Thoughts on the grant?

pinkdiamond

does anyone else think that the university grants are beginning to look like a joke???

students at living at home and working weekends going to college can still get the full grant?

is it encouraging students to spend more money on drink?

leeroybrown

The grant system explicitly allows for a student to work. A sizeable percentage of students wouldn't manage to get by without both the grant and a part-time jobs. Most grant recipients living at home are close to their University and only receive the much lower 'adjacent-rate' of the grant.

There are two main 'jokes' in the current grant system. They're supposed to be extending the adjacent-rate distance from 24km to 45km and there's almost no recognition in the system for students who receive zero support from their parents yet are prevented from receiving the grant due to them.

RolandIRL

i think the main joke is that it's paid out in 3 instalments and that the county councils can take ages to get it out. the 2nd grant from sligo coco wasn't in til february i think (definitely one of the last in). think that's going to change either next year or the year after (not too sure though). it'll be a central body that gives it out on time in monthly instalments. at least then you won't be waiting forever when you need it the most.

leeroybrown wrote: »

There are two main 'jokes' in the current grant system. They're supposed to be extending the adjacent-rate distance from 24km to 45km and there's almost no recognition in the system for students who receive zero support from their parents yet are prevented from receiving the grant due to them.

the adjacent rate doesn't affect me, but there's a lot of galwegians i know in my course that would be affected.

the problem with no support from parents is how do you prove it? you'd easily get people screwing the system saying they're not receiving parent's money when they are and still getting the grant.

MissMoppet

The monthly installment system will only effect incoming students..Students on the old system will remain with the 3 installments. :rolleyes:

leeroybrown

whiteman19 wrote: »

i think the main joke is that it's paid out in 3 instalments and that the county councils can take ages to get it out.

I wouldn't have mentioned this too except for the upcoming change to a centralised body. The problem of late payment is largely a new one due to the recession and the removal of resources from the county councils.

whiteman19 wrote: »

the problem with no support from parents is how do you prove it? you'd easily get people screwing the system saying they're not receiving parent's money when they are and still getting the grant.

Oh I agree that it's a difficult problem but the gov't/dept do find it very convenient to hide behind a very awkward definition of an independent adult. In my experience of third level by far the worst off people I've known were the non-grant recipients whose parents still couldn't afford to support them.

hokeypokey

This is one of the most stupid things I have ever heard. So should only malnourished and impoverished people be allowed the grant.

On a serious note, the grant needs to be more staggered. If your parents earn €5 over the income threshold that could be the difference between €3,000 and €6,000 or €1,500 and €3,000.

pinkdiamond

i wasn't implying that only malnourished people should get the grant

90pc of the people i know that get it either spend it on drink or put it into savings because they dont need it as they live at home and also work. the other 10pc don't get enough money from the grant to pay for rent or bills.

there should be some way to monitor what the grant money is being spend on or else give it out in vouchers for food or rent.

DaveMur1

How do you become eligable for that €6,355 grant, thats alota dutch gold might get a nice car too

RolandIRL

leeroybrown wrote: »

I wouldn't have mentioned this too except for the upcoming change to a centralised body. The problem of late payment is largely a new one due to the recession and the removal of resources from the county councils.

it's always been a problem for Sligo CoCo to get the grant out on time at least since 2002 when my brother started in NUIG. not a recession thing. they've always been stingy afaik

leeroybrown wrote: »

Oh I agree that it's a difficult problem but the gov't/dept do find it very convenient to hide behind a very awkward definition of an independent adult. In my experience of third level by far the worst off people I've known were the non-grant recipients whose parents still couldn't afford to support them.

i know a few people in this situation, as well as a few mature students who are struggling with rent/bills etc...it sickens me then there's loads of students who get the grant in first year and drop out...such a waste of money

hokeypokey wrote: »

On a serious note, the grant needs to be more staggered. If your parents earn €5 over the income threshold that could be the difference between €3,000 and €6,000 or €1,500 and €3,000.

agreed. surprising that makes such a difference.

DaveMur1 wrote: »

How do you become eligable for that €6,355 grant, thats alota dutch gold might get a nice car too

http://www.studentfinance.ie/mp7232/maintenance-grant/index.html

i think there's a questionnaire on that site that explains what you're eligible for.

LAVADUDE

pinkdiamond wrote: »

students at living at home and working weekends going to college can still get the full grant?

