Talking Money

(Rosie sings an operatic scale, impressively)

Hi, I'm Rosie and i'm studying at the Guild Hall to be a classical singer i've always sung and i've always enjoyed singing the course is quite varied and everything is based on how to be a better performer.

One of the things I enjoy most on my course is having so many like-minded people around - there's so many musicians and so many people that enjoy the same things that I do that you get a real feeling of community.

(Rosie sings)

My dream for the future would definitely be to be a performer, because it would be so amazing to earn a living and pay off all my student debt doing something that I really love.

What, where and why, part 1

Rosie: I'm studying at Guild Hall, and I'm training to be a classical singer. It's a four year course and I'm in my first year.

Being at Guild Hall is really amazing, being in the heart of London as well there's so many opportunities.

The course is quite varied, we have singing lessons, language classes, dance and movement.

Everything is based on learning how to be a better performer. People tend to be a lot more sensible than a lot of students because, especially as a singer, your body is your instrument so you have to take care of it.

Living in halls

Naz: If you're thinking of going to university and living in halls of residence it's most important that you get to know who your neighbours are - so get into the kitchen, make yourself a cup of tea and get to know who you're going to live with for the rest of the year.

Rosie: Whenever you walk into the building you can hear music coming from behind all the doors, til about 10 o'clock at night people will be practicing scales and things so there's music all around.

Jana: Aaaahh, aaahhh, aaaahah (singing)...we've won lots of awards

Sarah: The thing with my halls is they're really secluded, you do just end up living with the people that you're set with. My flat mate gets particularly annoyed when I have people over so I always have to turn things down.

Naz: All the bills were included in the rent I paid. There was definitely a culture shock moving to university and living in halls of residence, erm I'd have to wake up and make my own breakfast for one.

Naz: Living on campus meant that I saved money on taxis and bus fares.

Raz: If you're living in a halls of residence which is 5 minutes away and your lecture finishes at 5 o'clock, that's a 5 minute walk back to your halls and then you can study and do whatever you like.

Naz: If you have a bad..uhh...if you..uh....if you've had a hard day at university you can come back to your halls of residence, knock on your mates door, chill out, listen to some music and rock out for the evening.

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?!'.

What's in store for graduates

Ursula: After my second degree, my medical degree, i'll probably have at least £30,000 of debt.. erm.. which is quite depressing but hopefully i'll be able to pay it back!

Rosie: I suppose it's just this anxiety, this feeling of it looming over you and that i've got to pay it back at the end of the 4 years.

Jemma: When I came out of uni with quite a lot of debt it was quite crushing that I didn't realise how much it would be. However I wouldn't have done anything differently I think it was good to have my own money although it was borrowed to have at uni.

Aaron: In terms of repaying your loan, you don't need to start repaying it until you earn a certain amount of money which is around £15,000 a year. However, they say your loan is "this much" but it does have a interest. The amount that you borrowed for your 3 or 4 years isn't what you'll pay back, it does increase.

Sarah: At the moment i'm just hoping i'll get a really good job to pay it off!

Getting a bursary

Mike: Don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it, it's always available. I got a UNIAID accommodation bursary by filling out a form and sending it off.

Rosie: The bursary is worth £3500 which is what it would cost me to live in London for a year.

Aaron: I was lucky enough this year to receive a housing bursary from UNIAID.

Rosie: It pays for my accommodation, so I don't have to worry about that which is a huge amount of money.

Mike: It's quite competitive, but if you deserve it you will get it.

Banks and bribery

Rosie: I had a bank account before I started university, but I changed to a Student Account because they were offering a good deal.

Mike: When choosing a bank account don't be lured by gimmicks.

Jemma: Think about what's really important. If you've got an mp3 player, why would you want another mp3 player? Think about what your bank offers in overdrafts. In terms of service so that when you need advice will they be there for you? Where are their branches? Will they be near your university? You may have a really long relationship with your bank which will last for the whole of your life, so it's really quite worthwhile thinking quite seriously about which one you want to pick.