20 Money for higher education is likely to be tight and so it is important that you work out an income and expenditure budget prior to starting your higher education course. The new Student Finance Calculator available at www. direct. gov. uk/ studentfinancecalculator will give an estimate of the financial support you could receive from your chosen place of study. Make use of this and all the sources of information and advice on pages 18, 19, 21, 30, 31 and 33 of ' Your Way Forward' to complete this exercise. Budget exercise ANNUAL INCOME£ Student loan ( for tuition fees)_______ Student maintenance loan_______ Higher education maintenance grant_______ Bursary_______ Scholarship_______ Bank loan_______ Access to Learning Fund_______ Parent/ Carer_______ Earnings_______ Sponsorship_______ Benefits_______ Other, e. g. charities/ income from savings_______ Total Income£ ______ ANNUAL EXPENDITURE£ Course fees_______ Rent_______ Gas_______ Electricity_______ Water_______ Mobile and landline phones_______ Computer including charges_______ Food_______ Travel_______ Laundry_______ Books_______ Educational expenses_______ Music/ Films_______ Clothes_______ Toiletries_______ Insurance_______ Health_______ Sports/ leisure_______ Social_______ Christmas/ birthdays_______ TV licence_______ Other ......_______ Total Expenditure£ ______ Total Income£ ______ Total Expenditure£ ______ Surplus/ Deficit ( income minus expenditure)£________ Action required to manage any surplus/ deficit: ....................................................................................................................... " Don't expect anyone else to organise, sort out or manage your life" - 2nd year student, York University.

21 Student Life However, along with all this new- found freedom come responsibilities. You will suddenly be responsible for everything you do; you will have to manage your own: . . . . . and so on. ACCOMMODATIONHEALTH COOKING TIME WORK STUDIES LAUNDRY FINANCETRAVEL RELATIONSHIPS SHOPPING Student life continues to be a major attraction in the decision to enter higher education and this is especially true for those opting to live away from home. Freedom Freedom to make choices, pursue new interests, experiment with and determine your own lifestyle away from the constraints and restrictions of home and school can be enormously exciting. At university or college you will have the opportunity to join clubs and societies catering for every possible interest. By doing so you can meet new people, develop new skills, boost your confidence and have fun. If you choose to live away from home then for the first time in your life you will have complete freedom over what you do. No one will tell you what time you have to be in, nag you about studying or insist you turn your music down. However, don't forget there will be no dinner ready for you on the table or washing cleaned, ironed and put in your room every day. Responsibility Getting organised With so many life changing events occurring all at the same time, it's not really surprising that a number of students just can't cope and some even quit their course. But don't despair; take the opportunity now to prepare for higher education. Just doing something simple like spending a couple of hours learning how to cook, shop, wash and budget your finances could make the first few weeks in higher education so much more enjoyable. Time spent acquiring these life, social and independent study skills before going into higher education is never wasted. Further help Make good use of all the help and advice open to you now, whether through a careers and social education programme, Connexions adviser, tutor, family and friends, books such as ' Getting In, Getting On' ( UCAS), ' Surviving Your First Year at University' ( Trotman), ' University: A Survival Guide' ( Need- 2- Know), the UCAS magazine ' You Can' or one of the websites listed under the heading ' health and lifestyle' on page 33. Once you have applied to UCAS, make use of the student networking website www. yougofurther. co. uk. The yougo site allows you to chat and make friends with other applicants who are going to the same university or college and/ or who are going to be on the same course. As a student in higher education, you will have access to a wide range of student support services, but remember the onus will be on you to make full use of them at the appropriate time. " You don't need to conform to a stereotype to have friends and fun" - 3rd year student, University of Bath.