Living at home whilst doing a degree...

[x.Moomoo.x]

Well I have finally planned everything out that I need to.

Quit 6th form after a not very successful year in 2 of my 3 subjects :o and after all the trouble I've had since being at my 6th form - I quit 3 days ago :)

I am now going to my local college to do my 2nd year in law and first year in; Psychology, Philosophy & English language (and maybe critical thinking too) which will give me enough UCAS points to start my Law degree :D

I was suppose to be moving away at Uni but because how things have turned out, I'll now be living at home - so my question is! where do I stand on the horsey sides of everything?

For those of you doing a degree at home - does it give you enough time and money to spend on keeping a horse, as you don't have the costs of Uni accommodation, buying all of your own food, transport as much etc. Or would you say it's roughly the same?

I know it HAS to be cheaper on some part as accommodation costs are a lot less - although I'd obviously have to pay my mum rent, it won't be as much as halls or a flat etc. And will I have more or less time to care for a horse?

Anyone who is in this position/has been/going to be etc. all advice, comments welcome :D or just anyone who has an ideas or helpful info ;)

[CurlyWurlyRach]

ive just finished my 1st year of a law degree and i went to uni an hour away from home.
I have to say id HATE HATE HATE to have lived at home. Theres 250 people on my course sat quietly in a lecture theatre so its not really condusive for making friends. My friends were made in my hall of residence.

My parents are kind enough to pay my accomodation fees so i can afford to take my mare with me but as much as I love her i dunno what id have done otherwise cos i had so many good times in halls (met my boyfriend of almost 11 months now living downstairs :) and some other fab mates).

Just to warn you, my 1st year textbooks added up to £250. its best to get them off amazon rather than the uni bookshop as its invariably more expensive. also really reccomend the oxford law dictionary. really useful!

[x.Moomoo.x]

The thing is if me or my family had money to support me living away at Uni comfortably, then I'd probably go, straight off.

But as we don't (although I could do it, I'd get into a lot of debt) living at home and doing the first 2 years at my college seemed like the easier option... and it means I can have a horse :) whereas if I did move away to Uni - I'd be horseless :( which wasn't a plus side at all lol!

My 3rd year however is actually at Exeter University itself, so gives me the option of living over there as my lectures would be there - if not, it means commuting a few times a week!

I was all for the social side of living away totally but it's not the end of the world as by the time I'm 20/21 I'd have completed my degree, and have plenty of time to go out partying etc, then :)

But thanks curlywurlyrach for the tips ;)

[rubysmum]

im dead old so probably dont know what im talking about & went to art college in about 1862 - but part of the whole experience of uni is becoming self sufficient, making mistakes & doing things that yr parents probably wouldnt approve of......
living at home will certainly be cheaper but the saying
"if you always do what you've always done, you'll always achieve what you've always achieved"
living away from home forces you to be different - its not always comfortable - but change isnt....
at the risk of everyone shouting at me - i really dont think that decisions about education & careers should be informed by horses & dont forget about uni riding clubs/subsidised sporting stuff and all that
:)

[vixie]

im dead old so probably dont know what im talking about & went to art college in about 1862

really? wow...you must have known the pre-raphs personally and everything ;)

oh and i lived at home when i did my fine art degree (3 years wasted at art school...yay), ad i could hardly afford to live then, nevermind having accomodation fees, shopping etc etc on top of that, though i had to support myself through everything, had no help off parents.

