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30 Alarming Posts About How The Student Debt System Affects People’s Lives And It’s Terrible
The student debt crisis has become one of the hot platform topics for candidates on the 2020 election circuit, but for the people it affects it is more than a campaign strategy. Tuition and fees at public and private schools rose at roughly three times the rate of inflation between 2007 and 2018, according to a College Board survey. Borrowers currently owe more than $1.5 trillion in student loans, an average of $34,000 per person.
The list below is a collection of tweets from people explaining how the U.S debt crisis evolved to this point or sharing their stories on how student debt has impacted their lives since graduating - and they may shock you or be sadly relatable.
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#2
tuzdayschild 6 years ago (edited)
I totally understand. We started with nothing, but you are starting in a huge hole. Universities have priced themselves out. They are too expensive. We should offer more apprenticeship programs so you either pay nothing or get paid while learning your job.
Mewton’s Third Paw 6 years ago
Starting in debt isn’t the only problem. We still have lower wages. Solve that and owing money won’t be such a big deal.
Zelda Blue 6 years ago
There are plenty of careers that don't involve all the college debt people are getting themselves into. Many trades will pay for your schooling and training. They chose poorly grasshopper.
Barbara Reid 6 years ago
Then only the rich are educated rather than the capable. Now that's a plan.
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Trash Panda 6 years ago (edited)
While I hate the fact that millennials start out behind the 8-ball, it's not necessarily the fault of boomers. I'm a GenXer so I'm just an observer here but I think it a bit ridiculous that every issue seems to come down to Boomers v. Millennials.
LaDonna Hulcy 6 years ago
Wow, I only started out with 25k in debt in 1986, it sucked and I ate a lot of caned beans. But then I'm a Gen X so not a boomer!
Billy Bob 6 years ago
Are you kidding me? How is forgiving student debt fair to those parents and students who worked hard, saved, scrimped, and did without in order to get thru college with minimal debt.? Did someone force you to take those loans? Grow up and be responsible for your commitments.
Charli Schisler 6 years ago
This is what's wrong with us. Somehow, we arrived at the place where we say, "I got mine and screw the rest of you!"
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Heather Smith 6 years ago
You are not the only one that walked out with a large debt. I left college in '98 at 35 with a debt of around $40,000. Due to tons of deferments, that no explains the repercussions of, I currently owe enough to go to a top tier law school. I accept full responsibility for not finding out what was going on. Now every time they increase the interest, which is constantly, it lowers my credit score. I had a score of over 800 now it's in the 700s. Don't get me wrong, I feel for the kids right now but the are not the only ones that are getting screwed.
Kathy Baylis 6 years ago
That’s starting with $40K less than nothing. If anyone who went to college when it was affordable ever gives you that kind of snark, ask them how they think they would’ve done if their starting at zero was actually starting at a negative $40K—-or more—-hole they would’ve had to dig themselves out of BEFORE they could even get to zero!
Catlady6000 6 years ago
My high intelligent daughter (147 IQ) refused to go to college. I was disappointed. She s been cleaning houses since high school. Her also highly intelligent husband auto details. Close to six figures. Their only debt is a regular car payment, and a credit card they charge and pay off a fill up of gas each month for credit rating purposes. Not counting housing, insurance, etc.They are not concerned about whether there will be social security. I wish I had been as wise.
Yettichild 6 years ago
I joined the military to pay for my college. It nearly did, I only ended up with just under 10K in loans.
Pam Sturgeon 6 years ago
We need to remember, when baby boomers graduated from college life was simpler. You didn't see people graduating and going immediately to a $100,000 a year job. I graduated in 1974. There were often 2000 job applications for 1 position in my field. The going salary in most states was 18,000 a year. Of course I didn't go to a ritzy private college that cost an arm and a leg. I qualified for a grant, a work study program, a governmental loan, and may parents could barely pay for a quarter of my tuition each semester even though both parents worked. I had a huge amount to pay in that time period. It took me almost 10 years to pay off my student loan. I worked my behind off to pay for my loan, but I did not complaiin and whine about how much money I had to pay off. Too many young people today want designer clothes, sit down restaurants, party every weekend , but complain because they owe money for their education. Get a grip and join the rest of the working world.
louie arbs 6 years ago
40k isnt that much. its an alright car that productive people would pay off in a few years. its nobody's fault but your own if you go into debt for a worthless degree
Michael Melio 6 years ago
We taxpayers are funding Wall Street monopolies when our governments -- city, county, state, and natl -- deposit our taxes in Wall Street banks. Moreover, these banks presently own the Powers of Credit Creation -- the phenomenal power to create money from nothing -- when they issue loans. This is precisely why nothing ever gets done for the public good -- our money goes to the Big Banks (JPMC, BOA, CITI, WF, and 8 others) to be leveraged by them 10 fold in a 'fractional reserve' finance scheme, funding all the monopolies in every sector of the economy. We need public banking if we are ever to end this system of perpetual debt that is destroying people and the planet.
Jon Payne 6 years ago
Avoiding debt would weaken such banks, less loans more freedom!
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Elliott Smith 3 years ago
The whole education system is ran by greedy Jewish pedophiles. They teach fake science hide natural cures and create bioweapons like covid and blame it in China to start a world war like they are doing in Ukraine the Jewish capital of the Khazarian mafia that Obama transitioned power over in 2015.
Cat Wagner 4 years ago
I'm 58 and I'm a boomer. I most definitely had a student loan and no way to pay it while supporting myself in the 1980s. It's crazy to expect anyone to get an entry-level job and pay a student loan, rent, food, insurance and where I live, you also need a car because there was next to no public transportation. I paid mine off eventually, and my daughter paid hers off, but the whole system is not built for production or success. I'm in Canada, so the loans are smaller, but it's still a ridiculous notion that you need a degree now to wait tables for min. wage and are somehow supposed to live your life and become successful under these circumstances. Oh, and then you're bombarded by "financial consultants" telling you to invest 10% of every pay. That was pretty funny, considering I was checking under the sofa cushions for gas money. If you don't start out with family money, you're stuck in that rut.
jimmy pop 4 years ago
Even if you start with nothing these days, it's still absolutely incomparable. Costs of living and wages have drifted massively apart. Additionally, while workers' efficiency has gone up, you still have to work the same hours for the same payment, it's just vastly more stressful with no added benefits to the worker. And then there's the lack of future perspective from ruining the planet for the short-term benefits of very few ...
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V.R. Craft 6 years ago
Also, if a Boomer had to take out a loan for college, they got a better interest rate. And they didn't need to take out as large of a loan because college was much cheaper relative to both inflation and the buying power of minimum wage. And the best part...Boomers who experienced some unforeseen situation (unexpected massive medical bills, for example, or job loss) and had to go bankrupt could discharge their student loans at the same time. That's no longer the case thanks the W's administration in the early oughts.
Teresa Frith 6 years ago
I dont feel sorry for any of them. No one forced the student loan down their throats.
Larry Battros 6 years ago
OK, "starting with nothing" and a premium college education is better than most folks. It was your choice to borrow the money, you thought you would be an instant millionaire. Quit whining and pay your bills.
Larry Battros 6 years ago
That's "starting with nothing" AND a college education paid for by somebody. Far better than most of the world. YOU borrowed the money thinking you were gonna be a millionaire. Quit whining, pay your bills.
