Poor students, and why they SHOULD be poor

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I wouldn't want people to go all the way through life without ever having been poor. For some people born into rich families, this is a danger. University student days are an opportunity to experience being poor for a while, in a way that is safe and educational.
The point of this video is that I think that rich parents who give their children so much money to live on when they are at university, that those children don't have to budget, make decisions, examine values, become resourceful, are not doing their children or society any favours. To go through the whole of one's life never having known what it is to have to choose between a luxury and a necessity is a life half-lived. I am NOT making any comment on government spending on education. Nor am I talking about genuinely very poor people with no 'safety net'.
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Poor students, and why they SHOULD be poor
/ user "Lindybeige"

[@Skippy19812]

I've been poor all my life. It's overrated.

[@cancerousmemes136]

is that why you can't afford a profile picture ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@Skippy19812]

Cancerous Memes Yes :*(

[@basileus-pr6jh]

If you have a computer and access to internet you're not really that poor

[@Skippy19812]

alex3494 While I appreciate your insightful (if humorless) contradictory statement, I am afraid I have to respectfully disagree. "Poor" is a relative term. In the west we're a little past living 5 to a room in mud huts and being forced to lick mold off the walls for nourishment. Just because I have access to a relatively common piece of western technology it doesn't make me the Sultan of Brunei. I have more bills and debts to worry about than the majority of the population where I live and according to the world bank I live below the poverty threshold for my country. I am, by definition, "poor."

[@ko95lia]

well that just unfortunate, perhaps the video is aimed at middle class society, its healthy for a member of such society to go "poor" for a bit to get reminded of some things, basically, your comment is useless

[@caesarmatty]

Dear Actual Poor People: He's not talking about you. He's talking about middle class kids coming to college who haven't had to struggle for much in their entire lives. They are the ones that could do with a touch of hardship to build some character. If you're already poor and you make it to University anyway, he's not talking about you, please listen to how he starts the video.

[@immortaltyrant2474]

Exactly. You learn to save money more efficiently and that you can't just spend it on anything you want. You have to be smart with it.

[@thedanielhicks]

@Cuzeg Spiked The library is a great place for free wifi. Also mcdonalds if you can afford it.

[@appa609]

Universities tend to have wifi. Eduroam

[@mertarican5456]

@Cuzeg Spiked when you cant afford stuff you get really creative. Restaurants library net cafe. Etc

[@TunaBagels]

As a Canadian student who is thousands of dollars in debt to our univeristy system, I instantly got mad at your video title. But now I see where you're coming from - the importance is not being poor, it's learning to budget. I think the over-arching problem is actually that school has gotten too expensive. Students are so far in debt that there is **VERY LITTLE VALUE** gained from budgeting. By the end of my education I will be ~27 thousand dollars in debt. I can certainly cut out some booze and nights out from my budget, and I've calculated that would have saved me about 750 per year. What will be accomplished? I drastically reduce my quality of life, and I'm still 24 thousand dollars in debt. Just a thought.

[@lindybeige]

Yes, when people are massively in debt, not being more in debt doesn't seem important. I suppose this is something I should have made clearer - the government loan policy we have here makes frugality a bit pointless.

[@TunaBagels]

***** There are no guarantees in life, Shine. I'm getting my degree in the STEM field and I am pretty sure I'm capable of paying the debt back with the skills I have already, if that's something you're concerned about. I would rather not be in debt though, and if being frugal gave me the option to live a debt free life, then I would be much more likely to consider it.

[@korona3103]

Lindybeige I think it's even worse, it actually discourages you from taking work paying over 17k, since then you have to start paying back the loan. There's a type of job that's so well paid that you don't care about the repayments but you have to work for years to get qualified enough for that. The standard range of jobs graduates are able to get will be in that really unappealing band that's above 17k but not enough above to make the repayments trivial. Universities have issues and funding is a problem but the loans system is a really stupid way to do it.

[@Melohalo]

TunaSammich I'm also a Canadian University student, but I don't seem to share your money problems. I went into my first year with $9000 in savings and roughly $3000 in scholarships. And has since then supported my $15,000 a year expenditure by working full-time during my 3 months summers and doing a half-year co-op program with an EPCM firm. By my estimate I should graduated in 2016 with an extra $4000 left over. If you can't find local job opportunities consider applying to positions or summer student programs in job-rich provinces like Alberta and Ontario. And resist travelling as a student.

[@korona3103]

Pseudo Nym If you can earn $5k a month good luck to you - why are you bothering with a degree?!

[@paulipock3241]

I drive for Uber in a college town, thank god for the hard partying students. I'd starve otherwise.

[@Britlurker]

"What is important in life?" Crush your enemies. See them driven before you. Hear the lamentations of their women.

[@dogzdigital]

"hot water, good dentishtry and shoft lavatory paper"

[@metatronyt]

Very good point, I agree completely and I am happy to say I was poor when I was a university student xD

[@Parker8752]

There's only one problem there - in Britain nowadays, the full student maintenance loan (about £4,500) will often only pay for your rent. If you aren't getting extra money from somewhere (your parents, the additional maintenance grant that gets given if your parents are poor, a part time job, or whatever else), you will in fact starve.

[@lindybeige]

But nobody does starve, not in Britain.

[@CityofLight11]

Lindybeige There have been people starving to death in Britain, admittedly completely different issue but it can happen.

[@Parker8752]

Lindybeige Actually, sometimes people do starve in the poorer parts of Britain - a friend of mine used to take food parcels to some of the poorer villages near Cardiff and Newport as part of a thing run by the local Catholic church, because that was the only way some of the people there could eat. But that's rarely a situation faced by students in Britain today. The thing is, it's easy to judge today's students based on the standards of when you yourself were a student. The problem with that is that while you were given enough money to live on, today it is assumed that that's the parents' job, with assistance being given based on the wealth of the parents.

[@Gilgwathir]

Same thing over here in Switzerland. But studentships are only granted to students whos parents income does not surpass a certain threshold. If your parents have enough money, they have to pay. At least until you are 25 years old or graduate in a first subject. I must admit though that we are not obligated to pay the money back after we graduated and our fees are quite lowe since all universities and polytechnics are subsidised by the state.

[@swietoslaw]

How is this high cost of rent ? My friends go to UK for work, they pay 80/ a week.

[@TomatoBreadOrgasm]

Students: learn to love peanut butter sandwiches and one ply toilet paper.

[@lindybeige]

I ate a lot of peanut butter and bread as a student. For a year it was much lunch every day.

[@CJTheReal]

If you eat a lot of peanut butter, I fear one ply is just asking for trouble.

[@TomatoBreadOrgasm]

Lindybeige Same here. I'd put it in the oven just to get some hot food. CJTheReal That's what soap and water are for. Really cheap soap and water.

[@AlexThomson1000]

Eww peanut butter. You're doing studenting wrong if you resort to that. I learned to make meals that feed 8 for less than £10. That's a weeks worth of proper cooked meals that taste great! Cooking in bulk generally saves you a ton of money. For a bit of variety get lots of plastic tubs and freeze a few portions then you can mix it up.

[@actionturnip395]

White rice, potatoes, and beans ftw -.-

[@ClockworkTheFrog]

I've been living off of ramen and spaghetti for 4 years. Can you kill me.

[@rich1051414]

+Clockwork Looks like we are out of beef ramen. Shrimp ramen with spagetti sauce is the meal tonight. Oh and Rainbow brand artificial fruit drink cause the kool-aide cost too much.

[@Kila-Innova]

+Michael Oglesby You do yourself no favours.

[@khorps4756]

+Michael Oglesby I see no mistakes in his comment...

[@khorps4756]

***** ah, it's always question mark I don't notice

[@Kila-Innova]

***** Intentional or not it doesn't help your appearance as there is no tone of voice.

[@TheSpacecraftX]

"Had a grant which paid my fees." - The crux of the issue.

[@melonlord4055]

Meanwhile in the US that "44k pounds" of debt comes from the tuition....