[katie11]

im living 10 mins away from uni (at home!) i wouldnt live in.......

dont get me wrong - id like too in a way but.. im saving 3-4 grand a year - im paying for uni mysefl etc aswell and want to do masters etc (again self funded - by money saved on accomodation)

i just think that im going to be moving out and growing up one day anyhow so why rush it :D lol.....

as for horses - i have chosen not to buy because i want to put 100% into my degree and with a horse i dont feel i will (having lessons instead which tbh i am actually enjoying far more than i thought i would and more than owning/loaning etc... no comitment!)

anyhow..... i personally wouldnt buy/loan etc for those reasons BUT it is financially possible..... nbut i think limits... your hangovers/time etc... (rushing off to do horsse rather than doing something else)

mabey thats just me but tbh theres loads of time left in life for horses (in 3 years)! and partying.... so id honestly live at home and still have a good time/save money (save up fora horse???) or in my case both masters and a horse lol! and just enjoy it :)

[x.Moomoo.x]

im dead old so probably dont know what im talking about & went to art college in about 1862 - but part of the whole experience of uni is becoming self sufficient, making mistakes & doing things that yr parents probably wouldnt approve of......
living at home will certainly be cheaper but the saying
"if you always do what you've always done, you'll always achieve what you've always achieved"
living away from home forces you to be different - its not always comfortable - but change isnt....
at the risk of everyone shouting at me - i really dont think that decisions about education & careers should be informed by horses & dont forget about uni riding clubs/subsidised sporting stuff and all that
:)

I completely understand what you're saying and I know I shouldn't at all base horses around my career as it's only a temporary thing.
But my only other choice would be Truro college - as I have to do the 2 year foundation degree before I complete the BSc (hons) Law degree the 3rd year in Exeter (as I said, I screwed up my first year, so haven't got enough time to build up enough UCAS points to get me straight onto the 'proper' degree)

[rubysmum]

me & the pre-raphs are like brethren - tight:D

[x.Moomoo.x]

me & the pre-raphs are like brethren - tight:D

Sorry I think I'm being stupid but I have no idea what you just said ^ :eek::o

[vixie]

me & the pre-raphs are like brethren - tight:D

part of the brotherhood/sisterhood eh? :D lol

[CurlyWurlyRach]

your loan is supposed to support you. My boyfriend gets the max maintenence loan (as well as the tuition fee loan) due to household income and it pays his accomodation and he lives just fine off it - still p*sses away £30 odd on a night out.

If you want to be a lawyer id avoid a bsc as you have to do a VERY expensive post grad to qualify (the LPC). Its about 8k and you have to fund it yourself (im lucky that theres one a few miles from my parents home so i can cut costs then) and if you have a Bsc you have to take an extra exam as its not a 'qualifying law degree'.

[x.Moomoo.x]

your loan is supposed to support you. My boyfriend gets the max maintenence loan (as well as the tuition fee loan) due to household income and it pays his accomodation and he lives just fine off it - still p*sses away £30 odd on a night out.

If you want to be a lawyer id avoid a bsc as you have to do a VERY expensive post grad to qualify (the LPC). Its about 8k and you have to fund it yourself (im lucky that theres one a few miles from my parents home so i can cut costs then) and if you have a Bsc you have to take an extra exam as its not a 'qualifying law degree'.

Would I need a BA degree then? I could get a loan yes but I want to avoid it really.

[HJ&Katie]

LLB gets you qualified doesn't it? You can do it from undergraduate level

remember if you live at home you WILL get less maintenance loan than if you live 'elsewhere'

[CurlyWurlyRach]

no a qualifying degree is an LLB law degree and you still have to do the LPC at the end, you can just miss out certain parts making it quicker and possibly cheaper.

Honestly, i dont know anyone who can manage without a student loan. they are very different to normal loans re interest and repayment and stuff.

tuition fees for me are 3.5k per year, accomodation is about 3k (and im oop north) and then food, gas/leccy/water bills, insurance, textbooks, spending money.

obv i dont know your personal situation but im so lucky to have mine paid for (money left in a will to the family) to mean i can afford to keep my horse.

ETA - i get over 4k in maintenence loan and grants but i know if you live at home you get a grand or so. it doesnt go far when you consider that books alone can be around £200 (second hand is no good for law as its always changing)

[vixie]

remember if you live at home you WILL get less maintenance loan than if you live 'elsewhere'

that depends on parents earnings etc....i got more than most and lived at home.

