Money – The Orbital

1Dec

By Michele TheilNo Comments

News

Big Giving for RHUL’s Future Students

On Tuesday 28 November, Royal Holloway launched the Big Give Christmas Challenge here. It is an annual event in the UK that was founded by RHUL Honorary Fellow Sir Alec Reed in 2007. The premise of the Big Give Challenge is simple: any online donations made within the allotted time will be matched in funding, essentially doubling the donation at no extra cost to the donator. It is the UK’s biggest online match funding campaign. The campaign opened nationally on Tuesday at 12pm and will go on until 12pm on Tuesday 5 December. RHUL is attempting to raise funds for scholarships and work placements to be given to students that require financial support to attend university or undergo important work experience. The official statement on RHUL’s website regarding scholarships tells us th...

3Aug

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News

University grants scrapped.

As of last Monday, students starting university courses in England will no longer be able to receive maintenance grants. The change, announced in 2015 by Chancellor George Osborne, condemns poorer students into a ‘lifetime of debt’, according to the NUS, with the move deemed as ‘disgraceful’. The vice-president of the NUS, Sorana Vieru, says that the move: “punishes poorer students simply for being poor, so they have to take a bigger loan than those students from privileged backgrounds. “It could put off students from underprivileged backgrounds from applying, who might not understand how the loan system works, or are very debt-averse. “We also know that mature students are way more debt-averse than younger students and BME students perceive student debt on a par with commercia...

TV Licence Loophole Which Saves Students Over £100 is Set to End

1Mar

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News

TV Licence Loophole Which Saves Students Over £100 is Set to End

News has come to light that the annual TV Licence fee is set to extend to those watching shows through IPlayer when previously it was only applicable to those watching live TV. Somewhat ironically this change comes just as BBC Three, a channel aimed for young viewers had been made solely available as on on-line exclusive. For a whole year, to have the luxury of watching your favourite BBC shows, such as Sherlock or Dr Who would cost you £145.50. A way that students escaped this fee was to watch the shows on-line legally after they had broadcast, for this did not require a TV licence. For a student £145.50 is a huge amount of money, and Charlotte Burns, the editor of Student Money Saver has argued that ‘many students simply not afford the £145.50 TV licence fee. Unlike older people wh...

23Feb

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Opinion

The student strategy

We all share anxiety. We all have good days and we all have bad days. With anxiety, one almost becomes hyper-aware, but that doesn’t mean that everyone isn’t feeling the same, it just means that those who are hyper-aware feel entrapped within their acute perception of reality. Even for those who believe they have a certain amount of empathy and consideration can never fully understand until they have felt it themselves. But this is the underlying point, everyone has felt it, but some people hold onto it, and it manifests into a confusion of adrenaline and numbness that doesn’t necessarily structurally coincide with everyday life. Sometimes it’s there, and sometimes it isn’t. For those who don’t understand this feeling, it is sometimes difficult to gauge how it can affect someone to such an...

5Feb

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Features

Effective Altruism

Effective Altruism It’s a new year and many of us are making the usual resolutions: eat healthier, drink less, be more organised, and so on. But how about entering a new year, a new term as an effective altruist? What is effective altruism? ‘A philosophy and social movement which applies evidence and reason to determining the most effective ways to improve the world.’ (Wikipedia, n.d.) Each of us buy things that we don’t really need. We buy fashion items, have lavish meals out, and even drink bottled water when the water we drink out of the tap is perfectly safe to drink. By not having 4 meals out which would come to around £70, and giving the money to a relevant charity you could pay for 150 months’ worth of education for children in poverty. Being an effective altruist is mor...

10 things to know about being a RHUL Fresher

23Sep

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Features

10 things to know about being a RHUL Fresher

Welcome Fresher's! Fresher's Week can be a bit of a minefield, so I've asked some second years for any sage advice they have on it. With this inspiring wisdom, I have compiled a handy checklist of tips about RoHo to help you navigate these tricky waters: 1. 'Ruby Wines' in Englefield Green is your new favourite shop - make sure to stock up on cheap drink BEFORE realising at 9pm on the first night that you have none. 2. Don't be too shy to go to society socials straight away, take the plunge! 3. Buy the SU Fresher's Week wristband! It may be insanely expensive, but nobody wants to watch their friends queue jump while at the back of an unending line. FOMO aside, you won't have to worry about booking tickets for events online. Plus, there's literally nowhere else to go in Egham on...