[@ArchonCommando]

This seems so twisted to me coming from germany. The whole 44.000 pounds debt thing and such. The only thing we have to pay our universities is around 150 Euros per term. So to get a bachelor that's 900 Euros. (Of course im not including rent etc. etc. but i still can't understand how you would amass 44 thousand pounds of debt in just 3 - 5 years)

[@DaddyPims]

Germany is the fucking promised land.

[@IceWolve67]

well how is it about th most prestigious school or higher diploms ? In France, faclty are almost free, but men, engineering school it's almost 7 000€ or more

[@ArchonCommando]

Dimitri Schneider Almost every University is "almost free" (apart from the 150 euros) over here. I study Air and Space Faring Technology and it's the same cost for every field you can study.

[@IceWolve67]

you live in a great country :(

[@jasonbrody6706]

I'm looking forward to apply for a foreign university in a year and I've heard this about Germany, Do you know if they handle foreign students like this as well ? tnx :) I will be applying for a Master degree in engineering by the way..

[@Arkantos117]

Rather than encouraging students to live frugally we should first be encouraging the government to lower the cost of going to university. £8k a year + maintenance loan? Fuck that.

[@scipioafricanus2064]

Arkantos117 Porque no los dos? Free education shouldn't come with a government-issue BMW, but you also shouldn't have to worry where your next meal/clothing/rent will come from.

[@Arkantos117]

Scipio Africanus Focusing your efforts generally produces better results. One step at a time man.

[@scipioafricanus2064]

Oh I'm not badly off myself. I do have some debt, but I've just graduated with a Compsci B.S. However, I'm worried about poor and middle class students graduating with 6-figure debt loads that take decades to pay off, while their employers benefit from an educated workforce.

[@ivansexe1769]

Why not do both. Better budgeting should be implemented by government, universities, and students. From a U.S. standpoint, our government throws away billions of dollars that could better spent. Schooling for example. Universities here spend millions of dollars on nonsense. The one near me spent 1 mil on a stairway and fountain that didn't work the next year and is building more dorms when they are currently overloaded with students. The student aspect was covered by the video. It's an issue on all levels.

[@sundhaug92]

+Scipio Africanus there are grades between the two

[@NefariousElasticity]

Different times, I guess. Going to a university in most western countries today is sentencing yourself to massive debt, and when you're going to owe $70k until you get a job that will probably take you a decade or more to get, what's $12 for a nice burger? What's $100 for some drinks for you and your friends? What's $400 for a new game console? A drop in the bucket. If the higher education system wasn't so fucked in these countries, this wouldn't even be a problem. The only way to not have financial problems is to be rich, and the only reliable way to get rich is to cause yourself financial problems (so you can go to school).

[@wolffe93]

most people going to a university in austria do not have to have massive debts. really I only know of USA and UK draining their young intellectuals of all of their money

[@nutyyyy]

or if you love in a country with no tuition fees it's much better, of course you have the other costs.

[@HungrigerHugo89]

CraigNW Actually i would say in most of the european countries you hardly leave university beeing in dept. For example in Luxemburg you get PAID to study....

[@DevilsAdvocateofnazareth]

HungrigerHugo89 most European countries you're fucked. Germany is OK (usually about a grand) England is abysmal (never under £9000 now). ***** I think it's only a little smaller than England.

[@NefariousElasticity]

To folks responding with "or you could live in X country with no tuition payments", that's absolutely fantastic for people who live there. But uprooting yourself, becoming a citizen of another country, and integrating into a different culture (possibly even having to learn another language) is not an option for an average person.

[@davidbradley6040]

Students no longer get grants,They are forced to take loans.

[@grannytorrelli2560]

I kind of chuckled while watching this. Crippling debt isn't optional in American universities like you made it sound like it is in Britain. In state tuition in America starts around $23,000 for a cheap university and doubles when you go out of state. Even worse is that nobody understands that it's the Federal Reserve's fault and the president can't fix it, so now we have a load of people getting liberal arts degrees to learn how to protest the high cost of college all the while digging themselves into debt.

[@EebstertheGreat]

+Granny Torrelli The Fed is not the cause of high tuition in any sense. Schools themselves choose to raise their own rates, and the reason federal loans are such a shitty deal is the legislation that introduced them. So you can blame the schools, in some cases perhaps the governments of the states or counties that support them, and maybe even the federal government for its role in the student debt crisis, but the Fed? It doesn't make sense.

[@grannytorrelli2560]

EebstertheGreat The federal reserve raised the availability of student loans which allowed universities to raise their tuition.

[@EebstertheGreat]

Granny Torrelli The Fed does not determine education policy. _Congress_ increased availability of loans and grants twice in 2006 and 2008. That has nothing to do with the banking system.

[@grannytorrelli2560]

EebstertheGreat You understand that the fed dictates how much money banks are allowed to loan out, yes? And that the act concerning student loans in 2006 was temporary and expired in june of 2006, yes? And that the acts of 2008 allowed students to borrow more money, but not let banks loan out more money, yes? Even if the students can borrow more money, the banks could still only loan out a certain amount of it. The only thing that changed is how the money was distributed, not how much was available for universities to take advantage of.

[@EebstertheGreat]

Granny Torrelli Yeah the legislation did not change the available federal student loan money in the long run. If you're talking about quantitative easing, that was a reaction to the fiscal crisis and does not explain student loan debt that has been climbing for much longer. The cause of debt is not rampant spending like Lloyd seems to think, but a combination of factors related to rising tuition and housing costs and loss of unskilled jobs. People are not taking out student loans just because the interest rates dropped.

[@tommihommi1]

We in Europe are lucky that we can study and not automatically have huge debts afterwards (I'm looking at you, US student loans) Oh my god what have I started

[@StephenMortimer]

Jezuss keerist on a krutch !! you are a delusional fool ... look at your tax burden ... wake up how is your european economy ???

[@MuffintopWarrior]

Its not a given that everyone will end up with a large debt, the problem is that everyone is guaranteed a loan for the purpose of going to school, which many people use to go to a far more expensive school than they can truly afford, people who know what they're doing can get through with little or no debt

[@TomatoBreadOrgasm]

I remember a row some time ago in the UK over changes in university fees that would have an entire education costing something like £9000. If they only knew how bad it could be...

[@amshermansen]

Stephen Mortimer I'd rather pay more in taxes that go to keeping people out of debt before their professional lives even begin.

[@StephenMortimer]

MuffintopWarrior look at the usa default rate at 5 years it now approaches 20-25%

[@SlightlyNotorious]

I'm currently a poor university student. In fact, I chose continued poverty in order to do graduate studies (I have a salary but it's peanuts). I tend to agree with you. It's a useful lesson to be poor for a bit. I do however think that money should not be a barrier to university. Everyone should have the option regardless of income and we shouldn't need to go into enormous debt to it.

[@Shermingtan]

Very true, a paywall to higher education will be very bad for a country. Weed out the students by mental capacity and willingness to pull through with their decision.

[@StephenMortimer]

Shermingtan WEED OUT >>> folks listen this this guy !!

[@scipioafricanus2064]

We should follow what Germany and Switzerland did, and make college affordable for everyone who wants to go. The cost of educating students will be more than made up for in future tax revenue.

[@Parker8752]

Scipio Africanus That's how they paid for grants, back in the day when University education was essentially free...

[@TheSwissGabber]

Scipio Africanus Why is that better? I live in Switzerland, I would prefer to have a dept which I can pay off rather then higher taxes. It won't be more efficient to 'distribute' that money through some middle man (the governement) and I for sure pay more then only the loan I took but never was asked to agree upon. As others have mentioned: This dept makes the costs of education visible: Is it worth spending 50k and 3 years on an education? If the money you would earn during that 3 years with your current education + 50k is more then what your salary increase will ever bring back: don't do it. If it is: where's the problem?