[x.Moomoo.x]

no a qualifying degree is an LLB law degree and you still have to do the LPC at the end, you can just miss out certain parts making it quicker and possibly cheaper.

Honestly, i dont know anyone who can manage without a student loan. they are very different to normal loans re interest and repayment and stuff.

tuition fees for me are 3.5k per year, accomodation is about 3k (and im oop north) and then food, gas/leccy/water bills, insurance, textbooks, spending money.

obv i dont know your personal situation but im so lucky to have mine paid for (money left in a will to the family) to mean i can afford to keep my horse.

Oh don't get me wrong I need a student loan!! just not one as big as if I were living away is all I'm saying :o It really isn't avoidable to not have a loan for Uni in my situation. Got to support myself fully!

[HJ&Katie]

that depends on parents earnings etc....i got more than most and lived at home.

trust me - you will get less as the NMT parental rate is lower than the elsewhere NMT rate which embarrassingly I can't remember off the top of my head (I work at SLC).

[CurlyWurlyRach]

i thought the standard loan was about 3k for away and 1.8 or summat for home students? i get extra cos of household income (retired parents) but dont have to fork out 2k-odd for accomodation due to kind parents.

[CurlyWurlyRach]

(I work at SLC).


*lights the flaming brands and grabs a pitchfork*

:D Still waiting for my final final assesment (im on my 3rd :rolleyes: ) apparently the 'final' final should be through erh...last week. you people busy? :)

[HJ&Katie]

*lights the flaming brands and grabs a pitchfork*

:D Still waiting for my final final assesment (im on my 3rd :rolleyes: ) apparently the 'final' final should be through erh...last week. you people busy? :)

I spend all day every day dealing with high level complaints. We are extremely busy at the moment for obvious reasons

[alwaysfallingof]

I'm doing a degree (technically as a mature student - I was 21 when I started) and living at home. I'm about to start my second year. I tried the whole living in halls thing at uni straight after my A levels and hated the whole experience and dropped out. I wouldn't say I'm anti-social by any means, but I find it really important to be able to get away from all the students!
My costs are fairly low, but I live in outer London and have to commute in and the tube fare is not cheap! However, I also keep my pony 2 minutes down the road from my parents house and its fab. I admit that my mum helps me out with the livery, but I am able to buy everything else for him (and he is an EXPENSIVE pony...he has so much wrong with him!) and have the money and to run a car and drive back and forth to see my boyfriend in Oxford every weekend. If I lived in halls I couldn't do half the things that I do now.

I do get significantly less student loan than my brother (who lives in halls), I think this year I get about 900pounds maintenance loan a term, which is the non-income assessed rate.
I think it depends on your priorities really...before I went back to uni I had moved out and worked for a couple of years, so I really appreciated the advantages that living at home brings. I'm not sure if I'd feel the same way if I hadn't lived on my own for a bit first.

[CurlyWurlyRach]

If you get a deranged yorkshire person on the phone wailing about needing her loan sorted as she has a lame horse then say hello :D :p

[CurlyWurlyRach]

thats a good point there. I was only an hour away from home and have a car. I must admit i did drive home the odd weekend for a break and if i had an essay due in to get some peace.

[HJ&Katie]

If you get a deranged yorkshire person on the phone wailing about needing her loan sorted as she has a lame horse then say hello :D :p

thankfuly I am not on the phones - just deal with formal complaints which are forwarded to my team from HO.

[lovetbs]

I lived at uni for the first three years of my degree and had an awesome time, but am going to live at home and commute/stay in a hotel for my final year. I've had three years living the student life and all my friends graduated this year so i'm not bothered about 'missing out' on the social side of things! Also my horse is at home.....!!!!;)
P.S. Cannot wait for my student loan to come through!!!!!!!

