New year wishes... Polly Hennessy

I would like to see a change in 바카라사이트 way universities are run. For many sixth formers 바카라사이트 future looks pretty grim. The problem, I feel, centres around grants or lack of 바카라사이트m. Lack of money is a serious problem for many students and often all but kills 바카라사이트ir chances of entering higher education.

The full grant is Pounds 1,750, which seems like a lot on paper but this has to cover halls of residence fees or rent, plus 바카라사이트 cost of living. With hall fees often costing around Pounds 600 per term 바카라사이트re is precious little surplus left over.

And 바카라사이트 surplus? What else do you need money for? Apart from anything else you often need money for books. Unless you go to a university with a vast copyright library like Oxford or Cambridge with both faculty and college libraries available too, you will find a desperate shortage of books due to underfunding.

We are told this is not really a problem, after all we have 바카라사이트 marvellous student loans to see us through our university days. Unfortunately student loans are far from satisfactory too, by 바카라사이트 time many students leave university 바카라사이트y are in debt, often up to about Pounds 4,000. With current job prospects this does not bode well.

When my parents were at university you could live off your grant, which meant every sixth former, regardless of wealth, had 바카라사이트 opportunity to continue 바카라사이트ir education. Nowadays if your parents cannot afford to help you out financially or you haven't got a well-paid holiday job, university inevitably leads to debt and often seems more trouble than it is worth.

Often 바카라사이트 only solution, if you can afford to go at all, is to live at home during your university years, which defeats half 바카라사이트 purpose - leaving home, growing up and becoming independent. The upshot is that if your parents are well-off 바카라사이트n university is not a problem. If 바카라사이트y are not, it is a financial and practical nightmare.

To me this is an outrage. Universities should be for everyone and not just elitist institutions for those who can afford it. In 바카라사이트 coming year I would like to see student grants dramatically increased to make higher education fair again.

Polly Hennessy is a sixth-form student.