you fund that part yourself. Your choice. Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
2012 RRS SDV6
2008 RRS TDV8
"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
15th Mar 2023 3:41 pm
Stevepd
Member Since: 06 Mar 2018
Location: Wiltshire
Posts: 392
Our Son went into Uni just as they put the £9k fees in. He's subsequently completed 2 Masters in forensics and secondly ballistics. As above he's in a bit of debt which was simply beyond us, but we funded the living costs. He now works in the trade for the Police and is loving it. I wish I he could tell me more but obviously he's reluctant to tells us and rightly so. As above kids are funny. No matter what our financial positions we all are, we can't afford kids but we always make ends meet.
Congrats on the bioMed degree and job offer. Its wonderful to see them mature and find their way.visiting from www.rrsport.co.uk
15th Mar 2023 7:35 pm
Scott #55
Member Since: 15 Apr 2015
Location: UK
Posts: 1684
Good for him - although not so good for your wallet.
Is he looking at any other unis for the degree? Only asking because St Andrews is a difficult place to get to via public transport and is full of American golfists, pushing accomodation prices up.
15th Mar 2023 9:54 pm
JordsDisco
Member Since: 22 May 2020
Location: Newcastle
Posts: 1626
Hi Scott, yes you can apply for up to 4 universities for Medicine. All of them Scottish based. He was interviewed by them all, some went better than others. This is just the first one to get back to him. That said, it was one of his favourites.
Yes, it’s awkward to get to, but he has his car. The accommodation is sort of pricy, a bit more than we pay for our daughter in Edinburgh, but my sister lives in St. Andrews. She lives by herself in a big house. That could be an option apart from them both being strong personalities.
16th Mar 2023 6:49 am
Drmike
Member Since: 12 Mar 2021
Location: Notts
Posts: 6
St Andrews is a good place for medicine. Be aware that clinical placements fairly likely to be in Manchester - never did understand the link…
Student loan tax (9% extra income tax to pay it off) is one of the reasons the jnr docs are striking.
16th Mar 2023 8:04 am
JordsDisco
Member Since: 22 May 2020
Location: Newcastle
Posts: 1626
Thanks, he had applied for the Scottish route rather than the English or no preference. I did wonder if it was wise as it’s a popular choice. First 3 years at St. Andrews, then onto a partner school from the other 4 Scottish Unis. Think you can bung down a preference which one in year 1.
Yes, the student loan is one thing we tried to keep down for him. All he’s had has been £4.5k per year over 4 years so far. If we can limit it to that for Medicine, then we will. I like being poor.
16th Mar 2023 8:32 am
Scott #55
Member Since: 15 Apr 2015
Location: UK
Posts: 1684
I'm not certain that Manchester is the 'definite' place for clinical placements.
The historic reason for it being Manchester is because, when Dundee became a Uni and offered medicine, its students took the places at Dundee Royal and St Andrews students were 'barred' from going to Dundee hospitals to give Dundee Uni a boost (very historic - happened in the 60s) - or so I'm lead to believe.
St Andrew's website states that students will move to another university for the final three years of the course.
[Disclosure: SWMBO is Dean of the School of Medicine at Liverpool Uni so I pick up a lot of bits and pieces when I listen. That can be a rare occasion so don't take the first and second paragraphs as gospel.]
EDIT: just re-read Drmike's post - he only suggested that Manchester would be 'fairly likely'. My reading skills are as honed as my listening skills. And I've explained the reason for St Andrew's students not going to Dundee - NOT why they traditionally went to Manchester.
Hope my pupils pay more attention today than I'm doing so far.
I recently watched an interview with David Davies in which he said some courses should be grant-aided and free of tuition fees - things like STEM, which the economy needs, rather than Gothic Flower-Arranging (or whatever) that the economy needs less.
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