Money Counts

How to Avoid a Student Loan Disaster

Its senior year and life is great right now. The end is in sight, course load is a breeze and mom and dad don’t mind giving a few bucks when cash is tight; but what happens after graduation? It’s harder to get hired than you imagined and the bills are piling up. Student loan payments are about to be due and you’re barely making rent as is. In all those years of school why did no one prepare you for this?

Caitlin graduated from the University of Missouri with honors. After taking a year off to travel, she was about to begin her first semester of law school in Boston when she received notice that her $15,000 loan application had been denied. Somehow lost in the bliss of being a college grad Caitlin had overlooked the $300 Perkins loan she received as an undergrad.

Not only can missing a payment on your educational loans prevent you from getting into graduate school, it can cause trouble further down the road as well. Missed student loan payments are noted on your credit score and can ruin eligibility for home loans in the future.

According to a 2011 study, the average undergrad borrowed about $27,000 in four years of college. With the economic downturn these numbers have obviously raised along with the average number of years it takes to complete a bachelor’s degree (from four years to five and a half.)

Student loan debt is hard to shake once you’ve gotten into it. Even filing for bankruptcy won’t stop the interest from compiling. So how does a student avoid drowning in the whirlpool of borrowed cash?

Well, for starters always know what it is that you owe. Keep track of loans taken out and interest incurred on those loans so there won’t be any surprises after graduation and you can make a plan for repayment. Sure it’s easy not to worry about it while you’re in school and know you don’t have to make payments, but paying off the interest before it is capitalized can take thousands off the amount you have to pay in the long run.

This one may sound like common sense but pay your loans on time! It’s easy to lose track when funds come from various lenders but it is important to know who you owe and when you have to pay them. There are plenty of deferment options for college grads and even debt consolidation programs can be beneficial to help make ends meet. Lenders know the drill; they will do what it takes to get their money whether it means lowering monthly payments or other repayment plans.

Lastly, listen to the professors and focus on your schoolwork. The better the grades on your report, the more your financial aid increases. In addition, for every dollar earned over $2,500, your aid is reduced by 50 cents. So killing yourself working three jobs and barely passing eighteen credit hours will do much more harm than good.