(being in the) Red is the new black.

This isn't ground-breaking news or a new discovery at all, but inevitably going to University leaves the majority of student in ridiculous amounts of debt. Being in the red is now considered a charming student attribute, like a love of cheep booze and sainsbury's basic pasta sauce (don't knock it 'til you've tried it!) The effects of this (socio-economically) tend to follow one of these models:
1) Everyone you know at Uni is in the same position and there is general consensus of compassion.
2) You're in debt, but loads of other's aren't at all. Cue bitterness on your part and a massive divide between you and 'them'

Lets discuss situation 2).
Whilst you're scraping by on the meagre loan that the powers that be have decided will be more than adequate to survive on, or supplementing this loan by working part-time (Or in some extreme cases - full time), your fellow colleagues are living it up with a seemingly disposable income all throughout University. Obviously, every situation is different and far be it for me to start labelling those lucky few who do not have to worry about the financial implications of a degree, but inevitably it makes you compare your circumstances and start totting up figures. "I pay X amount in rent, and when I graduate I will be X amount in debt, but the starting wage of the job I will end up in is X". It doesn't bear thinking about, but then what choice do we have? Not much, unfortunately.
In a bizarre twist, it is the introduction of top-up fees that have allowed so many of us (Myself very much included) to actually GO to University in the first place, on a 'buy now, pay later' basis. And here is why.
Top up fees have meant a huge loan is made available to pay for them, alongside the standard 'maintenance loan' which prior to the introduction of the fees was intended for rent, all outgoings, PLUS the fees for your course. To try and fit everything in on around £3500 per academic year was a black art not even Houdini could master.

According to the BBC website: "Variable or "top-up" fees began in 2006 and are capped at £3,145 a year - but could rise in the future".
(Well, of COURSE it's going to rise in the future! More on this later.)
They have already risen. My fees were about £200 more expensive this year than last year.

Higher Education Minister, Bill Rammel reckons that "The new system is working, as is demonstrated by record levels of applications and acceptances, up by 6% this year. Record numbers of students from all social classes are choosing to go into higher education and reap the benefits this brings."
Yes, people are applying but when it comes to the crunch- how many student's are actually going to University? How many realise that, actually, they cannot afford it?

Basically, this is what I think: Socio-economic divides exist. Always has, probably always will. University, whilst educates, further strengthens and scaffolds these divides. If education was 100% free, then perhaps this would not be the case. Although, I have a feeling it still would.