Stressed, worried, feeling awful.

[Suzie and Faith]

Hi, this may take a while!

I started a degree in September, then only a couple of weeks in I found out I was pregnant. It was early days so I left it a couple of weeks before telling them. At that point I thought i could possibly finish my first year, have the baby then decide what to do.
I then ended up with severe morning sickness and had weeks off of uni because I just couldn't cope.
THEN i came to the realisation that there was no way I was going to put my kid into daycare next year and stay at uni. So I made the difficult decision to quit uni and do an OU degree so that I can work from home (that doesn't start until Feb).
The decision was difficult because I'd worked so hard for this degree course and it was something i'd always wanted to do. It was made more difficult for financial reasons -
it would mean and end to my grants etc. As i'm still living at home my rent is lower than it'd be otherwise but still not cheap - (I am hoping to move out before baby arrives).

I ended my degree but what i didn't know was that i'd have to pay back a proportion of my grant and due to the date i left i am no longer eligible for my student loan BUT i still have to pay this years course fees of £3000!

I only work weekends - as i was studying. Work can't offer me more hours and no one else will employ me.

I feel so stuck, i'm so poor and i'm so scared that the student people are going to demand the money all in one go, which they can do. I'm awaiting a letter from them.
On top of that i'm stressed, feeling ill, tired and worried as i daren't take any more time off of work as i've had 4 weeks off due to pregnancy as it is.
What do i do???


P.S - my partner is a training electrician - hoping to have an apprenteship any day now but at the moment he is surviving on a bar job a few evenings a week and he is studying at college. My mum has no spare money. HELP

 

[Manda&Thomas]

aww hun you poor thing
it doesnt sound good does it.
best thing to do is wait for a letter from the student services about the grant/loan thing then ring them explain that you cant possibly pay it all back in one go and ask to set up a payment plan most people will let you do this.
then go to your local job center and see if you can claim anything.
you maybe intitled to a little bit of job seekers or maybe imcome surport
its worth asking even if its only a tenna a week you get.
thats all you really can do at the moment im affraid hun.
keep asking work about more hours but try to relax these things have ways of sorting themselfs out
manda xx

 

[Sherlock]

Try not to panic about the student loan. Yes they are able to ask for it to be repaid, but I think they will hopefully take into account your situation and circumstances and see it benefits no one to try to claim it all back in one go. Wait for the letter and see what it says. And even if its not good news regarding the repayment, it doesn't mean its the end of the world. You can phone them, go and talk to them, and hopefully negotiate repayments that you can afford over a set period of time.

In cases where people have to repay money to an organisation, the company etc is usually accepting of regular payments till the balance is cleared. Its at least being paid. Claiming a large amount from someone who clearly cannot pay it all off is a pointless exercise for them.

And with regards to work elsewhere, with it being close to Christmas there are always seasonal jobs going. And you don't *have* to tell them you are pregnant either. Just make sure its not a job that will require lots of heavy lifting etc and you should be fine. Or try the job centre. Employers are not supposed to discriminate and hopefully the JC can put you onto some jobs that would be short term and suitable for you.

Failing that, stick ads in local shops saying you'll take in ironing for X£'s and hour or something. So long as you can go collect, iron it well, and take it back, it'll be a bit extra for you.

 

[Bee]

I have only just graduated from uni and I am only just paying my loan back so I wouldn't think they would ask u to pay it back asap - up here u have to earn £15K before they start taking payments. I think this is regardless of if u left early or not. My mum still isn't paying hers and she graduated over 6 years ago as she doesn't earn the minimum amount

I doubt they will ask u for it back in one go especially if u aren't earning - give them a call and find out some more information

 

[Sherlock]

And yes, what Manda said, JC might tell you you are eligible for JOb Seekers or some such. Always worth going to find out.

Good luck

 

[Suzie and Faith]

That's the thing, because i left before 1st december they wont give me the loan. Meaning they won't lend it to me and let me pay it back the way normal students do. So its no longer a loan, its a fee i owe. even tho i wasnt there for long.

I'm going to sell some stuff on ebay for a bit of extra cash.

 

[debecca]

Poor you

You have been very brave giving up university - well done for making such a difficult decision. On the plus side I'm studying for my masters with Open Uni at the moment and they are FANTASTIC so you've made a good decision there. What is your course in?

As for the money side of things, have you taken a look at http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/ ? The forums there are so helpful for people in debt or even just for people wanting to make their income stretch a bit further. It's where I get all my 20% off info etc from!

Hope it all works out for you. Remember you have a helathy OH and baby and that's the most important thing...

 

[muppetmummy]

When the student loan people write to you about your debt you can fill in a form asking to defer payment for a year if you earn under a certain amount. Then keep doing that each year until your earnings increase.
My OH has been deferrin his for the past 10 years cos he's never earnt enough to pay it back.

I left Uni after the first year (I finished the whole year but failed a couple modules and didn't bother resitting them.) I've never heard from the student loan company about my loan and I left uni 6 and half years ago!

Don't panic! You'd only pay back at a rate you can afford anyway. I know several people who are studying for or completed an OU course and they all loved it. I hope to do one myself at some point.
I'm sure everything will work out in the end, you're baby will be more than worth all the hassle, you've got the rest of your life to get your degree

 

[marie_77]

hi there, coming your way.

i would seek some expert advice as u have not had a year of tutoring so why would u pay for a service u have not recieved. contact your office at uni and seek advice from head of division for ur course.
i fi ished my degree in may and had my daughter now 2 at start of my 2nd year. i u/stand the demands of m/s and uni i was doing placement and not sure how i did it. i had her in october and didi not attend lectures my mates got notes for me and that is how i didi my assignments. in march i had to put her in nusery which was hard and i was still b/feeding so having to express and so on.
not sure on ur uni but they supoported me and i worked from home for lectures got notes and books from library there is a way to carry on though all circumstances are diff and can not compare mine to urs. but please look into paying back that money and given your situation they can not expect full payment back in one go in fact u have to be earning a certain amount if i am right b4 u need to start paying money back.
hope this helps

marie x
24+3

 

[floppit]

I think the CAB would be a really good place to get some help and some advocacy, also your uni might do debt counselling which in some cases they would still see you even though you've withdrawn.

Failing that perhaps write down all the bare facts and your income/outgoings then ring each of the people owed in turn explaining that you will need to arrange terms of payment and tell them what the maximum is that you can afford. Keep a record of any, letters/phonecalls to them too.

Good luck - you will see daylight again, it'll just take time and probably alot of haggling!

 

[Suzie and Faith]

Thanks everyone Am feeling a bit better now.
I couldn't stay at Uni really because it was a practical course and so there was very little I could do at home.

I'm hoping to do a Psychology OU degree, I'm starting with a social sciences module in Feb.

I'm not eligable for any benefits whilst i'm living at home and pregnant, one baby is born I'll be a lot better off.

At first leaving Uni felt like the hardest thing but I'm getting more and more excited about being a mum and now i think it'll be more than worth it.