Justgail Jones 6 years ago
It’s a given now. Every single one of us gets caught in the interest scam. Companies make more money with interest, it’s a sure way to cover those that default also.
Lynda Nesbitt 6 years ago
Everyone makes the choice-or not-to attend expensive schools. If you choose in the affirmative, is there a reason why the world should then be responsible for your debt?
C D 6 years ago
Or maybe we could be like numerous other first world countries and encourage education and intellectual pursuits and not drown our youth in debt because they want to better themselves?
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Tina catz 6 years ago (edited)
I dont have much sympathy for half of them tbh. These days there are hundreds of programs that offer low cost college. For example most community colleges offer 2&2 programs now. If your local CC doesnt then perhaps move to a county or state that does. you would for a full 4yr college anyways. There are also lots of scholarship programs out there for those who just refuse to think of cost first. I have no debt, Im not special in any way shape or form, and I got my degree. Personalky I got a full time job first and then received relief through my companys tuition reimbursement, but point is there are so many other options. That being said there are fields that I understand the debt is unavoidable. Many engineering, law, and medical degrees cost way too much and something should be done.
C D 6 years ago (edited)
Ok, so, let me get this straight. Our school systems throughout this country are set up to convince kids to go into college and they are encouraged to go into 'what they're passionate about'. But your argument in response to this is, "If at 18 they do not have the insight and intuition to know that a technical program is POSSIBLY going to end up serving them better than a college degree, then oh well, they're screwed, and I have no sympathy for them"
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Willem Groenewald 6 years ago
Don't forget about the national debt on top of that student loan, which now exceeds $180k per tax payer.
Linda Albea 6 years ago
Well, one thing this baby boomer did not do was to join every club, wear the latest fashions and use college for a social time. I wore hand-me-downs, walked a lot and did not own an automobile until I obtained my first Bachelor Degree. This baby boomer cleaned toilets, mopped floors, washed dishes, washed clothes and EVERYTHING ELSE I could do to pay my way so I did not have to borrow more than I could pay back. I took as many as sometimes 25 to 27 semester hours while working....NOT PARTYING! I also did not continue if I knew I did not have the reasonable amount of money to pay for it.
Joshua Davenport 6 years ago
And we could do all that and still have the same amount of debt we have now. Many of us have done similarly if not exactly the same. Hard work used to pay off.
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#6
Maci Mae 6 years ago
I'm fourteen, and I really want to be a special education teacher when I'm an adult, which requires college. I want to have a job that I love, but I can't imagine being that much in debt. Any time I bring it up to an adult, I'm told that I'll "figure it out" or that "I shouldn't be worrying about that yet". But considering the situation my country is in, I probably should have started saving for college two years ago :(
#7
#8
Leo Domitrix 6 years ago
I'm Gen X. We hae ALL inherited the debts racked up by Boomers and the gutless politicians catering to them. They didn't pay it forward. They loaned it forward, with compound interest....
#9
Peg Walton 6 years ago
As a retired professor, I strongly agree with this statement. It is terribly broken, from pre-K up to PhD. The American education system is completely broken.
#12
#13
Peg Walton 6 years ago
Must be nice to be one of the lucky ones. I went to college after raising my children and still ended up with $40,000+ in loans. Now my salary isn't enough to live and pay loans. Their "programs" do not help. Wish I had never gone to college. My Masters is worthless.
#14
Panda Kicki 6 years ago
As a swede with mostly free schools and low cost state loans to cover other expenses it is so horrifying to read all these tragedies :'(
#16
Jeff Christensen 6 years ago
In Australia university was free until 1988, but now it is paid for by Government loans - but repaymemts don't start until your income is over a certain threshold. If you never reach that threshold, you never repay the debt.
#19
Ahmad Pujianto 6 years ago
Just wow.. I only pay 25 USD each month during 4 year of college.. Then (because I work while studying) another 50 USD each year for 2 year of extention.. Totally I spend around 20 Million IDR (around 1.500 USD) till graduate.. #asian
#20
Candice Lewis 6 years ago
With interest it could become that much and the sucky thing is our children will probably be responsible for some of it
#22
Mewton’s Third Paw 6 years ago (edited)
What in the entire f**k. The pettiness. Pettiness of this level can only come from the mega rich.
#25
Belinda Matson 6 years ago
OMFG I'm surprised boomers aren't being slaughtered en masse in the USA. Pro Tip: Start with the politicians...
#27
Missy Barton 6 years ago
I officially paid off my student loans four years ago. Want to know how? My husband died.
#30
Martha Meyer 6 years ago
That's supposed to be a joke, right? She didn't pay it off, her mother basically did!
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What do you think ?
Arietis 6 years ago
Yeah, it's insane. I graduated with a bachelo'rs degree in my home country in 2011 and was super pissed that I had to pay tuition for a couple of semesters (it's abolished now). I was about 2800 Euro in debt and paid it off in a little over two years with monthly payments of 100 Euro. And I'm still super angry I had to do that. Can't imagine how f*****g pissed I'd be if I were in debt for 20+ years just to get an education.
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AlphaPuck 6 years ago
What you NEED is to stop taking student loans. take time off, save $$$, and THEN go to school.
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Jean Jacket 6 years ago
Please don't forget about trade schools. I went to a 9 month trade program 2 weeks after graduating high school. By 19 I was working in my trade. College is not mandatory!
Caroline 6 years ago
I so agree with this! Manually skilled jobs have had a "bad" reputation, but plumbers, electricians, carpenters etc...are making loads and are always in demand!! I am actually encouraging my kids NOT to go to uni, because they'll have a better chance at a good life.
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Hiker Chick 6 years ago
I have 2 kids in college now in the US. When they apply for financial aid every year (everyone is required to apply whether you self-finance or not), the financial aid packets lump scholarships, grants, work options and loans all together. It looks like the school is going to give you all this money for free. They don't explain that some of it is loans. In addition, interest rates can go up at any time, even years after the students take out the loans. My kids are fortunate that I can explain this to them, but a lot of people don't understand the system and the colleges don't care who goes into debt, so they don't try to warn students because they want lots of attendees. The whole practice is deceptive if the students are not hyper vigilant.
Ron Santos 4 years ago
What law requires you to apply for financial aid? Nobody is required to. If you want federal aid you have to apply but if you don’t want federal aid, there isn’t a law that requires you to apply?
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Zulma Ruiz 6 years ago
In california the technical or trade schools, for residents of the state, the price is 500 dollars per semester, for those of other states close to 4000 dollars. they leave there after 3 years as builders, nurses, electricians, welders, it is an economic option, and there is even, a lot of financial, private and state aid to pay the semester and study materials.
Anna Wentz 6 years ago
As someone who is entering college next year this is depressing as hell. At least I'm going to an applied learning school where I'll actually be able to get some paid internships during college. Still crazy I'll already be 20,000 in debt after one year tho. I'm looking into a school in Europe to transfer to after a year or two. I just don't think at 18, I'm ready to move to another country. No school in Canada is noted for my major either.
Mewton’s Third Paw 6 years ago
You’re more ready to move to another country than you are to tackle life long debt. Take it from people who are older than you.
