Student Loan Hell

[Chaosbean]

My question was directed at the original poster....

I guess maybe I just don't understand the point of this thread? To make us aware that school is hella expensive?

Yeah, thats why I posted links to some stuff in the very first post.

But, Discourse is always a good first step. Get the masses rowdy.

IDK what you want to do about it, but if it is important to you, you should do something.

As for what I am doing about it, I have joined some groups, I've written, emailed and called my congressmen, during elections I go to community meetings and forums as ask questions.

[ComradeM]

And, if the government can bail out the banking industry (who shockingly are the ones fucking us with student loans) and the auto industry shouldn't that same government (of the people, for the people and by the people, right?) be helping out citizens?

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah....

STUDENT.

LOAN.

REFORM.

Shit IS being done, HAS been done...you're just not fucking listening. I quit.

[Chaosbean]

And, if the government can bail out the banking industry (who shockingly are the ones fucking us with student loans) and the auto industry shouldn't that same government (of the people, for the people and by the people, right?) be helping out citizens?

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah....

STUDENT.

LOAN.

REFORM.

Shit IS being done, HAS been done...you're just not fucking listening. I quit.

No, that reform is stupid and costs us more money. Yay! I can pay less each month and be fucked longer? Really? Who does that help? Oh wait, lets follow the money OHHHHHH thats right the banks make more money off us in interest. Yup, SHIT has been done TO us. You aren't fucking thinking or looking at the big picture.

[Prettygrimm]

question....
do you guys think we have a RIGHT to higher education?

[opiiate]

Sooo...what do you propose as a solution?

move to canada? If only, LOL. I think that student unions, student bodies and those currently being weighed down need to start pressuring governments, especially given the current situations that both American and Canadian governments are going to be dealing with demographically speaking. Our populace is aging at a far faster rate than we can educate + employ those who are being shovelled willy nilly through undergraduate/other professional schooling. I believe the volume of people that are interested in getting degrees/ attaining some form of higher education is SIGNIFICANTLY larger than those that CAN actually pursue those options due to the numerous reasons listed above. Subsidization, grants, more inclusive and less REPRESSIVE student loans need to be made available to everyone far quicker and in larger volume in order for the currently cashcow system in place to stay current and relevant.

[ComradeM]

Soooo...you just want your loans forgiven right now, for no reason, because you feel like you're entitled to that? I seriously don't understand what you want. It seems like all you want to do is bitch about it.

Also....banks aren't profiting off the new loan reform, other students are. It takes away the ability of private banks to profit off of federal financial aid, therefore the interest goes to the government...which in turn becomes federal work study and grants. Private loans are, for the most part, inherently predatory and an entirely different story, and anyone that takes them out should know that.

Idunno. I feel like my education is worth it, and I've accepted that I'll be making payments on it for a good long while. Maybe if I were unwilling to pay for it or to accept any available solutions to alleviate the immediate stress of the situation, and pissed off that it didn't get me anywhere, I'd be able to see what you're getting at, but yeah...I really don't understand the point of this thread.

[sickgirliezele]

dude my family doesn't even qualify for student loans.... while lots of people complain about their loans, I FUCKING WISH that option was available for me.

[namelesswonder]

I think the #1 problem in most cases where people think there's a problem with the system is lack of education about the issue. Okay everybody comes from a biased viewpoint, we're all getting ripped off in some way or another, in lesser or great degrees. I am very fortunate in that my debt totals ~$25k, I went to a private university that my parents largely paid the tuition for while I was in, while raising a pre-teen with a mental disability and housing a college drop-out (my sister) who now makes minimum wage at a bakery with no evidence of moving out anytime soon. Before I graduated, I went to my Financial Aid office and found out what loans I'd taken out, with who, and then searched online for their websites. They should at least be able to tell you your aid history at your university, they have no control over the loans and probably don't even have contact information. That's up to you to find. I now have automatic payments set up every month on 3 different websites and will be paying ~$250 a month for the next 10 years, or shorter if I'm lucky and get a raise/better paying job.

Do yourself the favor of educating yourself, then look for the solution. It is not too late to find answers even if you are already putting off payments, you just need to find the right people to talk to. Maybe I am too optimistic, maybe I am too biased because I don't think my situation is that bad, especially because none of my interest rates are over 6.5%. Sallie Mae sounds particularly unhelpful, but perhaps there are specific people there that might be better suited to answer your questions/find a plan that works for you. There have been some really great thoughts in this thread though, but it is sad to see the awful situations people are put in too =(

Also if you contact your loan company (probably whoever Sallie Mae is handling it from? cause they don't shell out loans, just manage them, right?), there are options for getting debts forgiven or put into a temporary hiatus until financial situations improve. Read your contracts, understand where you stand.

[rainaraven]

Sooo...what do you propose as a solution?

Not sure who that question was aimed at, but my answer is a little bit of socialism (at least partially state funded higher education). You've got to see the bigger picture in the benefits derived by society from higher education and not just the individual gain. Also less pressure on people to see University as their only route to a job.