[vixie]

trust me - you will get less as the NMT parental rate is lower than the elsewhere NMT rate which embarrassingly I can't remember off the top of my head (I work at SLC).

as if you admitted to woking for the SLC....i owe you lot 20k....thaaaaanks lol

btw i was a mature student when i did my degree (over 21)

[HJ&Katie]

as if you admitted to woking for the SLC....i owe you lot 20k....thaaaaanks lol

btw i was a mature student when i did my degree (over 21)

technically I owe me about 8k.... shh they haven't made me pay yet

[katie11]

full student loans grants is:

obv this is on parents imcome... (under 24kisit?)

(fee loan - £3summet)
3500 - maintenance loan

£2900 grant

living at home - thats what i get... under the £20 odd a year cut off

if your parents incomes is over certin amounts you get less grant etc...

im sure everyone is entitlied to the maintenance loan though???

unis also give bursarys too :)

[zoey112]

HJ&katie - you might be hearing from me soon too! haha thank god its my final year and dont have to apply again! i've been waiting for my forms for 3 weeks!

OP- anyways back on topic..i stayed at home for uni and get the maximum amount of loan and grant (as it is based on income).
in some ways i wish i had moved out but i don't regret a thing.i can still go on nights out (i stay over at uni friends places) but when i have an exam, important deadline or just want some peace and quiet i have my own room and my own bed waiting for me :D

as for time to have a horse, i think it depends what course you're on. law is going to be very demanding but mine is not far off. I sold my horse when i started college but then this last year i found myself time to share a horse and visit it 4 times a week. i think it depends how dedicated you are to see your horse and ride and your priorities. I also have 2 jobs to put into my schedule but i will ride in the morning before uni and now i've kinda grown out of the partying i know i will be fine ( cant be doing with the ridiculous hangovers any more! haha)

good luck on whatever you decide.

[CurlyWurlyRach]

Just to chip in - my law degree is not hard! Its plenty of reading but you can do that whenever you want. I only have 10 lectures a week i think. Plenty of pony time.

[caroline/halle]

im starting my first year at uni (law as well! lol) and am living at home and keeping my horse as well. uni is a 15min train ride away so this is easy and will keep costs down. living at home means i wont get in as much debt and can still keep my horse/job. i believe i'll have time for my horse as unless u are bothered about going out every night (which would probly cost you MORE than having a horse sometimes!!:P) then i think you wil have enough time for a horse and doing a degree. you make friends on your course, in the cafes, free time between lectures etc so just because you dont live in halls dusnt mean you'll not make friends. so i would say keep your pony and stay at home :) but i might be biast lol

[Daffy Dilly]

Just to warn you, my 1st year textbooks added up to £250.

I'll see your £250 and raise you £600. :eek:

I've done 2 years (plus a placement year) of my degree living at home and being a horse owner. Never entertained moving into halls; I wouldn't have been able to take Daffy and that's just not good enough.

1st year - working for Equestrian Clearance. Didn't earn enough (hours not really compatible) so got a job in the local chippy. Eventually left ECW and did three nights a week at the chippy. Daffy on DIY, Mum really helped out as I couldn't drive. We'd be at the yard for 6.30am, and I'd go back in an evening unless I was working and didn't have time, in which case Mum would see him for me - he was unfortunately stabled 24/7.

2nd year - similar story, but moved yards in January onto assisted DIY, with winter turnout. Only had to go up once per day, and it worked well. Also learnt to drive, so I wasn't reliant on lifts from Mum.

3rd year (placement) - started end of May, and had money! YM's decided to move to Spain, so had to leave the yard. Only suitable yard was full livery, not keen on that idea, but such short notice we went anyway. Full livery is great. :D

I finish my placement a week on Friday, so I'll get my last wage on the 1st October.

Mum & Dad still help out financially, but I pay the bulk these days. I don't have any money saved from my placement (Daffy's rehab is very expensive) so I'll have to be really careful with my spending, but I should get the full grant (always been on minimum loan before), which will help.

One of the hardest things was Daffy needing a new saddle at a cost of over £1000 - I ended up saving all my wages but spending out of my overdraft to reach that target. I've reduced my overdraft down to £1000, but I'm really struggling to do more than that.

