(Credit – ‘Viacheslav Bublyk’ on Unsplash)
I know what it’s like to feel anxious about money when you really need to pay attention to your studies.. The fact is, studying in university is hard, but worrying about money makes it a lot harder. In such moments of worry it’s easy to forget that you’re not alone, and that lots of other students are experiencing similar thoughts, but don’t worry, as one of the King’s Student Money Mentors, I’ve compiled some useful links and advice on dealing with financial anxiety and its causes for you in this blog, so read on… 🙂
Seeking help
First, it is important to notice when your worry turns into full-fledged anxiety. If you are struggling with day-to-day tasks, sleeping, or staying focused in class because of money troubles, it might be time to consider asking for help. Luckily, King’s cares a lot about its students’ well-being. It provides us with a free counseling service Counselling & Mental Health Support | King’s College London (kcl.ac.uk), and you can also turn to the King’s Faculty Wellbeing Advisors when you feel like you’re struggling and could use some extra support. You can read more about them and other types of wellbeing support King’s provides in the following articles:
- Money issues are affecting my mental health
- How can the Counselling & Mental Health Support Service help me?
- I’m having money difficulties, where can I find support?
In addition to thinking about your mental health and wellbeing, we have compiled some further adcise which we hope is a help:
Paying for education
Dealing with financial anxiety also involves resolving the root of the issue – for many, it is the struggle of paying for their studies. If you worried about your finances take a look at the bursaries, scholarships and hardship funds that KCL offers. You can find more detailed information about them, as well as external opportunities in the following link:
It’s also worth taking a look at the Student Services Online platform, which allows you to look up any question you might be worried about by typing it into a search bar. And chances are, you probably aren’t the only one asking about it, so it will have an answer!
Finding/paying for accommodation
Being a student in London, which is arguably one of the most expensive cities in the world, puts another heavy burden on us – accommodation! It’s hard to find and even harder to afford, but King’s is here to help – our Money and Housing team is FANTASTIC! Seriously, I couldn’t give them enough credit. When I needed help with finding affordable accommodation for a short stay, I filled in a form on their website King’s College London – Accessing our services (kcl.ac.uk) . They reached back to me only a couple of days later with a huge list of helpful links and advice on finding one. If you’re struggling with finding accommodation, paying for one, or you have worries with your landlord, give this amazing service a shot!
Budgeting
Learning to budget is an important life skill and can help when money is tight as a student. Have a read of KA-01675 · Student Services Online (kcl.ac.uk) If you have any further questions about budgeting please do reach out oto the Money and Housing Team.
Having fun
Lastly, it is important to remember that a big part of our university experience, especially since we study in London, is the fun things that it offers. There are plenty of great and entertaining things to do around the city. In today’s blog post, I won’t go too much into detail on them, here are some useful links that do, including one of our previous blogs on this topic:
- National Student Money Week – The Freeway to Happiness and Health (okay, maybe)
- Community & extra-curricular activities
I know money problems can be difficult to manage and hard to think about, but I hope this blog has helped you to start navigating ways to ease the worries you might have. If you feel that you would benefit from some more help right now, fill in the previously mentioned Money and Housing team form, and they will get back to you with personalised advice 😊
Amaliia Popova
King’s Student Money Mentor
Part of Money & Housing Advice
The King’s Student Money Mentors blog shares our students’ personal experiences and thoughts on money-related topics. Any reference, opinions or recommendations on a particular company/brand are only the views of the student(s) who wrote the blog post. King’s College London, the Money & Housing Advice service and the Money Mentor project do not share the views in the blogs nor endorse any of the companies mentioned. Readers should conduct their own research before using any companies mentioned in our blog posts.