[@nocensorship8092]

You know what my experience so far is/was: I was poor from age 0-17 with having less than 200€ (highest amount i ever had was probably 250€) and no pocket money. Poor parents too. Then from 17 until an injury that prevented working I worked mini job for mere 6,5€ per hour beside school. I was finally able to afford my first Laptop and a very simple 15€ mobile phone and a few other items my parents couldnt get me. Then i was injured for 14 Months unable to work. So thereafter i was done with high school and got a job. My laptop broke and i had to buy a PC. Finally as a 20 year old I could afford a smartphone and now I am 21 and finally i have replaced most of my 3-6 year old worn clothing. That took lots of money and I never wanted to go below a certain amount of money on my account.. cause you know with poor parents who would ever help me if things go wrong and I had no time to work for more money? Well before i turned 21 i started college and quit my full time job. I also got a car and a very expensive drivers license. Finally then I had to spend loads on furniture and other necessities to live alone and far from my parents. PLus lots for repairs on the car and insurance.. as a beginner the cost was nearly 900€ per year. So now I live and have to get a student loan by the government getting 325€ in debt every month which i have to pay back in a few years after graduating. Sometimes I am faced with jealousy by "poor" other students who never worked but dont have their own car. However they are unsatisfied because their parents only just can provide them with free drivers license, free clothing, free PC , Phone and laptop and so forth and they dont even need a loan to get by.. and yet they complain. Now that is my experience. Do i bother telling everyone why i have the car i have and why some of my clothes still are rugged and old and some are quite new and expensive looking? No. .. (In my defense that brand clothing was on sale and only -20-15% more/less expensive than other clothing... ) .. Yes definitely good to be poor for a stretch of life but being poor as long as I was, is really really unproductive. i hardly had or have friends because I never in my life could participate in expensive socialising and i missed out on hundreds of normal standard child hood and teenage experiences that normally shape people rather well. I have not had a chance really to enjoy most of the normal people stuff and I still have a super tight budget although i have a kinda necessary car.. well i would need at least a scooter if I didnt have that one... so i dont go to the cinema , dont go drinking, really only spend maybe 100€ a year on unessesary stuff .. because I feel the need to save the little money i have left from full time employment. Unfortunately my experience in high school and grade school has always been this: Everyone else was at least middle class to top middle class income vise (well their parents obviously) and I was the poorest person around, therefore I was always excluded from everything and invited to nothing. Plus i lived far away in the country side and bus was expensive and drove rarely... walking to the city would take an entire day and bicycle 3-4hours.. ofc thats not possible really. So what could i do? make friends with the farmer kids? no they hated us because we were outsiders and I went to a danish-german school and was made fun of for that..

[@sleep3417]

That's quite sad.

[@nocensorship8092]

Blue Balls jea :/ well i quit studying now halfway.. going to work again. better luck next time i suppose.

[@sleep3417]

T.W. Someone i suppose. Good luck then.

[@nocensorship8092]

Blue Balls thanks

[@razvandobai2264]

Till Schwenke how’s things now bro?

[@sid.h]

As a relatively poor college student I totally understand your point of view, but sometimes I really feel that I had more possibilities and a better social life if I didn't have to worry about money all the time.

[@bbdawise]

Your social life is literally the least important thing you should be worrying about when you're in college.

[@crabe804]

bbdawise I'm convinced a high percentage of students suicides is mainly due to *high pressure* and *social isolation* . You'll understand that your comment seem to me the most injuring and reckless of this entire thread, to put it politely.

[@sid.h]

Please allow me to set my own priorities. Thanks!

[@bbdawise]

crab Lol ok then. Care to explain how my comment is injuring? Student suicides happen mostly because of bullying...that is a well known fact. Not because they don't get to go out and drink with their friends every night...

[@crabe804]

bbdawise _«Student suicides happen mostly because of bullying [...] _*_fact_*_ »_ False : www.hopkinschildrens.org/Depression-Lack-of-Social-Support-Trigger-Suicidal-Thoughts-in-College-Students.aspx _«[...] Not because they don't get to go out and drink with their friends every night»_ False : Szilárd never spoke about that. He only write : _«more possibilities and a better social life»_ , that's all If you want a *fact* , here's one : You have written a superficial and poor opinion quickly without thinking, and you want to justify it in the same way. (Lol)

[@NATESOR]

>makes the argument for a way of living. >doesn't want to use coercive force to make it mandatory for everyone. That's very un-progressive of you Lloyd!

[@Etropalker]

How dares he to suggest people should be free?

[@calenross233]

>trying to greentext on KZbin stop that.

[@Krakza93]

>telling people not to greentext on KZbin Come on, it's 2016

[@lugal-zage-si4782]

I sort of agree with the idea, but students should NOT be in massive amounts of debt because they want an education. It's terrible for the economy and it's terrible for our society.

[@lugal-zage-si4782]

Cuzeg Spiked If you live in the United States where education is viewed as a privilege and not a right. Even if you think education is not a right of all, we must remember what happens when students are in massive debt once out of university. They don't buy a house, or a car. They live incredibly frugally. The get a crappy job that pays poorly until they can afford to get the job they went to university for. All this does is lead to suffering, economic hardship, and will ruin the economy because the future generations won't be able to afford to spend money on anything more than food and rent.

[@lugal-zage-si4782]

Cuzeg Spiked I can't tell you anything about the U.K. I know a little bit about their politics but I live in the U.S. so my prime focus is on the U.S.' issues. If the U.K. doesn't have tuition free university, which I believe they do not have, then they are likely suffering the same fate.

[@dietrauringkursschmiede7160]

I agree. The thing many students aren't learning is the difference between the words I "want" and I "need". If you don't have money, it becomes very clear what the difference is.

[@TheGurkenfass]

Holy hell 44.000 bucks in debt and thats even more in Euro. Well thanks god the unis in Germany only take around 200€ per semester and we can get up to 500€ per month in government support (we have to pay off 50% without interest after we got a job, though).

[@cryoshakespeare4465]

Yes, in Ireland our university education is similarly subsidised. I agree with Lloyd in that financial restriction is good for giving students life-skills, however I think the 44,000 euro debt is really quite detrimental.

[@larrywave]

u seriously get 500€ student allowance per month in Finland u get 250€ at maximum PS i didn't get any

[@concibar4267]

larrywave How much do you have to pay for university-semester, rent, and food?

[@steamcastle]

in Denmark you get payed 1080€ a month from the government that you then have to pay taxes on, so around 500€. now university is free, and the dorms at the one that I went to was around 310€ pr month. as for food I would spent around 80€ pr month, (and did just to see if I could live for less then 40€ one month), many I knew spent more then 120-160€ on food., the biggest cost was book pr semester it would be from 500€ and up, as I sometimes say "In monarchical Denmark, you don't pay for school, School pays for you"

[@larrywave]

Jan Plewa nothing :D 2 free meals per day free dorms and school/books are free :D

[@skintstudios]

you seem to be more blaming the students than the system, students didn't choose that tuition fees should be £9000 a year, you cannot go to university without a loan or scholarship now, it just doesn't happen.

[@victoneter]

He's talking about Britain not the US

[@skintstudios]

no shit sherlock

[@Grubiantoll]

Is he blaming students, thought? It seemed that he very directly accused the huge ass student loans that are the norm to be at fault.

[@ollielife1]

dont go to university then. life is about C H O I C E S

[@WorthlessWinner]

Do you think university costs £9000 a year in the US? £...

