Many students right now are probably feeling the same way as me:

- Confused

- Stressed

- Angry

and most importantly... Forgotten.

This is something that happens often and the argument is always "You don't have many problems compared to us." I hear this a lot and it's very frustrating. Most students this year would have just started trying to find their feet with moving out, juggling finances, a new job, studying, self care and balancing social time. Now I know you may be thinking "Oh wow, welcome to the real world" but nothing could prepare us for what has happened. It's true that students aren't the only people affected by this but it is true that we are amongst the few that have been forgotten.

1) HOUSING

A lot of students are given a sum of money every four months known as a maintenance loan. Most students I know get around £1000 which is supposed to be used for food, accommodation, books and other academic or living requirements. However, most of the time majority of the loan is used up paying for rent. Students come from many different backgrounds and some may not be able to lean on their family for financial support or they are required to help support their family financially.

What I don't really understand is how we are expected to pay four months rent to our landlords or student housing companies for a house/flat we currently aren't living with due to being at home with our families. The reality is that we need this money to last us until the pandemic is over and until we are able to work again. There are many students that don't want to put added pressure on their parents as they are already working hard to keep afloat but this means that there are a lot of students that are left to deal with the stress themselves in silence. We as students understand that landlords do have overhead costs, however if the government is able to put a hold on certain payments such as mortgage payments then is it really fair that we are still required to pay the full amount even if we are no longer staying at the property?

2) TUITION FEES

The tuition fees to attend university and gain a degree are £9250 per year. Getting a degree is not free, regardless of the financial support put in place or student loans, we will still eventually have to pay for it.

Right now we are paying for a bunch of exam changes, which will not be a true test of our knowledge or ability and online lectures that could potentially lack in detail. If i am honest, lectures can only teach you so much and I am a firm believer that there's only so much you can learn in a classroom. One thing I struggle with the most is public speaking and one of my assessments was to produce a seminar within a group and perform it to my peers. This is an example of a key skill that I will be missing out on. Studying Zoology, there are many fieldwork trips and practicals that I will have now missed out on which would have helped me gain important skills within my career and I know I am not the only one.

The reality is we have worked so hard for the past year to better our future and I understand that part of being successful is being able to adjust to an environment or situation but how does one juggle finance, university and being unemployed when it's such a new experience. Is it really fair that we are still required to pay our full tuition fee's for this year?

THE AIM OF THIS PETITION:

As we know many things are happening right now which are completely out of our control, something that most of us in our lifetime have never experience. Being a student is already hard enough without the added pressures of not being unemployed, struggling for money, not feeling supported and having to readjust our whole routine. We are all in this situation together and we are all struggling but students often get disregarded due to our problems not seeming "as important" and we often get pushed under the carpet or taken advantage of. The reality is a lot of students won't be able to come with the financial stress and it will end up affecting our mental health.

I know a lot of people have a stereotype of what students are and what they do, but we do care, we want to make a difference and better ourselves and our careers. All we are asking is that the government supports us.