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Random Panda 6 years ago
All of this is just insane. It's like punishing people for wanting an education. My entire bachelor's cost me no more than $900. Ridiculously high tuition fees aside, how is it even legal to have what seems like 50% interest loans? For students?!
Victoria Brubaker 6 years ago
I graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2007, and then there were no jobs. I got a job that paid $12 an hour and was lucky then because unemployment was skyrocketing. I lived with my parents and I would not have made it if I had student loans. I paid my way through college and I graduated with 0 debt. My trick, I went to a cheap school and I only took classes I could pay. I never got student loans. I used a 0 interest credit card when I needed it and paid it off or transferred before it could accrue interest. It took me 6 years to get a 4 year degree. I took half of my classes at a community college and transferred them to a university in the same district. I did not party, I did not attend games, I had no college life. I worked and studied and occasionally slept. This is what it took, it was hard, it was painful but this is the only way you can get a degree without any debt unless you have a sugar daddy or rich parents (sadly I had neither).
Crazy Dog Lady 6 years ago
I went to all cheap schools too and worked too and started at a community college too and it took me 6 years to graduate too and I still had loans. It's not the tuition that's the problem it's the living expenses that are the problem. Just because you got lucky and managed to graduate with 0 debt doesn't mean anyone can.
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Bob Beltcher 6 years ago
After reading all this I had a revelation. My daughter is currently 7. When she graduated high school at 17 I will rent her a condo/apartment in a other country that offers free/low cost tuition. It seems the cost of rent would probably be cheaper than tuition here.
boredkitten 6 years ago (edited)
she could also take a part-time job depending on her major in that country
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nanashi 6 years ago
at this point, I failed to see the merits of capitalism to you American, except to your very rich.
AlphaPuck 6 years ago
Thats probably because you think the education system is capitalism... its not. Its socialized due to taxpayers subsidies.
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Dani 6 years ago
This was jarring. I'm thirteen years old, and even though I knew the student loan crusts was bad, I didn't grip the reality until now and it's just like, well, I guess this is my future now.
boredkitten 6 years ago
Is it possible to go to study outside of US? After reading all these I would be very discaraged from studying in US and just take the job instead. Seems to be better deal.
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CP 6 years ago
Correction: American Capitalism. Other countries have figured out how to balance private and public. The US has not. There are private prison companies for some reason among other crazy things that should not be private in this country.
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Laura Primus 6 years ago
Why we need to have student loans dischargeable through bankruptcy. Right now, you can file for bankruptcy and STILL have to pay back student loan debt. So f*****g stupid. And never, and I mean never, go to a school like Devry.....they do you NO GOOD and they prey on people desperate for a higher education. It's an all debt, no upside proposition with them.
AlphaPuck 6 years ago
Sounds like a way for you to skirt the consequences of foolishly signing up for student debt.
Load More Replies... Leo Domitrix 6 years ago
Yep, that's America. Pardon, "Murica". Who needs education and health care? *headdesk*
ACE 6 years ago
I am an attorney, and graduated law school in 1997 with $97,000 in student loans (undergraduate, grad school & law school). I consolidated for 30 uears at 8% with the federal government, as that was the best deal going, with some of my loans unsubsidized and the subsidized ones at 10%. I am not able to refinance. I have paid &677.63 a month for 20 months (I deferred for 2 years). That is $162,000, and I still owe $50,000. My first 10 years, less than $200 a month went to principal. I will end up paying aboit $250,000 - $275,000 on $100K. It is disheartening.
KT Trondsen 6 years ago
Canada is just as bad. I was denied admission one year because I missed it by 3 days (I had finally decided what I wanted to go do. Cost for the year of education was $3500. I signed up the following year, cost was $10,000 for the year. Now I see graduates coming into the hospital and the debt they get for it is crushing. I paid off my student loan with a bank loan that I paid back in 2 years. The student loan system is a joke! I've been saving for my kids educations when they come of age, They'll each get $20,000 and I pray to god it's enough to help them get into a good profession
Freddy 6 years ago
This makes me not regret dropping out of high school & getting a minimum wage (7.25 @ the time in PA dunno bout now maybe 7.50) job at McDonald’s. I now make $9/hr at a local diner. My only debt is around $2,000 I owe on a credit card. This system is straight up INSANE. My poor life decisions ended up being a hell of a lot better than what HS/our parents/boomers were pressuring us all to do. No words for how f****d up this is. Other than f****d up.
Nirity 6 years ago
In american schools they teach nothing for six digits $ in dept. Hilarious. The web is full of posts proving americans no nothing about biology, anatomy, geography, math, physics, history etc. And to learn that nothing they are in debt for 20-30 years. But they have the biggest churches in the world. Wow. Better leave school, buy books, read em, learn em - no debt and real knowledge. The rest of the world can't comprehend why they have to pay 100 000$ to not know what homo sapiens is and to think women lay eggs when in their period. Ridiculous!
Sansa Blacktyde 6 years ago
And the USA have the unmitigated gall to claim they are the greatest country in the world. Newsflash, if you cannot give your citizens the basics such as universal healthcare and education for all, you are broken.
Cindy Snow 6 years ago
No country is the greatest. Some of us were brainwashed to think so...but I certainly see room for improvement.
Load More Replies... R john 6 years ago (edited)
I am not against Institutions charging fees for the degrees they offer, but it should not crippling to students that they have to take up loans which they are not able to clear for more than a decade. Look at how the Scandinavian countries have changed the education system. The US is increasingly bringing up a generation of high school graduates without access to affordable education. The void is then filled by migrants who are able to afford such an education. Those who are blaming an influx of Asians or South Asians or even others don't realize that the problem can be solved at home. If there are reports that point students turning to sex work to tackle rising tuition fees, not ready to settle down and start a family, then its high time that the country needs to wake up.
Pippa Runs 6 years ago
My son is 10 mo old and we’re already saving for his college. And I know by the time he goes (if he chooses) it probably won’t be enough.
AlphaPuck 6 years ago
What law says he has to go at 18? Are you so hypnotized that you cannot see the other options???
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Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch 6 years ago
While all these stories are heartbreaking, there is another side to this story. The US churns out too many 'college' grads. Colleges are a big business - and the supply of grads badly outweights the demand.
Concerned 6 years ago
That is one good point. To many colleges have become diploma mills with classes that don't fail anyone. You need a Masters anymore because so many Bachelors are just remediation for a failed High School.
Load More Replies... Antenor 6 years ago
Wow, it's really stressful to read this. I mean that's crazy. I'm from a country in EU, and going to college/university is free in my country, as long as you don't fail a year.
Concerned 6 years ago
You do pay for it - taxes are 4x higher. Nothing is free.
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Kerstin Moreau 6 years ago
I just graduated college and will start making payments next month. I can only pay at most $100 a month due to the financial hardships my mom and I are currently in. When my dad died less than two years ago, nothing was left behind and we lost a third of our income. It's been hard for us to recover financially, let alone emotionally from that. It's projected for me to finish paying off my loan in just under 30 years
First.time.in.Space 6 years ago
It's very hard to avoid all the news from across the Atlantic Ocean (USA)... But really, I had no idea it was this bad for students. I can't even imagine how I would feel at peace with my daily life if I worked hard for and education and knew I would be in depth for... most of my life? Damn. I feel for you!