[@stopculturalmarxism8598]

students who aquire large depts putting themselves through school are unlikely to think about changing society. When you trap people in a system of dept they can't afford the time to think. Tuition fee increases are a disciplinary technique, and by the time students graduate, they are not loaded with dept, but have also inernalized the disciplinerian culture. This makes them efficient components of the consumer economy. -Noam Chomsky

[@joule400]

today at the least here mobile phones and computers are almost requirement for studies. i would have been unable to do almost half the work school required me to do if i didnt have mobile/internet/pc. schools close very shortly after last class and libraries lack necessary software to do stuff i needed (blender visual studio notepad ++ etc) so i couldnt use those places for homework. and phone had to be with you every day. classes had 1 hour change/cancel warning-in-advance times, updates about exams and projects came through phones and your log in to school network had phone message as additional security. maybe back in time it was different but today tech is not so optional

[@analogueapples]

Actually, being completely broke all the time without any opportunity to make more money (like in a small student town) is counterproductive. I'm not even talking about "poor" according to Western standards where you have 400-500 eur after the rent and have to buy food and clothes for that, more like absolutely poor students. I studied in Eastern Europe in 2003 and the poverty was striking. I was from middle income family myself and had my savings but because they didn't do so well at that time, I had to work for a year. Some students were rich enough to eat out every day and live in luxury apartments in old town which was't that expensive as the city was small, but others joked about eating ramen every day because of no money. Most students from poor families only got the study grant which was 70 eur (if converted) that was based on weird government calculations how the poor people live (3-4 people in the same room and eat only the cheapest foods). It actually barely covered the rent for the cheapest dormitories where you had to share your room with 3 other students and where everything looked like there has just been a war. They maybe also got a bag of potatoes from grandmother or something. Anyway, being absolutely poor creates an atmosphere where everyone talks constantly about money and how to save it. You can never do anything fun, even once a month and cheaply, without calculating how much money you have left. I wasn't that poor but definitely prefer to work before and have some more money, not have this poor student lifestyle where you won't be able to do anything but get drunk with friends or whine about money. Also, most people won't be able to pay back their loans because they have absolutely no idea what you can study and how much it will make, especially when the area is uncommon. If you can study only once for free, I recommend you to work and actually have real life experience meeting people, travelling, volunteering, seeing various aspects of real life, taking short courses, attending free events, making friends and so on, before you study something that you have no idea of

[@MeepChangeling]

"If your poor as a student you're not going to starve to death." - HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Try that in America today Lindy. I was going on one small tin of vianna sausages a day and whatever food I could knick from the dormitory kitchens without getting caught. Oh and Avoiding debt is actually impossible at 90% of American schools today, the tuition literally is too high to pay with any job you might be able to obtain without a degree.

[@JustGrowingUp84]

Cernel Joson Why not both! After all, when you *need* a superior studies diploma in order to get (some) minimum wage jobs that even someone with an basic education (eight years) should have, it's clear that changes must be made at *all* the levels...

[@thekev506]

The video is about UK universities because - surprise surprise - he lives in and is from the UK.

[@MeepChangeling]

Kevin P Which he uploaded to a global community. He should state he is talking about UK universities only. I know what he ment but still, she should say what he is talking about when discussing region specific things.

[@DevilsAdvocateofnazareth]

Kyle Rhulain he said he was talking about Europe, but I appreciate your predicament: I've only got 2 years before I'll be in the same boat.

[@FartMaster69]

Well I assume if you had finished highschool beforehand it would have been easier to get into a decent college and survive off the benefits. This is what a GED gets you.

[@DeoMachina]

I've just had a great idea for a series of videos! "Lindy's Frugal Findings", where we get to learn about how to save money and resources. There could even be experiments like "How many used teabags does it take to make a cup of tea equal in strength to a proper cuppa". It'd be amazing.

[@Steadno]

You understand poverty? Have you ever went without food for a few days? Have you ever slept outside? Have you ever eaten out of the dumpster?

[@MercKilsek]

Sounds more like being destitute then poverty.

[@Steadno]

HOD0R relative poverty could mean anything. hence the term relative.

[@lindybeige]

I understand not being rich in the modern world. Yes, I've skipped meals for lack of money, yes I have slept outside (e.g. on holiday and cannot afford hotel), but whereas I have rescued many items from skips, I haven't eaten any of them.

[@emikochan13]

The poverty line is a specific thing (here in the uk at least) It doesn't mean having literally 0 money.

[@Steadno]

***** sounds like you were camping and or fasting. I just found it interesting he used the term poverty in reference to himself. poverty and college contradict each other.

[@gideonokun5538]

As a student going through excactly the same thing as you did, I couldn't agree more. I'm just staring at my fellow students, speechless. And everytime they have to take one (yes, one!) choice about something, or not being able to go somewhere etc. they almost can't handle it. I point it out to them, you know, welcome to the world! They look back at me as if I'm like a special orphaned child from an african tribe... No, I'm doing just fine... Actually, I believe I'm doing better than you. (Didn't say the last part out loud for obvious reasons)

[@gordonblues843]

Educating people used to be valued so much we had a grant system to enable the less wealthy to go to university. The future of the country depends on it. Now it seems the banks have taken over, giving out made-up funny money loans and then claiming them back.

[@justindie7543]

What about the factor of stress? Everyone knows that it is much more stressful living in poverty than in wealth. Couldn't that stress affect grades, or even overall health?

[@Kalmo_]

You will stress about the debt then

[@Nosirrbro]

If you live frugally enough that you dont have any debt (but still get money from somewhere), then there is nothing stressful about it.

[@kolimikael]

If you life frugally you ensure that you have the emergency option just in case (debt for example). I don't have much money in my bank account but when I really need it I get it. I never have to stress about things like how I manage till the end of the month like other "really" poor.

[@longwoolcoat2266]

Being poor doesn't meen you have more chances to get stress, if you have a clear mind it should not affect you. besides a little bit of stress is actually good for you and your mental sanity

[@starspaceschool587]

Actually stress has been shown to be a very relative term. People across the board are stressed just about different stuff. Things that a rich person gets stressed about are different than those of a poor person and its often very difficult for a poor person to understand why a rich person may be worried about losing their vacation home. Similarly there are poor people who have a much higher quality of life than a rich person. For example there was a psychiatrist who wrote a book about how the larger his business was the more stressed he got. He eventually considered himself a client, IE gives a 90 minutes session to himself. Makes less money IE more poor but more happy.

[@jotoolethrower]

as this was after the student fee increases I can only assume Lloyd is totally unaware that as most of those students would be around £41k in debt by the end of the three years, the idea of saving a few hundred quid a term at the expense of fun feels like a kick in the teeth. Especially when as he pointed out his generation could go to university without a acquiring any debt...

[@battletoads22]

I'm $30K in debt. And the only reason that it's that low is because I went to a community/junior college for four years where my parents or bonds paid for my education. Course the tuition and books was rarely over a grand per semester. At a big time university, it can cost $4-5,000 per semester just for tuition. If I had known what I was doing when I got there, I could've finished school in two years instead of three.

[@Cuix]

This issue is too complex for a brief rant video. There's a point in there, and I get what you're saying, but one point in a great big machine of interlocking issues doesn't really lead anywhere.

[@lindybeige]

Yes, some people seem to think I was touching on government policies and tuition fees etc., but I just meant that rich people should not spoil their kids.

[@Cuix]

I suppose another way to summarize would be "It's good to experience a relatively safe level of poverty during formative years". Mountains of debt and actual homelessness are, of course, different beasts entirely.

[@penaxor]

I've always lived a frugal lifestyle so that I can afford whatever I need or want, whenever I need it or want it. Hell, even with a regular day job abroad, I ate as cheap as I could in the cheapest (decent) housing. I've always had a strict policy of "don't get in debt" that I am going to keep following when I enter higher education at some point. To work towards that goal, I'm planning on spending a few years doing a full time job before starting university. Scarcity of employment - and, well, being unemployed - doesn't help, though.

[@tk4x431]

I come from a moderately wealthy family, nice house, nice neighborhood, but I was never spoiled rotten like the people that surrounded me, they always made me work for things I wanted like guitars or toys, and I am ever so grateful for that.

[@MagicAccent]

As a poor student trying to avoid the bulk of the student loan, I can relate. I really find myself appreciating the litte things in life. Like my beautiful trusty old android phone, reusable cloth shopping bags, combining whatever is in my fridge into an etible meal, and the luxurious feeling of standard quality toilet paper that I sometimes buy when I feel I can splurge a little. Also, milk. A cold glass of glorious milk before I go to bed.

