greenbriar
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Sun Jun-10-07 12:27 PM
Original message |
Poll question: Do you owe Sallie Mae or other student loan companies |
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Edited on Sun Jun-10-07 12:34 PM by greenbriar
Much has been discussed today about Student Loans
We owe a good chunk to Sallie Mae..
the sickening part is that we didn't need to borrow, it just made our lives easier while we were in college
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noamnety
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Sun Jun-10-07 12:30 PM
Response to Original message |
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I paid off my student loans (without the qualifier that it was "with ease")
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greenbriar
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Sun Jun-10-07 12:34 PM
Response to Reply #1 |
noamnety
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Sun Jun-10-07 12:43 PM
Response to Reply #3 |
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for me personally, it was kind of with ease - but only because my parents paid it off, which for them meant delaying their retirement for quite some time.
And now, I'm paying for my daughter's ... so it's a cycle of debt and obligation passed down, or up, depending on how you look at it.
Very aware of privilege here, in answering this, because it's the result of previous generations' access to education and employment that I'm able to pass that access to the next generation, but I couldn't really say it was paid with ease, since it had a direct effect on my parents' lives, and now on mine as I do the same.
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petronius
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Sun Jun-10-07 12:31 PM
Response to Original message |
2. In total, we owe less than my annual salary, but I'll stilll call that a fortune |
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I'm in the same boat as you - a bit more effort and maturity back in the school daze and I could have avoided most if not all of my loans...
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uppityperson
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Sun Jun-10-07 12:40 PM
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4. I borrowed only a little and paid it back fairly easily. My child though... |
greenbriar
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Sun Jun-10-07 12:41 PM
Response to Reply #4 |
5. we were married and had little income..had pell grants |
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but decided we didn't want to drive 50 miles to and 50 miles back each day so we opted to take loans and move into married student housing
:banghead:
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uppityperson
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Sun Jun-10-07 12:45 PM
Response to Reply #5 |
8. Jr is already in debt for close to $4000 |
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1 yr of college. Not much, but it is hard to impress on him how much that is, how he needs to save his workstudy money to pay this back. We are having a long talk soon, figure eventually we will bail out part of it for him since we can chip in more, but want to impress on him the seriousness of borrowing money. Pell grants are good.
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MissB
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Mon Jun-11-07 08:56 PM
Response to Reply #8 |
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Multiplied by 4 it still isn't that bad. It is wonderful that you're willing to chip for him!
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knitter4democracy
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Sun Jun-10-07 12:43 PM
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7. We still owe a ton for Hubby's med school loans. |
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The private ones through the school should be paid off next year, but the other ones are the bigger chunk. We owe more than we do for the house.
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Iris
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Sun Jun-10-07 12:48 PM
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9. What do you consider a fortune? |
greenbriar
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Sun Jun-10-07 12:54 PM
Response to Reply #9 |
12. we owe over 60 thous and that is a fortune |
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to me
but that is hubby and I undergrad and my masters too
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Iris
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Sun Jun-10-07 12:56 PM
Response to Reply #12 |
13. yes. I'd say that is a fortune. |
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But it is 3 degrees - 20K per degree. Probably pretty good by today's standards.
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greenbriar
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Sun Jun-10-07 12:57 PM
Response to Reply #13 |
14. hey I like the way you look at that...makes it seem not so bad |
Iris
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Sun Jun-10-07 01:01 PM
Response to Reply #14 |
15. Yeah. I'd still rather say I owed 20K on a degree rather than as an indistinguisable |
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lump sum credit car debt!
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Worst Username Ever
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Sun Jun-10-07 12:48 PM
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10. I'm in them for $100,000 |
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4 years of college + 3 years law school ain't cheap
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nadine_mn
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Mon Jun-11-07 03:20 AM
Response to Reply #10 |
26. Same here - over 100k |
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stupid college, stupid law school.....should have drank less and applied for scholarships more
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smtpgirl
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Sun Jun-10-07 12:52 PM
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11. Paid those loan sharks and will NEVER get a student loan again |
AZBlue
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Mon Jun-11-07 10:13 PM
Response to Reply #11 |
38. I am still paying but would never consider another student loan. Ever. |
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I've had to finish my degree realllllyyy slowly because of it, but I don't care. Not another dime.