Vilkas 6 years ago
Not sure why Millennials think this is exclusively their problem? I know people who have been paying back student loans for 10-15 years.
AlphaPuck 6 years ago
Could it have something to do with your username? Thats a pretty good indicator. After all, you could have taken a year off and worked and saved money... but Im betting it was more of the laziness that you openly call yourself.
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ADHORTATOR 6 years ago
In the Us, it's eventually better to be a plumber than a lawyer....at least you don't start your career with debts
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Shabadrang Khalsa 6 years ago
I think we need to educate highschoolers about the reality of student loans. I think we need to work towards free colleges or some way to make paying for collage some percent of minimum wage. I think to big to fail is f*****g c**p and not part of the free market. Everything on this earths grows and dies, why the f**k wouldn't businesses do that too....
Ryo Bakura 6 years ago
Here's an idea; if governments made big corporations/CEOs pay the correct amount of taxes, and religious institutions were abolished (Who made the church tax exempt? Idiot...), along with removing other "necessary" payments (TV License, for my fellow Brits), etc, plus a few more tweaks here and there, we could make education entirely free, improve healthcare, and hopefully give more to workers who need it, like farmers. Oh, and sanitary products for ladies hosting Aunt Flo should be significantly cheaper, and more accessible.
Bill 6 years ago
A traditional 4 year degree isn't for everyone. I graduated HS in the late 90s where they tried pushing college as a one size fits all. The tech programs in HS were where the troublemakers got sent. Fast forward 20 years and my 3 buddies who got sent there own their own welding shops and are millionares
Derek Olsen 6 years ago
I went to a private college on a football scholarship, long story short I was injured and could no longer play, so not only was I immediately dropped from the team, I was informed that my scholarships were now null and void. Needless to say, I could no longer afford to attend and dropped out. My debt total for TWO semesters? $29,000. Mind you I could barely walk or stand for long periods of time so they went unpaid for awhile. I dropped out in 2003, I finally made my last payment in 2012, total money I had to pay back? $73,275... That's a big reason why I'm going to be 36 years old this year and I am just now finally in a position to buy our first house and finally own a dependable vehicle that is only 7 years old... I can't imagine how bad it is for those that actually finished a degree and started paying back loans way larger than mine.
Kaylea Sais-van Vliet 6 years ago
2) ALWAYS APPLY FOR FAFSA, even if you don't think you qualify. Always look into grants/scholarships. There are a TON, particularly for underrepresented populations/minorities. 3) research the careers you can get with the degree you want. You might love art, but forking up thousands for art school is almost never practical... I'm not saying it NEVER is, just rarely. Get a degree with a wide skillset... a lot of jobs don't care what your degree is specifically, just that you have one that shows the skillset that they need. 4) finally, you DO NOT have to go to college to be successful! I know people without a degree that do loans and make 80k a year. A degree isnt required as long as you explore your options. Hopefully this gives a little hope to those just getting out of highschool!
Kaylea Sais-van Vliet 6 years ago
While I empathize with those dealing with this, I wanted to let others know that it is NOT inevitable. I got my undergrad at Cal State Fullerton and am a year into my masters with NO student debt. My parents helped me pay for books my first semester, but that's all. Here's how I did it: 1) you do NOT need to go to a super ritzy school unless it directly impacts your career prospects. I am going to go for a doctorate in English, so I learned that the ONLY college that directly impacts my ability to get a tenure-track position after graduation is the one I go to for my Doctorate. I did my first two years at a junior college, which in CA is 100% covered by the BOG fee waiver if you are a CA resident. I did my second at csuf, which is less than 3k a semester. I'm still here for my MAmy
Joe Flowers 6 years ago
Took out $12.5K in student loans. Have paid $13K over 20 years. Still owe $12.5K in student loans. How is 200-300% interest even legal?!?! For an education?!?!?!
Queen MT [lol nope] 6 years ago
as a future college student that is fortunate enough that her dad can pay off my college tuition, I feel scared that even if my dad will pay the government will somehow find a way causing me to go in dept
Kelley Roney-Hawke 6 years ago
No one is talking about the crushing Parent Plus loans that working class parents have to take out to afford their kids to attend college . PP loans also are compounded with interest and reach a amount that you`ll never be able to repay while you are paying as much as you can each month keeping your parents from retiring and having them die at their jobs ~
Janice Geddes 6 years ago
I give scholarships to and mentor college students and it horrifies me that they have NO idea what they owe until sometimes right before graduation. There is NO college education that is worth a quarter of a million dollars. Being financially literate and gauging what their future income will look like is key. Also, blaming Boomers for being given a shot at auditing classes, paying little, is not going to solve the problem. Those senior citizens are helping to subsidize education, not taking anything away from typical students. There is NO question that loan interest is a curse and that needs to be resolved but personal awareness of what the financial burden will be is crucial.
DParks 6 years ago
I keep hearing about the skyrocketing student loan/debt issue - but I've yet to hear ONE reporter or talking head ask the REAL question: HOW do these institutions of further education JUSTIFY these rising costs? All I hear is complaining, anger, and politicians pounding podiums while promising to do "something" about it - and that's it - just lip service. I want to see the deans and heads of these colleges brought into a hearing and have them publicly explain exactly WHY the costs of attending their schools have disproportionately risen over and above practically every other cost of living metric known.
Diane Smith 6 years ago
My student loans make me anxious. I tied myself to the whipping post by going to grad school. This is predatory lending. The banks f****d us over and the government bails them out. We can't make our payments and they don't even cut our interest rates or do anything to help us out. U.S. Government = legal mafia.
Cindy Snow 6 years ago
My son wants to be a professor. I said, well You d better get a scholarship.
Blakkur Sverrir 6 years ago
Is that the same country that came to independence via a riot about tea-tax?
The Suz 81 6 years ago
I think that this makes me pissed all over again. I hate my loans and wish I had never went to school. Had I known having this debt would affect everything in my life, I would have made a different choice. Horrible idea...the debt isn't worth it.
Melody Reid 6 years ago
Part of being a Smart Student is to select a school that you can afford. I graduated with no debt.
Emily Keryk 6 years ago
I've never paid the Australian government back for my education because I don't make enough money to qualify for repayments. Suckers!
Caleb Paulson 6 years ago
Game shows. Game shows, game shows, game shows, game shows. When everything else fails, of course.
Nat Monzo 6 years ago
The scary part about student loans is that even if you end up making enough money to afford to pay (years down the line), any missed payments ding your credit score. Since graduating in 2009, I have 7 missed/late payments (because, life), and those have screwed my credit score SO much that I am now in a predatory car loan. Don't have access to a house loan or 1st time home-buyer programs. Only have offers for credit cards with a 36.5% interest. Yes, you read that correct, 36.5%!!!! So yeah... even when you do start crawling out of one financial a*s hole, you are stuffed right into another.
AlphaPuck 6 years ago
Yes welcome to the world of credit scores. If you forget to pay a verizon bill on time it dings your credit score. Thats a YOU problem, not a student loan problem.
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Freya the Wanderer 6 years ago
These stories are heartbreaking, and make me angry, very angry indeed! We definitely need a revolution in the USA because this country has so many things horribly wrong with it. Let us hope that this revolution will be a peaceful one, and it can be. Get out the youth vote! Get out the progressive vote! Make sure all your progressive kith and kin are registered, back truly progressive candidates running at every level, offer to drive people to the polls, do your homework and VOTE! The 2020 elections may be our last opportunity to turn this country around - by peaceful means.
