Fee Fi Fo Fum

I couldn't afford to go to drama school as my local authority did not have mandatory grants, wouldn't pay for tuition fees, and I don't have rich parents. So I did a drama degree in a college university (University of Leicester, but in Northampton, confusingly). This was when loans were just starting to be used and grants were on the way out. I still couldn't get a full grant in the first year because my dad's pay was just on the threshold.

Everyone I know took out as much loan money as they could. I relied on overdrafts, part time jobs and hope.

I struggled, but just about managed. The people who took out loans were massively in debt even by the end of the first year, and were ridiculously in debt by the end of the course.

It seems to have got progressively worse. Especially since tuition fees reached stupid amounts.

So much so that only people with very rich parents or who realistically  think they are going to be bankers or have jobs paying over £100k a year should really bother now.

It seems to have turned into an aspiration tax, whereby anyone who goes to university and who is not likely to be rich is forced to either take a menial position that ensures they won't have to pay back the loan. They are effectively given the message they should know their place. Anyone only just making over the payback thresh hold will still be as in debt at the end of their working life, and will have still not paid back a fraction of the original debt.

People earning a pretty high salary of over £50k end up paying back a ton more than those who earn ridiculously high salaries.

The UK student loan system is a pile of cack is also helpful http://www.londonlovesbusiness.com/business-news/politics/higher-student-fees-costing-government-billions/9248.article Not only are students suffering but the government have either seriously miscalculated or else this was their plan all along. A return to feudalism (if we ever left it). Hurrah.

Added to this the government screwed up by paying loans to fraudulent students http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-30277346

And the really good news is you can take out even more for a graduate loan now. Whoopy,

Nick Clegg says raising tuition fees has not deterred the poor from from going to university That's because the poor haven't yet reached the point where they realise they are even poorer after getting into a lifetime of debt that they can never repay. http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/nov/19/nick-clegg-raising-tuition-fees-not-deterred-poor

This American article is obviously dealing with US realities, but is still depressing for people who did theatre and drama degrees. http://fortune.com/2014/12/04/student-loans-college-majors/

I have never earned enough that I would have had to pay back any loan I took out. That's not a good thing.