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juno jones
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Sun Jun-10-07 01:07 PM
Response to Original message |
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He owes for a graphic art/ multimedia degree for a 'college' that folded a year after he graduated. Employers laugh at his 'credentials' and he can get no employment in that field. But he still has to pay. At least he did it in the 90's and isn't as screwn as those coming up in the 'oughts'. Oh how I hate Sallie Mae.
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teenagebambam
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Sun Jun-10-07 01:21 PM
Response to Original message |
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...between my partner and I. Seven degrees between us. As mentioned by others already, we were stupid and lazy and just wanted to make things easier on ourselves.
The worst part is that we both have terminal degrees in the Performing Arts, and are pretty much locked into jobs in Academia, which pays squat.
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librechik
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Mon Jun-11-07 07:17 PM
Response to Reply #17 |
32. my story too, very nearly |
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got the MFA but no jobs in my field in my state. Settled for an administrative job cuz of the benefits. The salary just about covers my supposed loan payments, which I have managed to stave off for 10 years. We have a mortgage too!
What do I do when I'm seventy?
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mike_c
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Sun Jun-10-07 01:31 PM
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18. I'm in for $75K, been paying for years, and the principal has hardly budged.... |
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I'm really interested to see what will happen when I retire. I'll retire in about 12 years and the loans won't be paid off by then.
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JDPriestly
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Sun Jun-10-07 02:16 PM
Response to Reply #18 |
22. You never get out of them. |
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Even indentured servants eventually were freed. You will never be. They will take it out of your Social Security. You cannot declare bankruptcy on student loans.
One of the most deplorable provisions of the new Bankruptcy Act broadened the definition of "education loan" to include a lot of loans that were not previously included.
Student loans are yet another way that the class with inherited wealth uses to keep its advantage -- from cradle to grave -- and to keep the rest of us down.
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radfringe
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Sun Jun-10-07 01:40 PM
Response to Original message |
19. had to go with a student loan when I went back to school |
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too "rich" to qualify for grants (pell etc.) and too "poor" to pay for it out of my own pocket
after 20 some odd years in human services ending with a reagan-bush economy which cut the program funding and I ended up without a job.... By then I was pretty burnt out with human services and decided to go back to school for something else - ended up doing 2 years at ITT tech in Framingham for CAD-Drafting.
The only way I could pay for tuition was through student loans. My prior earnings put me over the top to qualify for Pell, despite the fact I was no longer employed and had just a checking account and nothing in savings left, and unemployment was running out. I did pick up a part-time job as a residential worker in a home for retarded adults - this gave me enough money to barely live on, my parents would throw me a few dollars here and there to help out.
By the time I got out of school, Clinton was in office and turning around the economy. For the next 8 years I was able to make the monthly payments, then smirk-boy and his tinkle-on-down crap started, and it began to get more difficult to make the payments to the point where I've had to ask for a forebearance on 4 occassions... and am at the point right now of asking for a 5th one
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JDPriestly
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Sun Jun-10-07 02:20 PM
Response to Reply #19 |
23. Doesn't interest continue to accrue? |
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That is what is so criminal about it.
I feel very sorry for people from poor areas who borrow money to go to fly-by-night schools for technical training that prepares them to do jobs that don't exist.
Trust me, I've seen the complaints in federal court. The lenders sue the students for payment of these loans.
And there is no way out -- no exit -- from these loans.
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radfringe
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Mon Jun-11-07 03:18 AM
Response to Reply #23 |
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but it's either accuring interest or letting the loan go into default
regarding ITT Tech - I don't think it's a fly-by-night tech school.
