Student Tips

More financial tips for Students from AboutU

Here are some of the top tips submitted by students during a recent survey.

There are tonnes of ways to get cash for Uni: your student loan, interest free overdraft, folks, bursaries, part-time work. Just don’t blow it all at once!
Get a job with free meals thrown in. This will cut your overall food bills by loads!
Exams and money worries are big causes of stress. Relax, chill out and work out! Exercise is a top stress buster and will make you feel ace in no time.
Shopping for groceries? Use a shopping list – then get in and get out!
Spend enough to enjoy university, but not enough to regret it!
Use this rule before buying: can you afford it? Do you need it and how much and do you want it? It has to fulfil the first two at least before you can buy it
Always budget! But don’t skimp too much on money for fun or you’ll never stick to it.
Try and save a little each week for emergencies, as you never know what may come up.
Most banks offer interest free overdrafts. Use it, but don’t abuse it. Speak to your student adviser if you think you’re going over the limit. Otherwise the charges can hurt. Better to ask for understanding than forgiveness. More people get divorced than switch bank account. It’s a long-term relationship.
Decide how much you are going to spend on a night out before going out and only take that amount of cash.
Drink before you go out, resist take-aways, make friends with the SU bar staff – cheaper drinks!
Cigarettes cost a fortune. Try switching to nicotine patches.
Use flashcards to study: Write down the key facts and memorise them whilst you’re doing your part-time job or on the bus.
Check out how much you can earn as a student before paying tax.
If you are looking for a position of employment, we recommend looking at the Oxford University Management Vacancies board here.
For all Mathematic based vacancy’s we recommend reviewing the Maths Careers resources.
For graduate job placements we recommend reviewing the Prospects Graduate database.