[@mintyvision8464]

Being a poor student leads to being a poor graduate. Poor students can't afford to do the private sector mandated unpaid slave labour for "experience", and thus their qualifications are worthless. I got a first and can't even get a basic admin or research job because I was busy trying to survive by doing work that actually paid me in my free time, rather than accumulating the "experience" employers now want. Also if a group of you are going out dividing the cost of the taxi it often works out cheaper than public transport. We need to be encouraging people to pay younger generations fairly, not enforcing poverty upon them.

[@DaddyPims]

With higher student admission rates, and with thousands more coming from much poorer backgrounds, uni is often the first time many students will experience having their own seemingly substantial amounts of cash. It's the first time many have experienced anything aside from poverty, so I think it's understandable that some will be excited at the prospect of being able to afford a social life or new clothes for once in their lives. I don't think any student isn't poor, even if we receive the top loan and grant, this money has to last us until the next chunk arrives; and in London that is becoming more and more difficult to do. The initial downpayment is £70 for a three year railcard for traveling home, then a monthly student tube pass is essential at about £80 a month. Then there's accommodation, and for halls of residence the cheapest I could get was £135 a week, paid for in chunks. That was £2500 laid down instantly and only paid for my rent from September until January, this however included a £500 deposit. Add to that food, study supplies (quite a lot for creative arts students, £9000 goes to the university a year but they still can't afford to buy us paper or pencils it seems) and not to mention eating outside of halls. Some people will bring packed lunches (I often just eat leftovers) but an extra twenty minutes in bed can seem a lot more appealing than having to make food every morning, so if you're left with having to buy lunch it's in the range of £5 to £7 for anything half decent. I'm not sure it's an experience I'm grateful for, in fact I was so frustrated with the quality of education I was getting (this was one of the University of the Arts campuses, supposedly one of the better arts universities) so I transferred to a smaller but much better quality university in the West of England (not UWE). I'm not poor, but I am now enforced into spending more money than I'd like to. The train for me is £12 a day as I have to travel at peak times, so I can't even use that rail card that will last me three years. I'm out the door at 7:15 to get to the train on time, so I often buy breakfast at the station or once I get into the city, same with Lunch. It's these costs that are avoidable, but that's what our grant is there to cover; it's living expenses. I don't feel guilty that I have this cash to spend on avoidable costs and I don't think anybody should have to feel the added strain of worrying where their next meal is going to come from on top of their coursework and lessons. If someone really is poor, they're not able to afford food, and I'm sure you know what the effects of malnourishment have on anybody. If you're not eating properly you're not learning at your full potential, so you're just wasting even more money by not getting the most use out of a day of uni because of diet reasons. I agree that many students could learn to structure their spending better, I'm sure the examples you gave later learned what it really felt like to be poor and did regret their spending, but I think an appreciation of money is vastly different from being poor. I'm fortunate that I have an excess of cash now, some students would probably call me well off in fact, but even though I have this excess in my account it's not mine, it's all going back to the treasury eventually. A large student loan isn't creating a generation of affluent students who want to get pissed every night and buy Playstations, it's making a generation of students who have the peace of mind to fully apply themselves to their subject. In fact, in my experience it's always the students whose loan doesn't even cover their accommodation that spend more on socialising because, as you say, the amount of debt is so staggering what difference does it make? If we ensured that every student had it in their own means to afford all accommodation, give every student enough money to actually pay for their transport and food we'd find attendance and work quality increasing. I'm sure I'll be torn apart by American commenters here, as the thankfully quite generous SFE must feel like a socialist paradise compared with what they have to put up with, but I don't feel any student benefits from being poor. I agree that budgeting is perhaps the most beneficial skill you can learn, and perhaps you and I have differing definitions of the term "poor", but when you see students turn to dealing drugs in halls to get by you tend to think the system isn't fair. I think we should be celebrating the fact that so many people are now attending university, and doing everything we can to ensure they make the most of their time there through financial and moral support.

[@JustGrowingUp84]

Try to format more if you post long comments. Maybe break it down into smaller paragraphs, add a blank row between the paragraphs, and start each larger sentence on a new row. It might make your post even longer, but it will also be far easier to read! A large, continuous wall of text is tiring, intimidating and discouraging. Take care, buddy!

[@DaddyPims]

Zombigotron I normally reserve double spacing for different sections of an essay, but without tab indentation or proper formatting it does looks hideous. Strange having to change school habits for a single website.

[@JustGrowingUp84]

***** Yeah, the KZbin comment section is really not the best medium for sharing large amounts of information... :( But it's improving, albeit slowly. And I keep hoping someday it will allow a decent level of formatting...

[@TheKolpinator]

I'm from America and it's crazy how much it is to go to college. I am a freshman and am roughly 22,000$ in debt. Just one year. I don't know how people afford frivolous things here. I can barely afford anything else.

[@scipioafricanus2064]

Teh Kolpinator It's insane. We're graduating with a mortgage and no house, while students in Europe go nearly for free.

[@Gingrnut]

As a student, Lindy, I can definitely see where you're coming from, and I can imagine that with all the debt we're all goign to accrue through no real fault of our own, psychologically a few hundred pounds more doesn't sound like that much. However I think that in the last decade or so partying has become an absolutely massive thing for students. I live in halls and there is literally three clubs just across the road from me. In fact in the evening I can hear their music from my window. That's kinda crazy, but at the same time drinking culture has definitely changed. People predrink a lot more now, if you're going out in the night you start early, with some cheap shit that gets you pissed, and by the time you're actually going out out you really don't need to drink that much more and you can just enjoy the clubbing. However, being pissed and then doing that is obviously going to lead to some bad decisions (for your wallet anyway), such as taxis, although in my experience it's mainly girls who do that cause they're wearing heels and skimpy little dresses and they'd freeze if they walked. Personally, I do budget, and I know a lot of people that do. I also know some idiots who get into their overdraft halfway through term and spend way more than they should and are probably going to regret it, and I try not to hang out with those people cause they're a terrible influence. I think, as in any case, it varies, and there's lots of different types of people. I can guarantee you that those students you saw clubbing on a monday were that second type of person I mentioned, or they were other people who were just going along with it. Every night is a clubbing night nowadays. On freshers week I was out every single night for nearly 7 days, and my wallet paid for it, but I knew that and I anticipated it and I didn't overspend, I spent what I wanted to spend, and freshers week was amazing. Personally, I go out whenever my sports club has a social, since I'm on the committee as social secretary and it would be bad form not to, and also with my housemates occasionally. I probably drink weekly, and get properly wasted maybe every couple of weeks, but not ridiculously so cause nobody likes that. At the end of the day all I can say is I know a variety of people and I'd imagine you did too and I doubt that's changed that much, although the level of debt students have nowadays has changed. Debt is an entirely different issue, but there you go.

[@acvaticlifE]

I think this point is veery subjective and veeery situational..

[@Dantick09]

As a student who works part time at a fast food joint for a miserable wage I can relate to this. University is super expensive and it s the only way to get a decent job.

[@FreeThinking850]

"Occasional luxury", you pull swords and shields out of every orifice while wearing armour and I've been looking at the same bastard sword online for the last four months!

[@xXxJustCallMeM]

In my area in MN the community college is $6000 USD a year. The state college University of Minnesota is about $26000 USD a year. The higher end colleges like Gustavus is $40000 USD a year. Not counting living expenses.

[@DerJungeStein]

Lindy I think you've confused poverty with frugality. All people, regardless of whether they're students enough, should be encouraged to live frugally (most of the time) as this would help combat the ridiculous amounts of wasteage we see in Western Societies today. But this isn't poverty, and you were never "poor". You never worried about not making it to the end of the month, let alone your next meal. You were never abused and taken advantage of by a system that preys on the poor with predatory loan schemes such as quidco and the like. You were also blessed (like I was) with an upbringing that taught you how to live frugally (knowing fully well that after your degree you would not be forced to live so frugally), and which a lot of people, even in the UK, aren't given at home, or at school, or in their community. I agree with your assessment that maybe flooding students with so much debt that 1k less or more in the red means nothing isn't the brightest of ideas, and that frugality should be encouraged in our wasteful societies, but to go on to call for all students to be poor... It's a bit excessive.