The education and training I received was good, I've been employed as a CAD drafter since graduating, many of their programsschools have been accredited for degrees (Associates and Bachelors). My experience with their job referal/placement has also been very good. They also seek out internships for students. I have no regrets about attending ITT Tech.
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JDPriestly
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Mon Jun-11-07 07:03 PM
Response to Reply #25 |
29. I did not mean to imply that your school was fly-by-night |
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In LA some poor people borrow money, however, to attend schools that are fly-by-night.
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etherealtruth
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Sun Jun-10-07 02:01 PM
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Its off to work I go (from now until I'm 90)
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JDPriestly
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Sun Jun-10-07 02:11 PM
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21. I have paid them a fortune over the past ten years |
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and I still owe more. It is a racket.
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Blue Belle
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Sun Jun-10-07 03:30 PM
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24. OTHER: I'm still in school... |
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And while I do owe Sallie Mae money, I'm trying to get as many scholarships and grants as possible so I don't have to add to my debt.
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nadine_mn
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Mon Jun-11-07 03:25 AM
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27. What about option "I owe my first born child" |
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Ha - so there Sallie Mae, I refuse to have kids! You may have won this round (and up until I am 70) but I still have my dignity!
Although I am willing to sell it to Paris Hilton, who apparently needs a bit of dignity.
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SeattleGirl
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Mon Jun-11-07 03:30 AM
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28. Paid my loans off about 14 years ago. Had ended up defaulting |
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on them, because of financial difficulties, but then I got a better-paying job, and managed to pay them all off. Thank God I got a full scholarship for my Junior and Senior years. I went to a private college which is rather expensive. Only had to take loans out for my first two years.
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sandyd921
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Mon Jun-11-07 07:09 PM
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30. I'm due to finish paying |
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off my loan for grad school (Sallie Mae) when I'm 64 (unless I come into some money between now and then :rofl:).
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tammywammy
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Mon Jun-11-07 07:12 PM
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31. I never took out loans for college |
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My parents helped pay for tuition and books, but I went to an in-state state school. I paid for my own rent, etc and I worked full time as well.
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Firespirit
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Mon Jun-11-07 08:36 PM
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33. Never had any student loans... BUT |
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I had a scholarship for grad school that was contingent upon my enrollment in a specific federal program, purportedly for good students with interest in computer security who would be interested in jobs with the gov't after graduation. My professor turned out to be -- I kid you not -- a crony of several White House officials, threw me out for political activity, and had the government bill me to repay the scholarship (since I didn't get the degree), so I'm in the hole for several thousand nonetheless.
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distantearlywarning
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Mon Jun-11-07 08:38 PM
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34. I owe quite a bit on my student loans. |
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However, they are locked into an absurdly low interest rate. They're in deferment right now, but after I graduate, the monthly payment will be less than we spend on gas every month. Truthfully, I have been strongly considering never paying them off, just basically making min. payments until I die, because I can make more money investing what I would otherwise use to pay them down.
I'm not that worried about them. They're no drain on my lifestyle at all. But I feel for people who owe as much as I do with interest rates 6-7 points higher. That's a serious bummer. :-(
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MissB
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Mon Jun-11-07 08:55 PM
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35. I have 4.5 more years of payments before the loan is paid off. |
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The interest rate is very low, so there isn't any reason to increase my payment amount significantly to pay it off sooner- I can earn more than I pay in interest by investing the extra I'd consider putting towards the principal. I don't feel terribly screwed, and the monthly payment is very reasonable.
My niece, on the other hand, will end up owing nearly $100k when she graduates in two more years. She insisted on going to a private college (with little financial help) to earn a degree to become a public school teacher. Dh and I tried to suggest other alternatives that wouldn't leave her in so much debt that she'd never be able to live without roommates or buy a car, but she wouldn't listen. We even crunched the numbers for her. I feel bad for her, but we tried.
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aikoaiko
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Mon Jun-11-07 09:42 PM
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37. 45K but my first raise covered the yearly payment. |
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Although ever year I hope to pay it down quicker other bills come up and take priority.
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