I receive a grant in the €3,000 region and NO support from my parents
I also work part-time at the weekend, are you implying my grant should be cut?
why? all that means is I'll just give up the part time job, as my grant is worth more than those few hours I work
I also received a university scholarship the last 2 years, should my grant be cut due to the fact I work harder than other students?

I work my ass off at work every week and during the summer (I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a day in the sun) and I have work my ass off in college with significantly less resources than most students and I'm in the top 1 - 1.5% of the people in my course, and you're saying my reward is to have my grant cut? GFY :mad:

pinkdiamond

i'm not on the grant. i don't receive money from my parents to pay for bills or rent and i work weekends. i can just about get by on that. i don't understand why you would also need a grant on top of that, especially if you are living at home.

and no need to get so hostile.

RolandIRL

pinkdiamond wrote: »

i'm not on the grant. i don't receive money from my parents to pay for bills or rent and i work weekends. i can just about get by on that. i don't understand why you would also need a grant on top of that, especially if you are living at home.

and no need to get so hostile.

yes there are a few who piss the grant money up, but please don't make assumptions that all students who get the grant, live at home, work at weekends are going to spend it all on booze.

just out of curiosity, what year are you in? most of the students in my year who live at home aren't big drinkers, and are the hardest workers. i'd have thought that it'd be the students who moved away from home that'd be pissing their money away since there's no parents nearby to keep them in check.

pinkdiamond

so what do student who live at home, work weekends and get the grant do with their money?

working a full weekend should get you €100+
the grant could get you around, i dunno, €30/40?

and what expenses are you going to have living at home?

getting the bus in?
eating out for lunch?

is it really gonna cost you €140 a week??

and i'm a third year

challengemaster

pinkdiamond wrote: »

does anyone else think that the university grants are beginning to look like a joke???

students at living at home and working weekends going to college can still get the full grant?

is it encouraging students to spend more money on drink?

There's a lot of things which are a joke about the grant system, that isn't one of them.

leeroybrown wrote: »

I wouldn't have mentioned this too except for the upcoming change to a centralised body. The problem of late payment is largely a new one due to the recession and the removal of resources from the county councils.

No, it's not... not even remotely recession related. County councils (in every respect) aren't in the least bit efficent.

pinkdiamond wrote: »

90pc of the people i know that get it either spend it on drink or put it into savings because they dont need it as they live at home and also work. the other 10pc don't get enough money from the grant to pay for rent or bills.

there should be some way to monitor what the grant money is being spend on or else give it out in vouchers for food or rent.

Well then, I suggest you find some new friends.

Why is there a need to monitor it? Because YOU think so? Its up to each recipient how to spend their grant money. If they choose to blow it all on a few benders then live on beans for the rest of the year, that's their choice.

pinkdiamond wrote: »

i'm not on the grant. i don't receive money from my parents to pay for bills or rent and i work weekends. i can just about get by on that. i don't understand why you would also need a grant on top of that, especially if you are living at home.

and no need to get so hostile.

What's wrong with more than "just getting by" ? Not allowed to have a social life these days? Here's news for ya. The grant doesn't cover the rent for a year, nevermind bills, food, etc etc.

You might be lucky enough to be getting paid enough or be working enough hours to get by, that's not the case for everyone. Far from it. Most would be lucky to even find a job (not even limited to students).

Having a job and getting the grant doesn't mean you're rolling in it, so get your head out of the sand and stop trying to dictate how others spend their money. You probably wouldn't like it if we told you how you could spend yours.

whiteman19 wrote: »

yes there are a few who piss the grant money up, but please don't make assumptions that all students who get the grant, live at home, work at weekends are going to spend it all on booze.

+1

pinkdiamond wrote: »

so what do student who live at home, work weekends and get the grant do with their money?

Everyone is different. If its "not needed" - it'll be put away until it is.

Carstuck

pinkdiamond wrote: »

so what do student who live at home, work weekends and get the grant do with their money?

working a full weekend should get you €100+
the grant could get you around, i dunno, €30/40?

and what expenses are you going to have living at home?

getting the bus in?
eating out for lunch?

is it really gonna cost you €140 a week??

and i'm a third year

As previously mentioned, if a student lives at home and within a certain mile radius the amount they recieve is significently less. If it was €30 p/w thats not an excessive amount. How about if they were running a car? Look at the cost then per week.

KittyeeTrix

the grant set up is daft. I live over 30 miles from the college, have 4 kids, run 2 cars and have a mortgage yet this year I now don't qualify for the non adjacent rate cos of the increase in miles.

