Talking Money

Hi, I'm Claire, I'm originally from Newcastle but i've moved down to London to do my degree.

We ran through the park and stole a bag of earth for some reason - someone thought it was a good idea! And then we had to crawl out of this big bag of earth screeching and things pretending to be some kind of plant or something and I suppose I thought then I really am at art school!

I've had to grow up a lot on this course and it's getting me ready for the real world to be an independent artist.

Wanting to go to art school was something I always wanted to do.

Investing in your future

Sarah: OK, tell me when to start, directions please. Hi I'm Sarah, I'm studying at the London School of Economics in my first year.

Mike: I should be earning anything between £40,000 and a £120,000 a year.

Ursula: 5 years later if I progress onto a consultant level I'll be earning between £60-100,000 so it should definitely be enough to fund me eating out like I do now.

Vinit: Education, as my dad once said, is one of the best investments you can make. Research your course and talk to as many people as you can because it's one thing you wouldn't want to get wrong.

Mike: Any investment in my future will definitely be worth it.

Claire: Money is always an issue, it does get me down sometimes 'cos I'm thinking what am I going to do if I don't have money, but what am I going to do if I don't have this career, what will I have for myself.

Accommodation top tips

Raz: Ok my top tips are decide if you want to live in hall of residence or live at home

Jemma: Accommodation will be your biggest cost at university, so what you really need to do is work out all the costs involved, not just your rent.

Aaron: Understand that you might be forced one day to pay a water bill that you thought you had paid all of.

Mike: You should think carefully about who you want to live with. There is a lot of shared responsibility, but when it works, it works well.

Naz: Put your Ribena in your room it's the champaign of cordials.

Alex: I think a lot of people found the advantage of being able to study together a great opportunity.

Claire: It is a free part of your life and you're growing up and you're learning things. Just enjoy it as much as you can because you probably can't go back on this moment.

Eating on a budget

Rosie: In my cupboard I've got lots of pasta and tins of tomatoes. I've also got lots of things in the freezer because it's quite useful to buy things in bulk and then freeze half of it for later.

Vinit: Having a balanced diet is really essential. Balancing work and stress and a healthy lifestyle is very important.

Claire: I'm a bit of a let down when it comes to being a student, because I love fruit. Being New Year I'm trying to eat healthy and things. So I think I've got one banana left, half a punet of strawberries, some blueberries, some raspberries some salmon, some salad and soya milk, because I'm trying to refrain from dairy. Apart from that, most of my friends live on a stable diet of pizza and pasta and sausages and things like that I guess.

Ursula: Even the Ritz has offers. You can eat pretty much anywhere. So I don't know if you've heard of Gilgamesh in Camden, it's quite a nice restaurant. I can eat there for free now because I've got so many points.

Rosie: It's really useful to learn to cook before you go away because then you don't spend so much on take-aways and things.

Claire: People fresh from home can be frustrating. Teaching them to cook spaghetti Bolognese i left the room for a moment and he put a whole packet of spaghetti for his tea into the pan and it's like, 'What are you doing?!'.

Get yourself insured, part 2

Claire: As far as keeping your things safe, things like having a laptop, I try not to carry a big laptop bag - i'll either go for a rucksack or a large handbag because then it isn't as obvious. Just general streetwise - you're not going to go down a derelict back lane and walk down there in London and things because you're just inviting people.. so things like that, just streetwise I guess.

Working during term

Claire: I work in a city bar. I'm a bar maid there. Which is a chore sometimes because I have to just stand there while everyone else is getting drunk while I'm just serving them.

I do have to work to give me the money. And I think as well it does give me a good sense of being an adult and earning your own living and really supporting yourself.

I did earn six pound an hour when I first started, and I got the amazing increase of fifty pence an hour! It does give me a bit of pocket money now and again. I suppose in the Christmas holidays I can take more hours on if I want to save up for something.

Not only does it show I've taken on responsibility, but it gives customer relation skills. And also, I did chose to go to university and chose to support myself at the same time so I am capable of taking on the responsibility.

I sometimes get jealous because my friends don't have to work, they get lots of support from their parents, so they get to go out more, and they don't have as many worries but I just get over it and carry on.

Don't worry, have fun

Aaron: The worst things about university are probably money issues of worrying about whether your going to be able to pay your rent. And so it's finance issues really.

Sarah: I have a vague idea of what a budget it.

Nathan: We'd like to welcome the students in and make it easier to talk about their finances so we can take that away from them, their worries about their finances and they can just enjoy their time at university and their study.

Claire: It is a free part of your life and you are growing up and you're learning things and your learning who your are just enjoy it as much as you can because you probably can't go back on this moment.