My rant about postgraduate (under)funding
Hello!
Dunno if anyone will be interested to read this particular entry by me but hey, I'm new, and want to (sort of) introduce myself. I'm clerk_s a 22 year old female from the very rainy city of Manchester in the UK. I'm not originally from Manchester but moved here to attend University, from which I graduated last July (09). Having graduated with a 2:1 degree in Human Geography there appears to be no jobs out there that I am trained to do ..so therefore I'm working in a supermarket trying desperately to scrimp and save my wages so that I can afford to do a masters degree in town planning. This (surprisingly!) will give me a qualification that will enable me to become a town planner, something which I've wanted to do since I was about 16. Hey, who wouldn't want to tell their childhood/teenage nemesis "You were a bitch to me, so no. You're not getting that house extension/conservatory/etc? That would be bloody brilliant! But seriously, I dunno why it interests me ...it just does.
By the rate I'm saving my money I'd say I'll be able to afford to do the masters degree in September 2011, and even then I'll have to move home to my parents house and study part time. Something which I'll not be looking forward to doing! It really angers me that student loans are not offered to postgraduate students and we have to fund the £3000 course fees ourselves. Don't get me wrong, I like the fact that postgraduate degrees are selective in who they take (usually people with high degree grades), but they exclude people who would excel at academia primarily because some people just can't afford to fund it. Yes, we can take out student loans from the bank. But once you've graduated, regardless of whether you have gained employment, you are expected to start paying the money back.
Who can pay a loan back without a job?!! Scholarships are offered to people with "outstanding academic records", but I can guarantee that these will be limited and over subscribed. Even I plan on applying for one even though I feel that my academic record is not perfect. It can't hurt can it? The only thing lost is my time, though what if that time turns into money?
All I can say is that the parties fighting for (re)election on May the 6th will get my vote if they can promise partial, if not full, interest free postgraduate student loans!
Dunno if anyone will be interested to read this particular entry by me but hey, I'm new, and want to (sort of) introduce myself. I'm clerk_s a 22 year old female from the very rainy city of Manchester in the UK. I'm not originally from Manchester but moved here to attend University, from which I graduated last July (09). Having graduated with a 2:1 degree in Human Geography there appears to be no jobs out there that I am trained to do ..so therefore I'm working in a supermarket trying desperately to scrimp and save my wages so that I can afford to do a masters degree in town planning. This (surprisingly!) will give me a qualification that will enable me to become a town planner, something which I've wanted to do since I was about 16. Hey, who wouldn't want to tell their childhood/teenage nemesis "You were a bitch to me, so no. You're not getting that house extension/conservatory/etc? That would be bloody brilliant! But seriously, I dunno why it interests me ...it just does.
By the rate I'm saving my money I'd say I'll be able to afford to do the masters degree in September 2011, and even then I'll have to move home to my parents house and study part time. Something which I'll not be looking forward to doing! It really angers me that student loans are not offered to postgraduate students and we have to fund the £3000 course fees ourselves. Don't get me wrong, I like the fact that postgraduate degrees are selective in who they take (usually people with high degree grades), but they exclude people who would excel at academia primarily because some people just can't afford to fund it. Yes, we can take out student loans from the bank. But once you've graduated, regardless of whether you have gained employment, you are expected to start paying the money back.
Who can pay a loan back without a job?!! Scholarships are offered to people with "outstanding academic records", but I can guarantee that these will be limited and over subscribed. Even I plan on applying for one even though I feel that my academic record is not perfect. It can't hurt can it? The only thing lost is my time, though what if that time turns into money?
All I can say is that the parties fighting for (re)election on May the 6th will get my vote if they can promise partial, if not full, interest free postgraduate student loans!