It's daft that my grant will now be less than a younger student who doesn't have all the outlays that I have:(

Thank christ it's the final year I'm headed into cos otherwise I think I would've had to quit!!! As it is I'm looking at maybe moving back into my parents house for the last year just to save on the travelling costs....

DaveMur1

fluffyorganic1 wrote: »

the grant set up is daft. I live over 30 miles from the college, have 4 kids, run 2 cars and have a mortgage yet this year I now don't qualify for the non adjacent rate cos of the increase in miles.

It's daft that my grant will now be less than a younger student who doesn't have all the outlays that I have:(

Ye attack the younger students,who are clearly the future of the country.

What's daft is that all you mature students get such easy access to a third level education that a younger student has to work really hard for.

Also,
Your student grant isn't supposed to be covering your mortgage or your 4 kids. Mortgage relief & child support do this!

It's about time some of these ridiculous benefits got cut .

padraig91

The only joke is that people on the dole the majority of who just sit around on their asses, can get more money then someone in college it makes me sick. Also people getting extra dole money for signing up for a useless FAS course, I have seen people i went to school with sign on the dole right after the leaving cert and do ****ty FAS courses and they are on 200+ euro a week. (10,400 euro a year) whereas my grant is something like 1500 euro for the eight month of the year i am in college WTF is that about

sillybird

DaveMur1 wrote: »

Ye attack the younger students,who are clearly the future of the country.

What's daft is that all you mature students get such easy access to a third level education that a younger student has to work really hard for.

Also,
Your student grant isn't supposed to be covering your mortgage or your 4 kids. Mortgage relief & child support do this!

It's about time some of these ridiculous benefits got cut .

I didn't see Fluffy attacking any younger posters?? Perhaps you misread/misunderstood?

As for mature students access to 3rd Level. I'm a mature student who gained entry to 3rd level on the merit of my LC results like the "younger" ones as do many others. I worked very hard for that.
I didn't have the opportunity to straight into college after my LC due to a death in the family and I was relied on for income to support the my younger siblings through their education. Do you not think I deserve my place in college right now?

I survive on 2,100 from the grant that will be cut to 900 come September, but I'm not complaining nor to I begrudge anyone who is in receipt of more. I survive with what I have and am grateful for it.

meeka

DaveMur1 wrote: »

What's daft is that all you mature students get such easy access to a third level education that a younger student has to work really hard for.

I don't understand where you're getting that idea from, and I'd agree with sillybird - I'm quite sure that it is just as difficult to be accepted onto a 3rd level course as a mature student (if not harder), than someone just out of their leaving cert.

If I'm not mistaken, often for mature students there is a much more thorough application process involving interviews. With the exception of a few courses such as medicine, etc, where CAO points are quite high, I don't really believe that we have it "harder" than mature students.

As for the grant, I live at home in Galway and I don't get it; I'm lucky to have my parents supporting me. However, if they did not, I can definitely see how the grant would help. As others have said, so what if some people spend it all on drink (even though I really don't think this is common) - if you're deemed eligible then you're entitled to it, and can spend it as you wish.

KittyeeTrix

DaveMur1 wrote: »

Ye attack the younger students,who are clearly the future of the country.

What's daft is that all you mature students get such easy access to a third level education that a younger student has to work really hard for.

Also,
Your student grant isn't supposed to be covering your mortgage or your 4 kids. Mortgage relief & child support do this!

It's about time some of these ridiculous benefits got cut .

I've absolutely no problem with the younger students receiving their grant whatsoever, never said I did!!!

I passed my LC and would have gained entry to college with it but opted to do the access course for aa year to gain entry to the science degree. I work damn hard and could count on my two hands the number of lectures I've missed in the past 3 years but I'm just making the point that as of next year my grant will be only worth about 1,000 euro because of the new restrictions placed on it.

LAVADUDE

DaveMur1 wrote: »

What's daft is that all you mature students get such easy access to a third level education that a younger student has to work really hard for.

Fluffy is bring up 4 kids on a limited budget and so are a lot of other mature students, you call that an easy time?
I haven't had kids yet but I'm certain that its 100X more difficult than the Leaving Cert. in which you can memorise exam papers.

and to get back to the subject, yes the grant systems has flaws in but I cannot understand the logic in the argument that people who choose to work part time should lose their entitlement
also why are you making the presumption that people who receive the grant generally live at home?