Oathbraker 6 years ago
Okay, I'm not from the USA and I'm genuinely curious- why is tuition so high? Do you get student housing and food coupons or a canteen out of the deal? What do the universities do with so much money? Why doesn't the state finance at least part of it?
Daria B 6 years ago (edited)
As an international student in Korea, my "entrance exam" was an admission interview (pretty much like a job interview). The professor asking me questions mentioned several times how expensive the tuition fee was going to be and whether I'd be able to pay for it all. All I could do was smile and confirm, "yes, I'll find a way, yes I can do it". But really, when I got out of that room, I was pissed. I mean, it's not like I didn't know what I was applying for. Besides that, the guy who was interviewed with me didn't get such a treatment. Ah well, at least I passed and graduated successfully. Btw, if you're curious, it was HUFS (I'm super satisfied with this university), and the tuition fee would vary each semester, but it was usually more than 3 million KRW, which would roughly translates as 3000 USD per semester.
Foxxy 6 years ago (edited)
Whilst Australia is also bad, it certainly isn’t as bad as the US system. My brother went to university and did 3 degrees. He now works but in a field that has absolutely nothing to do with what he studied. He tried for 2 years actively looking for work before he managed to get a job. We have an unemployment crisis and you can’t be picky where you work if you want or need a job. Sometimes a degree is worth nothing but costs the earth.
Chess 6 years ago
I feel incredibly fortunate in where I am. Parents let me stay home with them, first year of Uni paid by the govt and in a course that will give me so many career options. I will only need to pay around $14,000 in loans once my bachelor is finished. (This is in New Zealand). This crisis is not acceptable in any way, the status quo needs to change.
Lynda Nesbitt 6 years ago
What many fail to realize or acknowledge is this: if higher education becomes "free" (and nothing is really "free"), the only schools that will be available for "free" will be state schools and community colleges-meaning that there will be years' long waiting lists to enroll (there already are, at community colleges for popular majors, like nursing), very limited ability to select the major of one's choice, significant increases in class sizes, etc. Comparisons to the Nordic countries (not all of which offer "free" education in any case- along with a 60% public tax rate, in some cases) ring false-as the population sizes of these countries compared to that of the US (and so the population of prospective students) are very small, and so providing a "free" higher education to the masses becomes more feasible and more easily accomplished. Don't think the US government is going to send you to Harvard and foot the bill. "Socialism only works until you run out of someone else's money."
Phantom Captain 6 years ago
My student loans are hefty, but It made me learn how to manage my money and expenses. It's not easy but I get by.
AlphaPuck 6 years ago
Are you dumb enough to think Trump is the reason college is so f****d up? Stop being a foolish sheep and open your f*****g eyes. If your dumb idea was right, those who graduated prior to 2016 wouldnt be in debt.
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Colin Mochrie At Its Finest 6 years ago
If I had to pay for my schooling I wouldnt have done it. And unfortunately college was a waste for me. i couldnt apologize to my parents enough for their financial assistance. It should have gone to someone else. Im wanting to earn as much as our family can to pay for their college, I dont need my kids to go through this student loan c**p.
Adam Francis 6 years ago
I have 40k in student loans and I just finished my masters. I'm 45. I made more money before I went back to school. I went back to school and acquired debt because I wanted to work in this field even though I knew I'd make less money. You don't have to go to college at all and just enter the workforce. You will make as much or more than someone with a degree. You don't have to acquire debt to live well.
Mewton’s Third Paw 6 years ago
You don’t have to, but it’s harder to be taken seriously.
Load More Replies... Hilarious 6 years ago
Dearest Cry Babies, If you don't have the money to pay back loans, don't apply for them. Not everyone should go to college. There are plenty of awesome trade schools where, after you graduate, and work really hard, you can lead a successful life. You can always move to another country if you don't like the Great USA. We won't miss you one bit. :)
OWLbystarlight 6 years ago
You make it sound like it's 100% free to move to another country and requires no paperwork or anything. Are you going to pay for everyone who wants to move to a more reasonable country to live a better life? No? Then stop saying that nonsense.
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Jason Farquhar 6 years ago
What is this the Boo Hoo generation?! Loans are exactly that, a loan. You take it you pay it back. If you don’t have a look at the job market and think I should get a degree in computer science because that’s where the jobs and money is, instead get a degree in Art history or some other wishy washy degree with little to no prospects of a career at the end of it You only have yourself to Blame! God!
Gerry Higgins 6 years ago
Did not a single person do the maths to figure out how much they were going to owe? Or what the payments were? Is everyone that bloody stupid? You went into debt eyes wide open. My son worked through college and law school and got his loans paid off in 3 years.
D H 6 years ago
It is easy and common the blame the government for having so much debt. Why doesn’t anyone look at schools and ask why they had to increase tuition so much through the years? Private nonprofit four-year institution Tuition for 1987-1988: $15,160 Tuition for 1997-1998: $21,020 Tuition for 2007-2008: $27,520 Tuition for 2017-2018: $34,740 Public four-year institution Tuition for 1987-1988: $3,190 Tuition for 1997-1998: $4,740 Tuition for 2007-2008: $7,280 Tuition for 2017-2018: $9,970 https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/29/how-much-college-tuition-has-increased-from-1988-to-2018.html
Grumble O'Pug 6 years ago
You are making up stories to make your failed argument work. You can NOT work through the summer to afford a year of school. Stop lying.
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Mewton’s Third Paw 6 years ago
If they’re useless then the cost should match the value. Useless things are free or cheap any other time.
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stacyh 6 years ago
Oh dear god federal loans have been a thing since the 50's. What kind of delusions are you under trying to blame the Obama administration for the mess this nation is in due to loans???
Load More Replies... Arietis 6 years ago
Yeah, it's insane. I graduated with a bachelo'rs degree in my home country in 2011 and was super pissed that I had to pay tuition for a couple of semesters (it's abolished now). I was about 2800 Euro in debt and paid it off in a little over two years with monthly payments of 100 Euro. And I'm still super angry I had to do that. Can't imagine how f*****g pissed I'd be if I were in debt for 20+ years just to get an education.
Load More Replies... AlphaPuck 6 years ago
What you NEED is to stop taking student loans. take time off, save $$$, and THEN go to school.
Load More Replies... Jean Jacket 6 years ago
Please don't forget about trade schools. I went to a 9 month trade program 2 weeks after graduating high school. By 19 I was working in my trade. College is not mandatory!
Caroline 6 years ago
I so agree with this! Manually skilled jobs have had a "bad" reputation, but plumbers, electricians, carpenters etc...are making loads and are always in demand!! I am actually encouraging my kids NOT to go to uni, because they'll have a better chance at a good life.
Load More Replies... Hiker Chick 6 years ago
I have 2 kids in college now in the US. When they apply for financial aid every year (everyone is required to apply whether you self-finance or not), the financial aid packets lump scholarships, grants, work options and loans all together. It looks like the school is going to give you all this money for free. They don't explain that some of it is loans. In addition, interest rates can go up at any time, even years after the students take out the loans. My kids are fortunate that I can explain this to them, but a lot of people don't understand the system and the colleges don't care who goes into debt, so they don't try to warn students because they want lots of attendees. The whole practice is deceptive if the students are not hyper vigilant.