[@lindybeige]

Yes, as I said, I was never in danger of starving. Had anything major gone wrong, hospitals, parents, and others were there as a safety net.

[@MustafaShams]

The tuition in US colleges have been increasing like wildfire though.

[@MustafaShams]

I love the description put into option 2. I can picture them in a flannel shirt and ripped jeans drinking their venti mocha latte crap with their green smoothie.

[@mycinematics8948]

I tried to be a student once... :'( The university advertised a course that they hadn't officially registered with the correct governing body to make sure it was funded and equipped with the right teachers and working spaces. I was the only person in the country to register... (I remember a saying I heard once "If I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck at all" well that's me) obviously. In which case, I was not given access to the government tuition fee system, which was that I would pay it back once I start earning a set amount. Instead I was told the fees fell solely upon myself, that my work could not be assessed or marked until the fees had been settled. So I dropped out and had debt collectors after me ever since. I was told the following year (literally after 200 hours on the phone trying to get it sorted out and 40 or so hours sat in a reception) that I could have postponed the course and had all fees held back until the course was officially registered. In which case I could restart the course and avoid any issues... only this was told to me AFTER it would have been useful, since the course had already ended. Now I watch youtube videos and hide in my bedroom. Growing up is so great.

[@Stettafire]

Most universities wouldn't have ran in the course in that situation. They normally require a minimum number of applicants or they'll shut it down.

[@HenrikoMagnifico]

I've been poor my whole life, then I started to make a living a few years before I started studying at University. I was not "rich" but I had a decent income every month, and I also saved (still do) most of the money. I don't feel like I missed out on the "University Experience" in any significant way. Rather, I feel like I successfully avoided suffering unnecessarily. People being rich their whole lives, then going to University rich, that I agree with you could be a negative practice in terms of live experience and building character.

[@laurie1183]

$28,000 in debt here I come... -.-

[@HinFoo]

skip it, get a normal job instead, will make more money at the end anyway. if money is what you strive for ofc

[@laurie1183]

Nah I've had someone in the field I want to get into basically give me a list of shit I need. My uni debt is only about 18000 and the rest is travel and expenses required to shift country and endure until I get into the job I'm after.

[@Gufberg]

It seems to me that you're insinuating that modern student debt is due to an unrealistic relationship with personal finance. This isn't - in my view - the case. The issue is that education in the UK now costs money and gets you in debt. I'm danish her we're paid state support (aproxx. 5,900 DKK a month) and given free education so we can focus on studies. This amount of money - since housing for students is also subsidized by the state to keep costs down - actually allows us the economic leeway to have a beer here and there or - gasp! - smoke a joint. You're coming at this from a philosophically Puritanical angle (i mean that in the words strictest sense) you're not wrong to say that relative poverty is a good way for people to learn personal finance but you're unwittingly playing into a political agenda also. Right now, all across Europe and America, politicians are eager to cut educational spending and hence you're arguments can suddenly be used in favour of making student even poorer. I'm by no means rich. I can afford food, a place to live, the occasional beer (or pint, isn't that what you guys call it?) etc. I don't go around throwing away money on stuff but you're completely wrong to assume that poverty is intrinsically good. The students who go drinking on monday nights may have classes, say, 3 days a week. This leaves room for drinking at odd times. I've certainly done that on week days. On the contrary i've had plenty of weekends with no spare time whatsoever because university is just structured pretty irregularly. This is no fault of the student. Its simply university life. You're usually a pretty intellectually honest and rigorous person and i think its lazy of you to draw conclusions regarding students in general based on your personal observations and "When i was a student ..." Anecdotes.

[@lindybeige]

The point of this video is that I think that rich parents who give their children so much money to live on when they are at university, that those children don't have to budget, make decisions, examine values, become resourceful, are not doing their children or society any favours. To go through the whole of one's life never having known what it is to have to choose between a luxury and a necessity is a life half-lived. I am NOT making any comment on government spending on education. Nor am I talking about genuinely poor people.

[@Gufberg]

Lindybeige Thats very fair. I don't think you made that point entirely explicit in your video though.

[@ryanbecker6713]

Gufberg 4:00 and onward, specifically at 4:13.

[@KaijinDV]

Ryan Becker perhaps the thesis of the video should be represented in more then just the end. In the comment section its quite obvious that he believes it's okay to be poor, or what being poor taught him. not that people should be poor. heck if all you could stand was the first half of the video you'd come out thinking that debt was some kind of moral failing

[@ryanbecker6713]

KaijinDV I think another term should be used rather than poverty in this video, as poverty is something of a spectrum, Lloyd is speaking to the most benign end of the spectrum (going without occasionally, cutting back on luxuries), and to refute him the opposite end is being brought up, eating out of dumpsters, etc. Good point in the later half of your post, I think maybe he should have said why "poverty" was good for him, specifically, instead of using himself as an example of how it can be good for all, and that debt isn't always the result of too much clubbing.

[@phelimmcevoy5744]

The Wilhelm scream at the start of these videos always makes me laugh, it's one of those things you can't unhear

[@keiransimmons3388]

In defence of students on a video years old, for a standard undergraduate course the course costs alone add up to £28000. That's more or less your minimum

[@theperpetual8348]

in Norway, education is free for everybody

[@Kavetrol]

+Jacob Thomas How come? Does minister of education have an evening job to pay for it?

[@theperpetual8348]

+Kavetrol no, taxes are Somewhat higher. essentially, you pay for your education, but without the interest.

[@Kavetrol]

Jacob Thomas Instead of paying interest on a loan you pay to feed great number of bureaucrats and politicians that distribute this 'free' education. Not exactly a win or being given something for free. Don't get me wrong. I fully understand that Norway is doing better than pretty much anyone else. It's just complete nonsense to say that something given by the government is free. Also there are no mythical rich people that pay for stuff. People who have jobs always pay for it all.

[@theperpetual8348]

Kavetrol the fees aren't that high..

[@Kavetrol]

Jacob Thomas The fees and taxes aren't all the cost. The real cost is what government spends in total not just taxes out of your pocket.

[@Owen-wx5ex]

Are you actually from Newcastle, you seem too well spoken. :)

[@Owen-wx5ex]

I was born and bred there aswell...I live a mile away from St james'...

[@lindybeige]

I've lived here most of my life. There are middle class people even in The Toon.

[@Owen-wx5ex]

Lindybeige aha yeah its a shame Geordie shore has postered us as city with no self respect. It just takes people to visit to realise it quite alright.

[@NoFormalTraining]

Let's have a show of hands, all Geordie and other residents of Geordie land, please sound off. Me.

[@milspecarcher7348]

Aye

[@gamingmedley6619]

Well, here in the U.S students graduate with an average of 35k in debt, often much more. I'm fortunate - I was able to get a good job and great scholarship which pays for everything I need, but most I know aren't that lucky. The fundamental failing of the U.S right now isn't that students are spending their money badly, it's that even if they're insanely frugal they can't afford to go to school in the first place.

[@dagozsayra2939]

What a unique perspective and good arguments! Rather helpful, thanks!

[@freischutz898]

I do not miss college days god they suck

[@pixywings7715]

+Anne Cruz The only ones who say they miss college never had to work and go to college.

[@Tork789]

Lloyd, you weren't poor, being forced to work at multiple jobs to afford living while studying at university is called being poor. Also, I actually felt that I was missing out when I saw other students going to parties I couldn't afford going to.

[@DomCombatVids]

Didn't you hear him? He didn't have to work so many jobs because he didn't spend any money other than the barest of the barest neccesities (I probably got that spelling wrong). Which is the best way to do it

[@DomCombatVids]

Also you have a picture of young Stalin. Just saying

[@Mentat13]

You know some people need to work multiple jobs AND don't spen money at all? rent and food is not free, not every student has the income to pay for it with just studying. His comment was right. Maybe you don't know poverty

[@EdDueim]

I think that is very true. Of all the things I learned as a student one of the few that are still useful was that if you hit the Grainger market just before closing you could get enough onions, carrots and bacon bones (or, if you had a little extra cash, bacon bits) to combine with lentils and a couple of stock cubes to make an amazing soup which could see you through the week and it cost pocket-change.. (These days I'm middle-class so I add celery and green peppers.) And if the bread is starting to stale, brush it with milk and stick it in the oven for five minutes.

