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Student Loans

August 18th, 2006 at 08:07 pm

Yup, I have them. Of course I do. Just about everybody does now. I haven't had to pay them in a loooong time (like 4 years) because they were deferred when I was in grad school (3 years) and then again when I was on unemployment. But they will be starting up again soon (I think September, maybe not til October if I am lucky). So, how much do I owe?

$65K

Yup, $65,000 in student loans. It's both undergrad and grad school combined, so it's not too bad (at least, in my head it's not too bad if I look at it that way).

What's bad is I have 2 degrees in writing (a BFA in Creative Writing and a MA in Professional Writing) and my job has nothing to do with writing.

Oh well, at least it pays the bills for now.

So, how much in student loans do you have?

8 Responses to “Student Loans”

  1. LdyFaile Says:
    1155928531

    $34k from two bachelor degrees. One (Computer Science) I'm using to some extent, well at least I work in the field, and the other (Accounting) I have yet to use becuase I can't find a job that will pay me enough to cover my bills plus accept that I have little experience. Ah well. One of these days...

  2. ima saver Says:
    1155932264

    I don't think they had student loans when I was in school. I worked 1 full time job and 1 part time job when i went.

  3. debtfreeme Says:
    1155937508

    about 50k from grad school and undergrad.

    what is teh best resource you can think of to improve someones writing skills? mine suck and i really need to improve them. How can i do that?

  4. jewelsmom Says:
    1155940995

    When I was in school (early 1980s), I worked a part time job, we had a credit union at the hospital I worked, I would take out a low-interest short-term loan and pay that semester off before the next. Then take out another loan, etc. until I graduated with my BS 4yrs later. I lived at home.

    My husband saved his paper route money to go to college. It paid his expenses. He had full tuition scholarship because his father was a university professor. His Grad school was on a stipen, he worked grading papers and tuition was covered.

    So when we met, no school debt.

    My 20yr old (Junior in college) daughter does not have any school loan debt.
    New Mexico Lottery funds pay approx. 75% of NM college tuition (in-state schools, for in-state students, maintaining a good GPA, going directly to college after NM High School). Strict rules, and once you mess up, you don't get back in - no exceptions!

    Her dad and I pay her room/board to live in another part of the state. She did get some small local scholarships, that she uses to pay for books and to cover the 25% not paid by the NM Lottery Scholarship.

    We didn't really plan it this way, but it worked out.

    Many of her 20-something friends are either chin-deep in school loan debt or dropped out of college because they did not qualify for the NM State Lottery Scholarships. My daughter sees them struggling (no parent support, working 2+ jobs & going to school, selling their plasma, etc.) and knows she is very VERY LUCKY.

  5. jodi_m Says:
    1155954703

    Wow, makes me wish I lived in NM! NY lotto is supposed to contribute towards education...but I think very little actually makes it.
    DH and I graduated with $15k apiece - the maximum Stafford loans (I had close to a full tuition, but still had to pay for room and board). We both worked all through college. I have mine down to $6k, but his are back at $15k (after being down to $6k) since he went back for his Masters in teaching (career change). Someday we'll all be free...best of luck to you!

  6. Kris10leigh Says:
    1155956059

    Wow....you're making me realize how important it is to save now for college for my 4 and 6 year olds. I don't plan to foot the entire billl, but I don't want them to be $65,000 in the hole either!

  7. koppur Says:
    1155995978

    Wish I lived in NM, too! Or the UK...in the UK your associates degree is considered pblic school, like k-12. No tuition. The same in France, too. *sigh* Wish our government took care of us like that. 1st you couldn't get a job without a HS diploma. Then it was without an associates, then a bachelors. Now, you can't get a decent job without a masters for the most part. I hate to think of what it will be like when our kids are just getting into the work field. And I don't even have kids yet!

    As for my Sl debt...he deal w/my Mom and Dad was I could go to any undergrad school I wanted, and they would foot the bill, as long as I applied for as manyscholoships and student loans as possible. My undergrad tution totaled outto about $100,000. Then, grad school I had to do on my own. Grad school (much cheaper shcool...and better for it too, I might add) was about $45K. *sigh* Did I mention I am not even working in my field right now???

  8. koppur Says:
    1155996591

    Debtfreeme: There are a few things you can do to be a better writer.

    1. Read outloud what you hae written. A lot of the times people get writing and don't think about how it actually sounds. If it sounds the way you would normally say something, chances are you've written it correctly.

    2. Make outlines when you are writing something with a lot of details or somthing that will be very long. This helps you remember everything you need to say. Organize it so that you talk about things in groups. For exmple, if you are writing an essay on your typical day, write about everything that went into breakfast, then everything about the shopping trip (!) you took, then everything about your kids. Don't mix and match details and jump around. It just makes it confusing.

    3. Read a lot. It's true, the more you read, the better you write. As you read, your mind takes in what sounds good and how things should be phrased. Then when you are writing, your mind automatically recalls this and can tell you if somehing sounds wrong.

    4. Know your grammer. One of the biggest mistakes in writing is not knowing whether to use it's or its. Your or you're. Not knowing if a sentence you wrote is a dangling particible (yup, real expression there...didn't make that one up).

    5. Write often. Even just here on your blog or in a journal. Write every day. The more you write the better you become at it. And everytime you write (even if it is just a quick e-mail or note) make sure you write it correctly (following grammer, spelling etc). It'll train your brain to do that automatically, so when it comes to writing something important, your brain doesn't have to stop and think about it.

    Hope this helps some!!! =)

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