Ron Santos 4 years ago
What law requires you to apply for financial aid? Nobody is required to. If you want federal aid you have to apply but if you don’t want federal aid, there isn’t a law that requires you to apply?
Load More Replies... Zulma Ruiz 6 years ago
In california the technical or trade schools, for residents of the state, the price is 500 dollars per semester, for those of other states close to 4000 dollars. they leave there after 3 years as builders, nurses, electricians, welders, it is an economic option, and there is even, a lot of financial, private and state aid to pay the semester and study materials.
Anna Wentz 6 years ago
As someone who is entering college next year this is depressing as hell. At least I'm going to an applied learning school where I'll actually be able to get some paid internships during college. Still crazy I'll already be 20,000 in debt after one year tho. I'm looking into a school in Europe to transfer to after a year or two. I just don't think at 18, I'm ready to move to another country. No school in Canada is noted for my major either.
Mewton’s Third Paw 6 years ago
You’re more ready to move to another country than you are to tackle life long debt. Take it from people who are older than you.
Load More Replies... Random Panda 6 years ago
All of this is just insane. It's like punishing people for wanting an education. My entire bachelor's cost me no more than $900. Ridiculously high tuition fees aside, how is it even legal to have what seems like 50% interest loans? For students?!
Victoria Brubaker 6 years ago
I graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2007, and then there were no jobs. I got a job that paid $12 an hour and was lucky then because unemployment was skyrocketing. I lived with my parents and I would not have made it if I had student loans. I paid my way through college and I graduated with 0 debt. My trick, I went to a cheap school and I only took classes I could pay. I never got student loans. I used a 0 interest credit card when I needed it and paid it off or transferred before it could accrue interest. It took me 6 years to get a 4 year degree. I took half of my classes at a community college and transferred them to a university in the same district. I did not party, I did not attend games, I had no college life. I worked and studied and occasionally slept. This is what it took, it was hard, it was painful but this is the only way you can get a degree without any debt unless you have a sugar daddy or rich parents (sadly I had neither).
Crazy Dog Lady 6 years ago
I went to all cheap schools too and worked too and started at a community college too and it took me 6 years to graduate too and I still had loans. It's not the tuition that's the problem it's the living expenses that are the problem. Just because you got lucky and managed to graduate with 0 debt doesn't mean anyone can.
Load More Replies... Bob Beltcher 6 years ago
After reading all this I had a revelation. My daughter is currently 7. When she graduated high school at 17 I will rent her a condo/apartment in a other country that offers free/low cost tuition. It seems the cost of rent would probably be cheaper than tuition here.
boredkitten 6 years ago (edited)
she could also take a part-time job depending on her major in that country
Load More Replies... nanashi 6 years ago
at this point, I failed to see the merits of capitalism to you American, except to your very rich.
AlphaPuck 6 years ago
Thats probably because you think the education system is capitalism... its not. Its socialized due to taxpayers subsidies.
Load More Replies... Dani 6 years ago
This was jarring. I'm thirteen years old, and even though I knew the student loan crusts was bad, I didn't grip the reality until now and it's just like, well, I guess this is my future now.
boredkitten 6 years ago
Is it possible to go to study outside of US? After reading all these I would be very discaraged from studying in US and just take the job instead. Seems to be better deal.
Load More Replies... CP 6 years ago
Correction: American Capitalism. Other countries have figured out how to balance private and public. The US has not. There are private prison companies for some reason among other crazy things that should not be private in this country.
Load More Replies... Laura Primus 6 years ago
Why we need to have student loans dischargeable through bankruptcy. Right now, you can file for bankruptcy and STILL have to pay back student loan debt. So f*****g stupid. And never, and I mean never, go to a school like Devry.....they do you NO GOOD and they prey on people desperate for a higher education. It's an all debt, no upside proposition with them.
AlphaPuck 6 years ago
Sounds like a way for you to skirt the consequences of foolishly signing up for student debt.
Load More Replies... Leo Domitrix 6 years ago
Yep, that's America. Pardon, "Murica". Who needs education and health care? *headdesk*
ACE 6 years ago
I am an attorney, and graduated law school in 1997 with $97,000 in student loans (undergraduate, grad school & law school). I consolidated for 30 uears at 8% with the federal government, as that was the best deal going, with some of my loans unsubsidized and the subsidized ones at 10%. I am not able to refinance. I have paid &677.63 a month for 20 months (I deferred for 2 years). That is $162,000, and I still owe $50,000. My first 10 years, less than $200 a month went to principal. I will end up paying aboit $250,000 - $275,000 on $100K. It is disheartening.
KT Trondsen 6 years ago
Canada is just as bad. I was denied admission one year because I missed it by 3 days (I had finally decided what I wanted to go do. Cost for the year of education was $3500. I signed up the following year, cost was $10,000 for the year. Now I see graduates coming into the hospital and the debt they get for it is crushing. I paid off my student loan with a bank loan that I paid back in 2 years. The student loan system is a joke! I've been saving for my kids educations when they come of age, They'll each get $20,000 and I pray to god it's enough to help them get into a good profession
Freddy 6 years ago
This makes me not regret dropping out of high school & getting a minimum wage (7.25 @ the time in PA dunno bout now maybe 7.50) job at McDonald’s. I now make $9/hr at a local diner. My only debt is around $2,000 I owe on a credit card. This system is straight up INSANE. My poor life decisions ended up being a hell of a lot better than what HS/our parents/boomers were pressuring us all to do. No words for how f****d up this is. Other than f****d up.
Nirity 6 years ago
In american schools they teach nothing for six digits $ in dept. Hilarious. The web is full of posts proving americans no nothing about biology, anatomy, geography, math, physics, history etc. And to learn that nothing they are in debt for 20-30 years. But they have the biggest churches in the world. Wow. Better leave school, buy books, read em, learn em - no debt and real knowledge. The rest of the world can't comprehend why they have to pay 100 000$ to not know what homo sapiens is and to think women lay eggs when in their period. Ridiculous!
Sansa Blacktyde 6 years ago
And the USA have the unmitigated gall to claim they are the greatest country in the world. Newsflash, if you cannot give your citizens the basics such as universal healthcare and education for all, you are broken.
Cindy Snow 6 years ago
No country is the greatest. Some of us were brainwashed to think so...but I certainly see room for improvement.
Load More Replies... R john 6 years ago (edited)
I am not against Institutions charging fees for the degrees they offer, but it should not crippling to students that they have to take up loans which they are not able to clear for more than a decade. Look at how the Scandinavian countries have changed the education system. The US is increasingly bringing up a generation of high school graduates without access to affordable education. The void is then filled by migrants who are able to afford such an education. Those who are blaming an influx of Asians or South Asians or even others don't realize that the problem can be solved at home. If there are reports that point students turning to sex work to tackle rising tuition fees, not ready to settle down and start a family, then its high time that the country needs to wake up.
Pippa Runs 6 years ago
My son is 10 mo old and we’re already saving for his college. And I know by the time he goes (if he chooses) it probably won’t be enough.
AlphaPuck 6 years ago
What law says he has to go at 18? Are you so hypnotized that you cannot see the other options???