[@blackcatthegreat182]

I'm only 16 but I already appreciate money and know not to waste it.

[@nikitas1841]

Good boy.

[@jmak4679]

I don't think you understand where that 44k of debt goes to. Firstly at least 27k goes towards tuition fees. Leaving 17k for accommodation, food etc for 3 years. Which is less than 4.5k a year. How can you claim we get shit tonnes of money from loans when you were lucky enough to get a grant?

[@benjones2776]

I much prefer when you talk about your area of expertise rather than a subject you have less research in.

[@lindybeige]

I have many years of experience of frugality.

[@StephenMortimer]

(profanity deleted) where were you when he "customized" his shirts on the cheap LB you must ADMIT you are "frugal+"

[@MrTrollaid]

Lindybeige Sorry Loyd, but that's not being poor. Being poor is being unable to pursue your studies without getting such a huge debt that you would have to bear for decades after. I currently live "frugally" as you say with a 20€ budget per week, and I consider myself fortunate when I see some of my friends who couldn't even afford that without spending all of their awake time working.

[@lindybeige]

MrTrollaid Yes, there are different types of poverty. One reason I earn so little is that I don't feel poor.

[@TheGreatGodPan]

MrTrollaid Apprenticeships are free for people of that age, they'd be better off a lot of the time going for what apprenticeships there are instead of wasting time on degrees that achieve little other than putting them in debt and preventing them from getting work experience. Take it from me...

[@KTheStruggler]

I was so blown away for a second that you just walked everywhere and then I remembered that I lived in a place where my district's school was about a 45 minute drive away from my house.

[@ArtypNk]

I agree completely. I never went to a uni, and I'm not from Britain, but even so, for the first 3 or so years of my adult life, I was poor. Sometimes even broke. Then, later, when I got some skills together and moved up in the world, it just felt that much better to no longer be poor. It's now many years later, and I still appreciate deeply all the nice things wealth can get you.

[@LukeOfTroy]

I was with you up until you said you understand poverty. No you don't. I grew up in a single parent household and we didn't have one car or a phone, and even I don't understand poverty. Poverty is when you can't reach resources beyond the total bare minimum to keep yourself alive, at all. You no doubt took money very seriously and avoided asking your parents for money, but like you said, you weren't going to starve. If you honestly did run out of money, your parents would have been there for you, as you would for your kids if you have them. People in poverty don't have that option.

[@paulosullivan3472]

This video made me rather angry quite frankly. You touched on the fact that the students you see have expensive clothes and money to burn. That is because now universities are predominantly for the rich. I studied cell and molecular biology and had to pay lab fees *and* tuition fees. I had two jobs for evenings and weekends and lived on £5 a week to repeat *a week*. I had basically tests value beans bread and pasta. That's it. In the end I could not borrow any more and now have a debt I cannot repay and four years working for a degree I had no choice but to leave for lack of funds. Poor students may be able to do a cheap mickey mouse degree now but fundamentally the pursuit of an intellectual tally satisfying job has been removed for people from my background. This struck me as the ramblings of somebody who has never truly experienced poverty and thinks having to walk everywhere (god forbid) constitutes being poor. Very poorly considered video topic frankly.

[@drtonni4920]

Paul O'Sullivan Yeah exactly.

[@matt1240]

At first the title suggested to me that it was saying that poor students deserve to be poor, which shocked me, but while watching the video it definitely seemed better, like how it's humbling and useful to be poor for a little bit

[@rabensteiner9226]

Same goes for me! My parents pay my room, so i have a place to live, but everything else i have to manage myself... There where some days where i had nothing to eat but a plate of white rice or some potatoes. Its realy hard to see your friends going out to concerts, but you could'nt even afford the ticket for the subway. But i think this will help me in my future life... Thats why im using an axe in Viking Reenactment, it's much ceaper than a propper sword - just so we have this link :) Sorry for my english, im not british - but at least no Frenchman :D

[@gardensofthegods]

a short story about a poor student. I was poor the whole time I went to college as a single parent... the portion of that when I lived at my parents house was definitely much better than the time of it when I had my own apartment. I had very bad health problems : Epstein-Barr as well as Lyme disease ( this was just after a bad car accident where the police and the ambulance people said there was no way I should be alive .. but it gave me a bad concussion resulting in mild brain damage and post-concussion syndrome where one literally for the most part has no thoughts in their head ..it is just a huge wasteland). ...and had to drag my sick and painful body onto three modes of public transportation to get downtown. Back then it was unbearable to be in my body and mind.. public transportation added to the aggravation . Some of my days were really really long. At one point when I lived in my apartment I would have to be out the door shortly after 7 , go to school , be at work downtown at 4 till midnight , catch the subway back to the burbs at 12:30 in the morning.. wait for a bus for about 45 minutes ..get home going on 2 a.m.. So those long days of course were the worst... and of course going to sleep and closing my eyes the night before and not having to deal with the next day also was a bad moment. On one such day I had 30 cents left to my name and for whatever reason I had no lunch with me .. I had eaten maybe a piece of toast and tea before I ran out the door. By 3pm I was very hungry and it was also a cold winter's day... I went to buy a cup of hot chocolate from an outside vendor.. .... I could not wait to savor it... to slowly sip it and feel the chocolate going down into my stomach with warmth and killing some of the growling and hunger pangs with its incredible taste and sweetness. At that point in time that very moment everything in my world.. everything I was , was dependent on that life-saving cup of hot chocolate ..a real gift from the gods . For whatever reason the old Greek vendor refused to accept my change... 30 pennies ...it was all I had on me aside from my Transportation pass . He got really nasty about it ... very angry and indignant which was odd.. as if those pennies were counterfeit ... ...there was also nobody else trying to order any thing from him... he could have counted them in fives and been done in a few seconds ... ...and I actually remember begging him as if I was a little child to please please please accept the money and I just remember being so hungry and sad ... I walked away crying. There was not one person that day at that moment who was a fellow student or anyone I recognized who maybe I could have asked to take the pennies and give me a quarter and a nickel.. or maybe ..could I borrow two or three dollars. It's incredible how one small act of nastiness can make one feel so destroyed.. I think I ended up getting coffee from another vendor who only had that and no hot chocolate but I really wanted the hot chocolate ...not the coffee which just did not taste as good and irritated my hungry stomach . Yes I was grateful that the coffee was hot and had sugar in it and it first it did Kill the hunger a little bit... but later its acidity made me feel as if there were some small teeth chewing at the inside of my stomach every now and then . Sometimes on days like that in the morning I'd run into a fellow student who was from out my way in the suburbs . One such morning when I felt as if my days of being poor and going to college would go on forever as some kind of punishment , I ran into him and he was in a delightful mood as usual...I always had fun joking with him .. he was one of those people who was always happy and laughing . He started telling me about how he had just gotten back from being in Aruba for several days.. paid for with his student loan money . I was really happy for him and enjoying his stories about the drinking , partying , and the beaches until he asked me what I had spent my student loan money on ....

[@michaelpittman7075]

I live in the U.S. and I now have to leave college because to if I stay to get my degree I'll leave with $140,000 in debt which is about £115,000.

[@FinalHeresy]

If it were only 3 years of poverty. Try 6-10 years of poverty and then another 25+ living in crippling debt.

[@AustinHellersionnix]

Obviously I cannot speak for education in the UK and the students therein. What I can speak of (as an American uni student) is the impossibility of working through the American university system frugally and ending up mostly debt free at the end unless you are very fortunate. School here is laughably expensive, so expensive that in most cases even middle class parents cannot really afford to put children through. Since this is the case for almost every student, we all end up in fantastic debt at the end of it or we are fortunate enough to have most of it paid for with grants and by family. Sadly, there is almost no way to pay our way through a full-time degree program here anymore. Those are the days of yesteryear and until our government prioritizes education they will remain so.