Anyhoo this is way too close to work talk for me and it's Friday night.

the professors get paid leave here to write books, get published, or further their own education. which means, you are paying for not only the classes you take but the ones not available because a prof is off doing whatever, profs that do this further down the road and so on.
the U.S. runs secondary education as a business, you pay win or lose, it's like going to the doctor- paying 100 bucks for him to just toss you a script for antibiotics and not really even looking to see what is actually needed. it is not like oh i bought this coffee maker, plugged it in and it started to smoke so im returning it.
you hear all these things like NURSING IN HIGH DEMAND but its actually certified nursing assistant that is in high demand; so you fall for the rouse get your nursing license or what ever after 4 or 5 years only to find out you could have gone to a "vocational" school for a few months paid 5 times less and could have gotten that education you went in debt over for less with the crap-wiping job you got with company offered assistance.
for instance- at my company we had a guy who went to school for cnc programing, then got a job with us at mcdonalds wages. no one would hire him without experience, some wanted a year, others a minimum of 5 years experience.
the company i work for will send you to school & train you, give you experience and all you have to do is work for the company for a minimum of a year after you finish college (even if you quit your college attendance with out finishing or flunk out).
its not perfect but it is out there. and it does depend on the type of work you are looking for.
so in other words most college is a sham and not even worth your time let alone your money. but if you get the chance to go (for something worthwhile) for free or discounted or whatever - go.

okay bye (jumps off soap box)

[rainaraven]

okay so i read a little more closely. um fix it? it is a compiled problem so you have to fix other things as well. government for one, instead of the "parties" attacking one another maybe they should attack problems and actually solve something for once. but just like illness there is no money in the cure, its in the meds to just get you by so you can manage it and live longer to take more meds that cost you a ton of money.
anyway, a simple solution is to stop making people need degrees just to flip burgers (cause im sure thats coming down the road soon). i mean really you need a degree to know how much of a liability it is to lend people money? really is this part of the problem? like lending some one who can not hold a job (at federal minimum wage) for more then a few weeks or months, 50 grand to buy a car with astronomical interest soaring over 100 grand in the end if they only pay the minimum? that takes a "higher education"? or (forgive me for this one) a degree in fashion to be able to create the next trend that will fizzle out before it even hits the stores, like by the end of that month, and not to mention how they are all recycled fashions anyway?
i am sorry maybe i shouldnt chime in on this anymore. i never went to college, i saw what my sister went through and then my little sister went through. i went through some of the same crap with out going through college. i have even gone through some of the good things without attending. to each there own. maybe im jealous i never got to go or maybe the profession i wanted didnt have any need for certification until i was old enough and ready to start working and found out that i couldnt afford it and became so saturated it wasnt worth the attempt. yeah bitter maybe. but hey, ive learned so many things jumping from one type of work to the next, i am actually valued (a little bit) by better and better jobs.
hope i didnt offend anyone.

[LilyBathory]

question....
do you guys think we have a RIGHT to higher education?

I actually do. But I'm generally not scared of socialism, so that probably has to do with it. And where I grew up, I was actually taught I have a right to higher education, but only if I do well enough to even understand it.

[poorandweird]

question....
do you guys think we have a RIGHT to higher education?

I actually do. But I'm generally not scared of socialism, so that probably has to do with it. And where I grew up, I was actually taught I have a right to higher education, but only if I do well enough to even understand it.

agreed. i think if you're intelligent and motivated enough then money should not be a barrier.

[Prettygrimm]

question....
do you guys think we have a RIGHT to higher education?

I actually do. But I'm generally not scared of socialism, so that probably has to do with it. And where I grew up, I was actually taught I have a right to higher education, but only if I do well enough to even understand it.

agreed. i think if you're intelligent and motivated enough then money should not be a barrier.

i don't think it is in the US (a barrier if the smarts and drive are there.) not only is there FAFSA, pell grants, TONS of private scholarships and work programs, but there is something to be said about working your way through college.

if it is to be a right, who should pay for higher ed?

not trying to be argumentative, just voicing my questions on the subject.

[LilyBathory]

I actually do. But I'm generally not scared of socialism, so that probably has to do with it. And where I grew up, I was actually taught I have a right to higher education, but only if I do well enough to even understand it.

agreed. i think if you're intelligent and motivated enough then money should not be a barrier.

i don't think it is in the US (a barrier if the smarts and drive are there.) not only is there FAFSA, pell grants, TONS of private scholarships and work programs, but there is something to be said about working your way through college.

if it is to be a right, who should pay for higher ed?

not trying to be argumentative, just voicing my questions on the subject.

the government. in effect, the taxpayers. the government this way secures the economic future of the country, taxpayers secure their pensions.
also, apprenticeships, at least the kind I know, are not just training but also work. no one works for free, no one should have to pay for being allowed to work. so the company that trains an apprentice is training him in hopes of them becoming a valueable employee one day, and valueable employees cost money. so the company has to pay and apprentice if he works for them. that's how I see it.

but, honestly, I pay fuck all for uni and my being all smart won't help with a traditionally different system such as the american one. This is just how I think it would be fair.

[linse]

I agree, I think this is unfair that peoples chances for education depend on money or place of birth.

I did not pay a penny for my education. 2 scholarships in a row paid for living, and I have a job as an assistant for my professor, and I graduated before tuition fees were introduced here and don't have to pay them now as I'm a PhD student. But I am protesting against tuition fees nevertheless. Education should be free, and in Germany it has always been free up to now. I'm angry that my younger fellow students don't get the same chances as I have gotten.

I think it is unfair that the older generations take so much advantage of our generation now. The generation of our parents never paid any tuition fees, and they did neither experience a war nor a real economical crisis during most of their lifetime. They are just damn lucky bastards.

But when I read about your situation in the US, I get even more angry and I would indeed protest if I was in your shoes. Or move to another country. In fact I'm still hoping for a revolution.