Load More Replies... Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch 6 years ago
While all these stories are heartbreaking, there is another side to this story. The US churns out too many 'college' grads. Colleges are a big business - and the supply of grads badly outweights the demand.
Concerned 6 years ago
That is one good point. To many colleges have become diploma mills with classes that don't fail anyone. You need a Masters anymore because so many Bachelors are just remediation for a failed High School.
Load More Replies... Antenor 6 years ago
Wow, it's really stressful to read this. I mean that's crazy. I'm from a country in EU, and going to college/university is free in my country, as long as you don't fail a year.
Concerned 6 years ago
You do pay for it - taxes are 4x higher. Nothing is free.
Load More Replies... Kerstin Moreau 6 years ago
I just graduated college and will start making payments next month. I can only pay at most $100 a month due to the financial hardships my mom and I are currently in. When my dad died less than two years ago, nothing was left behind and we lost a third of our income. It's been hard for us to recover financially, let alone emotionally from that. It's projected for me to finish paying off my loan in just under 30 years
First.time.in.Space 6 years ago
It's very hard to avoid all the news from across the Atlantic Ocean (USA)... But really, I had no idea it was this bad for students. I can't even imagine how I would feel at peace with my daily life if I worked hard for and education and knew I would be in depth for... most of my life? Damn. I feel for you!
Vilkas 6 years ago
Not sure why Millennials think this is exclusively their problem? I know people who have been paying back student loans for 10-15 years.
AlphaPuck 6 years ago
Could it have something to do with your username? Thats a pretty good indicator. After all, you could have taken a year off and worked and saved money... but Im betting it was more of the laziness that you openly call yourself.
Load More Replies... ADHORTATOR 6 years ago
In the Us, it's eventually better to be a plumber than a lawyer....at least you don't start your career with debts
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Shabadrang Khalsa 6 years ago
I think we need to educate highschoolers about the reality of student loans. I think we need to work towards free colleges or some way to make paying for collage some percent of minimum wage. I think to big to fail is f*****g c**p and not part of the free market. Everything on this earths grows and dies, why the f**k wouldn't businesses do that too....
Ryo Bakura 6 years ago
Here's an idea; if governments made big corporations/CEOs pay the correct amount of taxes, and religious institutions were abolished (Who made the church tax exempt? Idiot...), along with removing other "necessary" payments (TV License, for my fellow Brits), etc, plus a few more tweaks here and there, we could make education entirely free, improve healthcare, and hopefully give more to workers who need it, like farmers. Oh, and sanitary products for ladies hosting Aunt Flo should be significantly cheaper, and more accessible.
Bill 6 years ago
A traditional 4 year degree isn't for everyone. I graduated HS in the late 90s where they tried pushing college as a one size fits all. The tech programs in HS were where the troublemakers got sent. Fast forward 20 years and my 3 buddies who got sent there own their own welding shops and are millionares
Derek Olsen 6 years ago
I went to a private college on a football scholarship, long story short I was injured and could no longer play, so not only was I immediately dropped from the team, I was informed that my scholarships were now null and void. Needless to say, I could no longer afford to attend and dropped out. My debt total for TWO semesters? $29,000. Mind you I could barely walk or stand for long periods of time so they went unpaid for awhile. I dropped out in 2003, I finally made my last payment in 2012, total money I had to pay back? $73,275... That's a big reason why I'm going to be 36 years old this year and I am just now finally in a position to buy our first house and finally own a dependable vehicle that is only 7 years old... I can't imagine how bad it is for those that actually finished a degree and started paying back loans way larger than mine.
Kaylea Sais-van Vliet 6 years ago
2) ALWAYS APPLY FOR FAFSA, even if you don't think you qualify. Always look into grants/scholarships. There are a TON, particularly for underrepresented populations/minorities. 3) research the careers you can get with the degree you want. You might love art, but forking up thousands for art school is almost never practical... I'm not saying it NEVER is, just rarely. Get a degree with a wide skillset... a lot of jobs don't care what your degree is specifically, just that you have one that shows the skillset that they need. 4) finally, you DO NOT have to go to college to be successful! I know people without a degree that do loans and make 80k a year. A degree isnt required as long as you explore your options. Hopefully this gives a little hope to those just getting out of highschool!
Kaylea Sais-van Vliet 6 years ago
While I empathize with those dealing with this, I wanted to let others know that it is NOT inevitable. I got my undergrad at Cal State Fullerton and am a year into my masters with NO student debt. My parents helped me pay for books my first semester, but that's all. Here's how I did it: 1) you do NOT need to go to a super ritzy school unless it directly impacts your career prospects. I am going to go for a doctorate in English, so I learned that the ONLY college that directly impacts my ability to get a tenure-track position after graduation is the one I go to for my Doctorate. I did my first two years at a junior college, which in CA is 100% covered by the BOG fee waiver if you are a CA resident. I did my second at csuf, which is less than 3k a semester. I'm still here for my MAmy
Joe Flowers 6 years ago
Took out $12.5K in student loans. Have paid $13K over 20 years. Still owe $12.5K in student loans. How is 200-300% interest even legal?!?! For an education?!?!?!
Queen MT [lol nope] 6 years ago
as a future college student that is fortunate enough that her dad can pay off my college tuition, I feel scared that even if my dad will pay the government will somehow find a way causing me to go in dept
Kelley Roney-Hawke 6 years ago
No one is talking about the crushing Parent Plus loans that working class parents have to take out to afford their kids to attend college . PP loans also are compounded with interest and reach a amount that you`ll never be able to repay while you are paying as much as you can each month keeping your parents from retiring and having them die at their jobs ~
Janice Geddes 6 years ago
I give scholarships to and mentor college students and it horrifies me that they have NO idea what they owe until sometimes right before graduation. There is NO college education that is worth a quarter of a million dollars. Being financially literate and gauging what their future income will look like is key. Also, blaming Boomers for being given a shot at auditing classes, paying little, is not going to solve the problem. Those senior citizens are helping to subsidize education, not taking anything away from typical students. There is NO question that loan interest is a curse and that needs to be resolved but personal awareness of what the financial burden will be is crucial.
DParks 6 years ago
I keep hearing about the skyrocketing student loan/debt issue - but I've yet to hear ONE reporter or talking head ask the REAL question: HOW do these institutions of further education JUSTIFY these rising costs? All I hear is complaining, anger, and politicians pounding podiums while promising to do "something" about it - and that's it - just lip service. I want to see the deans and heads of these colleges brought into a hearing and have them publicly explain exactly WHY the costs of attending their schools have disproportionately risen over and above practically every other cost of living metric known.
Diane Smith 6 years ago
My student loans make me anxious. I tied myself to the whipping post by going to grad school. This is predatory lending. The banks f****d us over and the government bails them out. We can't make our payments and they don't even cut our interest rates or do anything to help us out. U.S. Government = legal mafia.
Cindy Snow 6 years ago
My son wants to be a professor. I said, well You d better get a scholarship.
Blakkur Sverrir 6 years ago
Is that the same country that came to independence via a riot about tea-tax?
The Suz 81 6 years ago
I think that this makes me pissed all over again. I hate my loans and wish I had never went to school. Had I known having this debt would affect everything in my life, I would have made a different choice. Horrible idea...the debt isn't worth it.
