Tips: Finances

First, a quick statement: I am not going to go into my personal financial situation here (because my savings and debts are just not interesting). Just a bit of a warning about finances if you're planning to study abroad as well (I somehow hope that aside from friends reading this blog to find out how I'm doing, students looking for tips on studying abroad may find this blog as well - I am writing for an audience, in short, even though it is imaginary, and for this specific post the audience consists of prospective students-abroad).

Studying in the UK is expensive if you're used to Dutch university costs. My tuition fees for one year are 4795 pounds, or anywhere ranging from 6000-6500 euros (depending on exchange rates), and I'm going to live on campus because that's easiest for now - as soon as my contract ends, I'm going to look for non-university owned living, which is less expensive but did not have the guarantees of OK maintenance (although Universities aren't that great at that, either, but they're far more reasonable as a landlord to have a feud with), convenient locations, and a guaranteed room to begin with. But that's also over 3200 pounds for a 39 week contract (in my case, and I've got the cheapest contract available for Leicester).

Sure, you're eligible for tuition credit on top of your basic study finance and student loan (which I do recommend you take, especially for a one-year study abroad - you don't want to worry about finances this year and you'll probably make it back fairly easily once you go out into the working world), but it's still going to be hellishly expensive.

These basic fees I just outlined? They're just the fees you can be sure you'll have to pay - there's going to be soooo many more variable fees, like for books, or food (I don't recommend living on noodles and tea alone, because though a very effective weight-loss diet, eventually your body will shut down and you won't be able to concentrate), or, being a student, drinks. You'll want to make some trips, too, like to conferences - especially when you're a postgrad - and more stuff that'll enhance your study. That budget plan everyone encourages you to make? Make it, get your known fees covered, and then toss it aside because for everything else it's not going to work.

So be warned. It's not that difficult to get these fees covered, but you (or your parents) will have to go into debt (even if just with DUO, which we all know doesn't really count) and it's always going to turn out to be more expensive than you'd hoped. But it'll be worth it, surely.