[@guysjackson2570]

The problem here is that you already outlined the real problem. Fees are so high that living expenses are only reeally icing on a masisvely over-sized cake

[@GrannyGoddy]

As someone who spent three years living off of a student loan (which paid for tuition fees, food, and whatever Uni equipment I needed), and then spent several years struggling to find a job... I agree entirely with this video. I am currently in full time employment, being paid the most money I have ever been paid in my life, and I thoroughly appreciate every damn luxury it has afforded me. I would admit that I occasionally... over compensate, but then I also know people who have had everything they have ever wanted handed to them on a silver platter, and they have no appreciation for any of it.

[@stumbling]

I gave my flatmate at university £10 because he was really struggling and couldn't afford food. Then I found out he had Netflix and Xbox Live subscriptions! I was unemployed for two years so I know what poverty is like, and thanks to depression leading me to miss appointments and get sanctioned (cut off from social security for three months) I also know what starvation is like. Two things happened during starvation that I hadn't anticipated: for one my body adapted to being smaller, it was almost like a conscious decision on its part when it finally gave up trying to maintain my normal mass. Of course I knew you get thinner if you starve but what happened was more like my body downgrading to a smaller and more efficient design. That part wasn't actually that bad, I didn't starve long enough to get really emaciated and just had to deal with not having much energy. The second unexpected consequence of starvation was far scarier, and it was what started to happen to my brain. I started forgetting things and becoming very slow-witted; I also started to go a bit mad. I don't really know why it had never occurred to me before that starving people must go crazy as their brain starts to eat itself up to reclaim nutrients. Anyway, I'm fine now and don't appear to have sustained any lasting damage phtang. Well to be perfectly honest I am still dealing with the anxiety the whole ordeal brought on, which makes me strongly empathise with people who lived through rationing. It has certainly given me a lot of empathy and a new perspective to have had a taste of what many people go through every day of their lives, and worse, but I wouldn't want to do it again!

[@TheRealFOSFOR]

when I went to school, we had to ski uphill against the wind in both directions in winter and in summer.

[@SDOtunes]

Just halfway through the video, I realized that I never noticed that tiny Dalek on your wall. :D

[@andor888]

When you can budget and actually get by without getting into debts, you're not actually poor. 3 years when you have to think about what you spend money on is nowhere close to actual poverty.

[@DrOktobermensch]

tl;dr - not having money is a good life lesson for understanding economics, value of money and efficient living. Sadly, majority of poor people still can't do any of the above, and remain poorer than they should be through wasteful spending. Oh, and mindless credit.

[@DJ52k]

I was by no means poor through uni, I had regular takeaways and saved to build a PC (admittedly I never went out at night or spent money on clothes or other things to compensate and the PC did go somewhat towards my degree in editing) and to me having enough to have a good time really helped me get less stressed and get better results. Having said that, growing up I never had much money, and it was never made an issue of through childhood so I naturally had an appreciation for that money I had in uni. Growing up my main hobbies were reading library books, going to the woods nearby to climb a tree, or playing on my second hand PS1, so having fun on little cash I already knew would be easy. My point is that while I totally agree that being poor for a while is a good thing and gives you as great appreciation for money, I feel it doesn't have to be during university. Then again, I only finished uni last year, no idea how all that will effect the rest of my life, just another opinion. :)

[@saltypork101]

I agree. I tried living frugally at university, but when you're several thousand deep in debt after a single term, and your maintenance loan doesn't even cover your rent, and it's against university regulations to even get a job... you can't help but wonder if it's even worth the effort.

[@JoeBee9]

I was like that too. Never spent much during college/university as most of my earnings went towards tuition anyway (which was rising from year to year). I came out debt free and was really glad not to worry about it. Some people spend many years trying to pay off their student loan.

[@britironrebel4730]

I remember risking food poisoning a few times because the thought of throwing out food was too hard to bear with the money we had to budget on. Part-time job during Uni meant I didn't starve, but the best cut of meat I had for three years was mince.

[@Revan12345678]

I wholeheartedly agree. The basic idea is that conflict stirs resolution in people, i.e. being "in trouble" would bring out the best of your "survival" skills while using your imagination, resourcefulness and creativity. Comfort only brings out stagnation.

[@michaeldean9684]

Currently a student in the UK and my weekly budget is £134 per week including rent, the poverty line in the uk for a single adult living alone (which financially, I am) is roughly £140 per week on top of household bills. This means that my total weekly budget is about half of the maximum to be counted as being in poverty. There are richer people than students appearing in adverts for charities appealing for donations. added to that the stress of being told if we don't get a good (not just a pass) degree then you will spend the rest of our lives cleaning Subway toilets you start to see just how bad the situation students can find themselves in really is.

[@xx1simon1xx]

i was VERY poor for about 8 month after i got (rightfully) kicked out by my father. i lived of of 500€ for those 8 month and it sucked. the rent where i lived was 270€, minus all other costs i was left with about 50€ for food and no money left over for anything else, i usualy ate nudels with something or rice with something. im 194cm and in the end, i was under 60kg, so yeah, i was actualy starving. i could have gone to the government -too proud. i could have gone to my parents -too proud. it was terrible but i got through it and now im happy i had the experience, not ever being in that situation again is a huge motivator.

[@TheBrett1890]

I agree; I certainly do shake my head when I see some of my fellow students taking taxis to and from clubs each day of the week!

[@Getz-Da-Chompy]

I don't think not worrying about being frugal for 3 years is worth £44,000, honestly.

[@ColArana]

While I wasn't exactly "poor" during my university years (as my grandfather, regrettably passed away during my first year of college and left me a considerable inheritance solely for the completion of my university degree, which more than helped me get by), my parents did emphasize that I learn the value of money, so they charged me rent to stay in my old room. Less rent than I'd have had to pay if I'd moved out (as unfortunately the city I live in is a brutally expensive place to live), but enough to keep my pocket strained. My only regret is that I had to drop a lot of the martial arts I studied, and then, more than ever, learned that martial arts training is really a luxury. I've still been trying to gather up the courage to go back to my old jiujitsu school and see just how rusty I've gotten in the three years it's been since I last trained.

[@AlastorTheNPDemon]

It's all about opportunity costs. Good video once again!

[@Wewa-pc2gc]

I liked that video. And I also like your shirt, ehere did you by it? If I may ask

[@avgoustisimo]

well bloody said, although i was never a student i started as an apprentice builder at 18 but my parents lost there house due to big debts and i had to move out and find my own accomodation and suffered some hard times trying to live a "professional life" but on apprentice wages. But through them hard years i learnt a very valuable lesson and that is to reach success in what ever path you choose you have to get the losers out of your life who bring you down, i had friends who only wanted to go out and drink every night but i couldnt afford it and now in my early thirties i see them on facebook still living the same life and not acheiving much but i feel in control of my life and im growing as a person and appreciate what its like to not have very much.

[@nwah816]

When your friends insist on taking an uber instead of walking for 2h

[@kevinbaker6168]

Nothing bad with a parent looking at their off spring at University and telling them, "when I went I survived on Ramen noodle soup, tea with jam and bread while living in a fourth floor cold water single room flat with three other people. Those are great memories, the friends we made, the conversations we had, the things we learned."

[@MrSanemon]

In the US our government tends to interfere a lot with Universities so it is impossible to avoid a massive amount of debt. The average debt for a medical student is 170,000 USD. The average debt overall for an undergraduate degree is around 40,000 USD. This converts to around 114329.14GBP and 26900.97GBP respectively.

[@Abelhawk]

I completely agree! I hear stories of people who inherit a bunch of money and then blow it all gambling. If they knew how much you could buy with only $100, you'd realize how you could make the money work for you instead of just wasting it.