The time has come. After years of bettering yourself academically, you can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Basking in that light is the long awaited glory of graduation. The pomp and circumstance beckons you, but as you inch closer to that moment, you catch a fleeting glance of what lies beyond it.
Student loans. They’re waiting.
A few years ago, you welcomed them into your life so eagerly. You were bright-eyed, bushy tailed, wet behind the ears, and the appeal of receiving a fat stack of sweet, sweet Benjamins via direct deposit was just too much to resist. So you pulled the trigger. You welcomed those loans into your life with open arms. Every three months, 10 days before the first class of a new term, you watched your bank account and waited for subsidized Santa to come down the chimney and bestow upon you a sexy swath of federal cash.
You were going to pay it back, after all. You were going to graduate, get that slick new gig that promised to render coffer-filling paychecks and you were going to attack those loans every month—slowly and steadily—like a debt-felling Paul Bunyan.
However, there is a solid chance that you are just a few feet south of scared shitless and have questions about how you’re going to address your debt. Time to study up.
Do: Pay your debt.
I know what you may be thinking. “David, do I seem like some kind of idiot to you?” The answer is no. You’ve set yourself apart by pursuing and completing a higher education degree, and that’s worth something. But, in fairness, an average of 3,000 people in the United States default on their student loans every day, and a lot of them have degrees, too, so don’t sass me. This brings us to the next point.
Don’t: Default on your loans.
How do you default on your loans, and what happens if you do? When you miss your first payment, your loans become delinquent and you have 270 days to become current on the past-due balance or make other arrangements—more on those later—before your loans go into default. When they default, a veritable wave of unsavory things happen. Your credit score suffers drastically, you become ineligible for student loans in the future, and you lose out on the option to pursue various methods of debt relief. If you’re thinking “Debt relief? Why didn’t you start with the fucking debt relief?”, calm yourself. All in good time.
Do: Ask for help.
The grueling reality of student debt is not foreign to the world around you, and the world around you has, in turn, done a decent job of offering pathways to getting the help you need. So swallow your pride and investigate your options: You can reschedule your payments, apply for student loan forgiveness and pursue various other means of getting that sweet financial relief.
Don’t: Forget to utilize Portland State resources
You likely paid good money to attend this university. Lots and lots—and lots—of good money. So make sure to get every penny’s worth and visit the Student Financial Services website. You will find helpful tools like the Federal Student Aid loan repayment estimator, a handful of articles that outline the reality of student debt better than I could ever hope to and contact information for people who can educate you about the path that lies ahead and—if you ask nicely—might even let you cry it out for bit.
I am a Senior in the Applied Linguistics Bachelor of Arts program at PSU. I currently work as a linguistic grader with WeLocalize, an international localization firm. I am excited to start Vanguard’s brand new sports section, and I hope to cultivate it in a manner that best serves and represents PSU’s various student athletes. When I am not at work or at school, I spend my time obsessing over the Portland Trail Blazers—and the NBA in general—with my wife, Maggie.
Consider taking a class so you understand personal finance, debt and how to use the resources offerered at PSU (Fin. 218, School of Business, online, hybrid or traditional). Financial knowledge is one of the best gifts you will ever give yourself! as one student shared in a discussion post: “We have become so accustomed to being its debt that it feels ok, it isn’t ok and we need to become more aware of our financial situations. I loved this course because it is based so much on yourself and the experiences you have.” Also make an appointment with the Financial Wellness Center. We have counselors and peer mentors free of charge to help you with your specific questions and unique challenges. We can help you!