Life on SU: Do you share, hustle, or meal prep?
How do students make ends meet on SU? Omnibus spoke to several students about how they get by on SU, and, for once, good advice does in fact come cheap.
Campus is currently teeming with new (and perhaps slightly bewildered) students who not only need to learn how to log in to Brightspace and download the AU Find app, but also how to navigate the world of personal finance. And that is no easy task. Even the start of the academic year comes at a cost, with the orientation week, weekend trip and course books all adding to the bill.
Omnibus therefore asked a number of students how they make ends meet on the Danish State Educational Grant (SU), which, according to the SU website, amounts to DKK 7,426 BEFORE tax.
Large portions and plenty of rye bread
As mentioned, the University Park is bustling with new students and tutors, while the more experienced students are harder to spot on campus. They are, however, easy to find at the pavement cafés, making the most of the last days of the long summer holiday.
Nikolaj Jacobsen and Tobias Lykkeskov are both studying to become teachers at VIA University College in Aarhus, and neither is shy about admitting that they spend a lot of money. Omnibus also finds them at Café Jorden on a Wednesday as they pore over the lunch menu.
"It is necessary for me to have a job alongside my studies. I also spend a lot of money on the weekends," says Nikolaj Jacobsen.
"I should actually get a job working on the weekends so I could earn money instead of spending it," he says.
"I have savings that I occasionally draw on. I think that's good to have as a student," says Tobias Lykkeskov.
But the two students do also have a few money-saving tips to share.
"I make large portions of food that I can eat during the week. And then I just eat a lot of rye bread," says Nikolaj Jacobsen.
Know the loopholes... and live life on the edge
If you've been attending AU for a few years, it's no big surprise that Omnibus meets two political science students at the pavement café, Le Coq, on Graven. Jonas Bartholin and Mads Løvig have spent the past year living on SU as university students and have built up quite a collection of budget-friendly gems across Aarhus.
"There's coffee for ten kroner at Le Coq," says Jonas Bartholin, pointing down at his cup of coffee.
"And then don't buy a ticket when you take the bus," he says cheekily.
Omnibus is not encouraging students or staff to travel without a valid ticket, but simply relaying Jonas Bartholin's advice. A piece of advice that can become really expensive.
“I spent my first year studying without a job, but I’ve now started applying for jobs here and there,” says Mads Løvig, admitting that it is probably necessary to have a part-time job alongside your studies.
"I would recommend that you find cheap alternatives. Crossfit at Sport X on Aarhus Ø and Godsbanen is only 99 kroner per month," says Mads Løvig.
“There’s also Aarhus Tryouts, where you can take part in sports free of charge for three months through the municipality,” he says.
“And then you have to accept that there’s a difference between supermarkets,” he says. Sometimes I shop in Føtex, even though I know it's cheaper in Rema 1000," he says.
“You can always try to charm people a little. Make friends with a bartender and a barista. Then they can give you free things because they know you," Jonas Bartholin interjects.
Share expenses and concerns
Medical student Sofie Kirkeby has no doubt about what her best trick is. She, too, is found at one of the pavement cafés along Graven.
"Live with roomies," she says.
"I live in the smallest room in the apartment, while some of my roomies who aren't students live in the larger rooms," she says.
"We share most of our expenses for food, and we often have common dinners. It helps a lot with my food budget," she says.
Sofie Kirkeby has split her sixth semester of medical school and will therefore run out of SU before completing her degree. According to her, there are many medical students who do the same.
"It's something we talk about openly among my fellow students, and it worries us," she says.
“But it’s also good that we can talk openly about the fact that things can be difficult, and that it’s okay not to have a lot of money,” she says.
This text is machine translated and post-edited by Mie Skov Jeppesen.