student survivor

FELICITY

Age: 18 going on 53

Height: 5'2 - 'stunted' from too much time in library

Star sign: Capricorn (studious, serious and capable)

Subject: History, especially 19th Century period architecture blah blah zzzz...

On the stereo: Schumann's piano concerto

On the back: Eighties batwing jumper with a fluffy sheep on the front

On the lash: still mineral water (teetotal), sometimes jazzed up with elderflower cordial, whoo

On the plate: lots of tuna and mackerel. Fish is brain food, don't you know?

On the road: a 1960s vintage Morris Minor, on loan from parents

On holiday: nothing beats the good old British countryside

On the doormat: New Scientist, The Economist and the odd scholarship

Hobbies: collecting clay pigeons, analysing fossils and old coins

Part-time job: working in a second-hand bookshop full of first editions

Her take on the year: it's been truly remarkable. I had no idea the library would turn out to be such a fine resource! The facilities are extraordinary, and the computer room's equipped with marvellous machines.

What's your favourite part of Uni life? Getting marked papers back - it's great to see all the hard work and study pay off.

And the worst? People calling me a 'swot'. I put it down to jealousy and ignore them - they're usually not the sharpest prong on the fork.

What have you missed most? My grand piano back at home.

What has been the greatest surprise? To meet a fellow geek, Tarquin. He studies even harder than I do.

How have you coped with money? I'm fortunate as my family are welathy, so they've helped me out a lot.

Top financial tip? If you don't need to use the full student loan, you could take it out each year anyway and stick it in an ISA. With the tax-free interest, you could find yourself a bit richer at the end of your course!

Budget

Household income: £50,000

Income

Felicity gets a loan worth £3,305 per year. She receives a further £1,500 per year from her family and she works every Saturday in a book shop - for both money and pleasure!

Expenditure

Felicity doesn't spend much on going out, but prefers to use her money for organic foods and of course her beloved books. Her car burns a bit of cash too, but she'd prefer to be out and about rather than in the union. She spends £6960 per year.

Repayment

If Felicity decided to get a job paying £18,000 a year after her degree, she would pay back her loan at a rate of £22.50 a month. That's just under a fiver a week. You'd find it hard to buy a book for that!

To work out a detailed budget use UNIAID's Student Calculator

Annual Income
Maintenance Grant	£0
Annual Student Loan	£3,305
Grant + Loan	£3,305
University Bursary	£0
Contribution from Folks	£1,500
Interest Free Overdraft	£1,000
Part-time work (in term time)	£1,470
Access to learning fund	£0
Total Income	£7,275

Expenditure	Month	Year
Rent	£300	£3600
Food	£100	£1,200
Shopping	£30	£360
Utilities (electric, gas, water included in halls fees)	£0	£0
Smoking	£0	£0
Mobile/phone bill	£25	£300
Books/stationary/equipment	£35	£420
Travel/Transport	£55	£660
Socialising	£35	£420
Total Expenditure	£580	£6960

Course fees are also payable and a loan to cover this cost is available. Course fees don't have to be paid back until a student is earning over £15,000!