I don't give a monkeys about the social side, it doesn't interest me in the slightest. Full livery will be a big advantage this year, as if I want to get a 1:1 I need 75% minimum in each module, so I'm going to actually have to do some work. I've coasted up until now. I will have six hours of lectures a week plus 6 hours of tutorials - usually every other week. Group coursework is difficult as people don't get why I won't work into the evenings; this year I'll have the option as Daffy is being cared for. :)

[XWP]

Im just about to start a degree at Hartpury, i live 20mins down the road so am driving in and living at home. I too wouldnt be able to afford to go if i lived in halls, would have also meant selling the ponios ect which i wasnt willing to do!!
I am entitled to less of a maintenance loan because i am living at home which is good in a way as it means less debt for me! I am also able to keep my job if i stay at home so it balances out really!
As for the social side of things...im a bit worried i will miss out but am planning to keep a sleeping bag ect in the car *lol* but at the end of the day im going for the degree...

[Gemsluvshorsesx]

Ive just done my first year doing a law degree too. I live at halls which costs four grand a year, I get less maintenence loan than the cost of my accomodation because my parents earn too much :o :rolleyes: . The first year I was lucky and I had my accomodation paid by my parents but this year Im pretty much being left to it. In order to live I need to find a job, fast. I hate how they assume because your parents earn X amount that they will pay for everything, thats unfair on the parents but also leaves the student stuck unless they get pretty much a full time job to make up the difference to pay for books, food etc... I only ride once a week atm but I may have to give that up soon as Im quickly running out of loan (think I have £100 left over from last year to see me through) and lessons around here arent that expensive but £15 a week very quickly adds up. You dont realise how quickly the costs add up but living away does teach you very important life skills! It will amaze you how much just simple things like food, toiletries, transport etc adds up, things that when living with parents you take for granted :o .I have applied to literally every job going in my area, & have had no interviews as yet (been applying since March), even got rejected from Mcdonalds :o

My opinion? find somewhere that wont cost you a bomb in accomodation fees, unless you get a decent amount of loan. If you can get cheaper accomodation its a major plus. Theres nothing like living in halls, honestly, & the social side of things is brilliant. If you live at home you are going to find it harder to make friends & you might feel quite isolated like others have said. You cant beat the whole experience of living in, but just get the figures to add up first & be responsible with your finances. Yes you get in debt but you still will if you live at home as youre still taking out a loan either way ;). Just avoid bank loans at all costs, I could take out one and that'd sort me but my parents will not allow it as you can get in some serious debt doing it, which is why I am much better off getting a job alongside uni. It also does nothing for teaching you about looking after your finances as with a bank loan its too easy to get carried away. A student loan is fixed.

I definitely wouldnt put horses ahead of uni, I really wouldnt, sounds harsh but its what... five years & then you have the rest of your life ahead of you to do whatever you want with horses! If you put horses ahead you might struggle to do the work required (first year is easy, but 2nd & third... hell of a lot of work to do if you want a top grade ie. a first, Im worried about how I will fit a job around it nevermind horses). But get that good result & you get more chance of getting a very well paid job to fund the horses eventually!

Theres no point in getting in debt if you arent prepared to dedicate the time needed to get the results, and unfortunately things have to give, we are expected to treat it as a 9-5 job, ie, 8 hours a day, ontop of lectures & seminars to get a chance of a 2:1, according to one of my lecturers, and that is absolute minimum. Im not being mean, but brutally honest here, law is hugely competitive, you really have to aim for a top result to stand a chance of getting offered a training contract at the end, and to be able to do highers etc. Youd also be wise to go to a solicitors office & offer your voluntary help, ask for work experience etc. Ive spent the last couple of summers inc this one working at a solicitors branch on a voluntary basis.