Melody Reid 6 years ago
Part of being a Smart Student is to select a school that you can afford. I graduated with no debt.
Emily Keryk 6 years ago
I've never paid the Australian government back for my education because I don't make enough money to qualify for repayments. Suckers!
Caleb Paulson 6 years ago
Game shows. Game shows, game shows, game shows, game shows. When everything else fails, of course.
Nat Monzo 6 years ago
The scary part about student loans is that even if you end up making enough money to afford to pay (years down the line), any missed payments ding your credit score. Since graduating in 2009, I have 7 missed/late payments (because, life), and those have screwed my credit score SO much that I am now in a predatory car loan. Don't have access to a house loan or 1st time home-buyer programs. Only have offers for credit cards with a 36.5% interest. Yes, you read that correct, 36.5%!!!! So yeah... even when you do start crawling out of one financial a*s hole, you are stuffed right into another.
AlphaPuck 6 years ago
Yes welcome to the world of credit scores. If you forget to pay a verizon bill on time it dings your credit score. Thats a YOU problem, not a student loan problem.
Load More Replies... Freya the Wanderer 6 years ago
These stories are heartbreaking, and make me angry, very angry indeed! We definitely need a revolution in the USA because this country has so many things horribly wrong with it. Let us hope that this revolution will be a peaceful one, and it can be. Get out the youth vote! Get out the progressive vote! Make sure all your progressive kith and kin are registered, back truly progressive candidates running at every level, offer to drive people to the polls, do your homework and VOTE! The 2020 elections may be our last opportunity to turn this country around - by peaceful means.
Oathbraker 6 years ago
Okay, I'm not from the USA and I'm genuinely curious- why is tuition so high? Do you get student housing and food coupons or a canteen out of the deal? What do the universities do with so much money? Why doesn't the state finance at least part of it?
Daria B 6 years ago (edited)
As an international student in Korea, my "entrance exam" was an admission interview (pretty much like a job interview). The professor asking me questions mentioned several times how expensive the tuition fee was going to be and whether I'd be able to pay for it all. All I could do was smile and confirm, "yes, I'll find a way, yes I can do it". But really, when I got out of that room, I was pissed. I mean, it's not like I didn't know what I was applying for. Besides that, the guy who was interviewed with me didn't get such a treatment. Ah well, at least I passed and graduated successfully. Btw, if you're curious, it was HUFS (I'm super satisfied with this university), and the tuition fee would vary each semester, but it was usually more than 3 million KRW, which would roughly translates as 3000 USD per semester.
Foxxy 6 years ago (edited)
Whilst Australia is also bad, it certainly isn’t as bad as the US system. My brother went to university and did 3 degrees. He now works but in a field that has absolutely nothing to do with what he studied. He tried for 2 years actively looking for work before he managed to get a job. We have an unemployment crisis and you can’t be picky where you work if you want or need a job. Sometimes a degree is worth nothing but costs the earth.
Chess 6 years ago
I feel incredibly fortunate in where I am. Parents let me stay home with them, first year of Uni paid by the govt and in a course that will give me so many career options. I will only need to pay around $14,000 in loans once my bachelor is finished. (This is in New Zealand). This crisis is not acceptable in any way, the status quo needs to change.
Lynda Nesbitt 6 years ago
What many fail to realize or acknowledge is this: if higher education becomes "free" (and nothing is really "free"), the only schools that will be available for "free" will be state schools and community colleges-meaning that there will be years' long waiting lists to enroll (there already are, at community colleges for popular majors, like nursing), very limited ability to select the major of one's choice, significant increases in class sizes, etc. Comparisons to the Nordic countries (not all of which offer "free" education in any case- along with a 60% public tax rate, in some cases) ring false-as the population sizes of these countries compared to that of the US (and so the population of prospective students) are very small, and so providing a "free" higher education to the masses becomes more feasible and more easily accomplished. Don't think the US government is going to send you to Harvard and foot the bill. "Socialism only works until you run out of someone else's money."
Phantom Captain 6 years ago
My student loans are hefty, but It made me learn how to manage my money and expenses. It's not easy but I get by.
AlphaPuck 6 years ago
Are you dumb enough to think Trump is the reason college is so f****d up? Stop being a foolish sheep and open your f*****g eyes. If your dumb idea was right, those who graduated prior to 2016 wouldnt be in debt.
Load More Replies... Colin Mochrie At Its Finest 6 years ago
If I had to pay for my schooling I wouldnt have done it. And unfortunately college was a waste for me. i couldnt apologize to my parents enough for their financial assistance. It should have gone to someone else. Im wanting to earn as much as our family can to pay for their college, I dont need my kids to go through this student loan c**p.
Adam Francis 6 years ago
I have 40k in student loans and I just finished my masters. I'm 45. I made more money before I went back to school. I went back to school and acquired debt because I wanted to work in this field even though I knew I'd make less money. You don't have to go to college at all and just enter the workforce. You will make as much or more than someone with a degree. You don't have to acquire debt to live well.
Mewton’s Third Paw 6 years ago
You don’t have to, but it’s harder to be taken seriously.
Load More Replies... Hilarious 6 years ago
Dearest Cry Babies, If you don't have the money to pay back loans, don't apply for them. Not everyone should go to college. There are plenty of awesome trade schools where, after you graduate, and work really hard, you can lead a successful life. You can always move to another country if you don't like the Great USA. We won't miss you one bit. :)
OWLbystarlight 6 years ago
You make it sound like it's 100% free to move to another country and requires no paperwork or anything. Are you going to pay for everyone who wants to move to a more reasonable country to live a better life? No? Then stop saying that nonsense.
Load More Replies... Jason Farquhar 6 years ago
What is this the Boo Hoo generation?! Loans are exactly that, a loan. You take it you pay it back. If you don’t have a look at the job market and think I should get a degree in computer science because that’s where the jobs and money is, instead get a degree in Art history or some other wishy washy degree with little to no prospects of a career at the end of it You only have yourself to Blame! God!
Gerry Higgins 6 years ago
Did not a single person do the maths to figure out how much they were going to owe? Or what the payments were? Is everyone that bloody stupid? You went into debt eyes wide open. My son worked through college and law school and got his loans paid off in 3 years.
D H 6 years ago
It is easy and common the blame the government for having so much debt. Why doesn’t anyone look at schools and ask why they had to increase tuition so much through the years? Private nonprofit four-year institution Tuition for 1987-1988: $15,160 Tuition for 1997-1998: $21,020 Tuition for 2007-2008: $27,520 Tuition for 2017-2018: $34,740 Public four-year institution Tuition for 1987-1988: $3,190 Tuition for 1997-1998: $4,740 Tuition for 2007-2008: $7,280 Tuition for 2017-2018: $9,970 https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/29/how-much-college-tuition-has-increased-from-1988-to-2018.html
Grumble O'Pug 6 years ago
You are making up stories to make your failed argument work. You can NOT work through the summer to afford a year of school. Stop lying.
Load More Replies... Mewton’s Third Paw 6 years ago
If they’re useless then the cost should match the value. Useless things are free or cheap any other time.
Load More Replies... stacyh 6 years ago
Oh dear god federal loans have been a thing since the 50's. What kind of delusions are you under trying to blame the Obama administration for the mess this nation is in due to loans???
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