For the horsey side of things, bear in mind most if not all unis will have some sort of horsy club or society, some even compete. Not only do you make lots of like minded friends but you also get to be around horses. You could also go to an RS and have lessons there. I ride at an RS when I can afford it & I help out, sometimes a few times a week if I can. I find it works as I can ride/have horsy time whenever I feel like it, but I can fit my work & friends around it, and all things going well, the job I need! :) It means you can do everything, and never feel like you are missing out, you get to ride but you still get the experience of living in & meeting new people.

Phew, bit of a lecture lol but theres my experience & advice on uni... :p

[Jo_1280]

Having been to uni away from home and kept a horse which my mum very kindly looked after when I was away... I wish now I had stayed nearer to home... yes the social side of uni was great and you do learn some things but I think that side of it is a bit overrated, you'll still grow up and learn the same skills. If anything, I changed more once I came back from Uni and lived with parents and worked.

I had student loans and 7 yrs later, while I earn a pretty good salary i'm still a long way off paying them off and it does take a big chunk each month, plus if you get comission like me then they take an even bigger amount each month.

The firends I made at uni were awesome and we had an amazing time... do i see them now? No, since finishing uni and coming back home, I'm still friends with those I went to school with...

With hindsight (great thing!) I'd make completely different choices now, all you can do is what you think is best for you now, but I'd be wary of building up debt if you don't need to and don't overrate going out and getting drunk (think of your liver!)

good luck!

[x.Moomoo.x]

Having been to uni away from home and kept a horse which my mum very kindly looked after when I was away... I wish now I had stayed nearer to home... yes the social side of uni was great and you do learn some things but I think that side of it is a bit overrated, you'll still grow up and learn the same skills. If anything, I changed more once I came back from Uni and lived with parents and worked.

I had student loans and 7 yrs later, while I earn a pretty good salary i'm still a long way off paying them off and it does take a big chunk each month, plus if you get comission like me then they take an even bigger amount each month.

The firends I made at uni were awesome and we had an amazing time... do i see them now? No, since finishing uni and coming back home, I'm still friends with those I went to school with...

With hindsight (great thing!) I'd make completely different choices now, all you can do is what you think is best for you now, but I'd be wary of building up debt if you don't need to and don't overrate going out and getting drunk (think of your liver!)

good luck!

This is what I was trying to say about going out etc. by living away from home. Yes it's great meeting new friends, new life skills, clubbin etc. but like I said... I'll get to do that, AFTER I finish my degree anyway as I'll still only be 21 :o so have plenty of time to party!

I do think it depends on the sort of person you are aswell, as everyone is different and wants different things.
I do want to go out with friends and do the whole social side of it, but also want a smaller loan if I can help it! & I also want to be able to keep loaning my horse whereas moving away would stop that from happening.

I totally agree with you guys who say horses can't take priority over your career/degree etc. as that's absolutely true! But at the moment, living at home seems the best option... for me that is :) and all I'm saying is a plus side of it, IS that I'll get to keep my horses.

[doorstopper]

This is what I was trying to say about going out etc. by living away from home. Yes it's great meeting new friends, new life skills, clubbin etc. but like I said... I'll get to do that, AFTER I finish my degree anyway as I'll still only be 21 :o so have plenty of time to party!

I do think it depends on the sort of person you are aswell, as everyone is different and wants different things.
I do want to go out with friends and do the whole social side of it, but also want a smaller loan if I can help it! & I also want to be able to keep loaning my horse whereas moving away would stop that from happening.

I totally agree with you guys who say horses can't take priority over your career/degree etc. as that's absolutely true! But at the moment, living at home seems the best option... for me that is :) and all I'm saying is a plus side of it, IS that I'll get to keep my horses.

Yes, but there's no partying like uni partying ;) - you won't fancy it as much if you HAVE to get up for work the next day. Especially if you're going to have a stressful job in law!

I would stay away from home, but it's up to you. You can always change your mind in second year anyway :)

[LittleChel]

I actually hated living in halls... could just be me :rolleyes: