Student loans

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Ryanh1801

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Anyone on here have any experiences with them? Most of the people I have talked to have nothing good to say about them, what are some things to consider and things to look at when getting one. I only have 3 semesters left, but am thinking of trying to get a summer internship that would be unpaid up in D.C., but it would be a opportunity of a life time, hopefully lead to a job that I could not get any other way. Main problem is there is no way I could afford rent on my house in Dallas and an apartment up there, plus living expenses. I would probably only need 5,000 or so, so it would not be a ton of money. I just have heard horror story's of people paying on them for 5 years and only paying off a few hundred dollars. Any info you have would be great, as I know nothing when it comes to these things.

Thanks
 
Student loans are usually better than credit cards. The interest rate is lower and they are usually easier to deal with. The minimum monthly payments are almost 90% interest and 10% principal. To have an OK experience with them you have to pay more than the monthly minimum. I have one with Bank of America and have no specific complaints with them.

Also, as far as unpaid jobs are concerned. You should see if you can swing working ~30 hrs a week then get a part time job, even though that might be a lot of work you will have a little money to cover groceries. I had a friend that worked at the White House, unpaid, for a summer. He made a deal with his parents that he would graduate in 3 years so they paid for that summer in exchange. Housing in DC can get very pricey...get something outside the city on the Metro lines if you can.
 
Beerrific said:
Student loans are usually better than credit cards. The interest rate is lower and they are usually easier to deal with. The minimum monthly payments are almost 90% interest and 10% principal. To have an OK experience with them you have to pay more than the monthly minimum. I have one with Bank of America and have no specific complaints with them.

Also, as far as unpaid jobs are concerned. You should see if you can swing working ~30 hrs a week then get a part time job, even though that might be a lot of work you will have a little money to cover groceries. I had a friend that worked at the White House, unpaid, for a summer. He made a deal with his parents that he would graduate in 3 years so they paid for that summer in exchange. Housing in DC can get very pricey...get something outside the city on the Metro lines if you can.

First off thanks for the info. Does your have a penalty for paying it off early. That was one of the things I have heard. I would definitely try and pay it off as fast as I can, I hate being in debt. I could try and swing a second job, but the two places im considering have a strict policy on where and who you can work for while with them.
 
There's no penalty that I know of for paying off early, but you might want to check the specific details because not all are the same. I am currntly paying off mine and my wife's. On mine it has the option to have the extra money applied toward the principal or just delay the next payment, which just adds to the interest. I always check the box to apply it toward the principal. BTW, mine is through Student Loan Corp., part of Citibank and my wife's is through Sallie Mae.
 
A student loan is likely the best deal on a loan you will ever get (at least here in Canada).

That might not be enough incentive to get one though.

If someone offered you the least invasive nostril penetration would you take it?

Seriously though, it is WAY better than a credit card. :mug:
 
My wife and I both had our loans through Direct Loans, an I can say I did not have a bad experience. The interest rate was lower on the student loans than any other loans I had during the time, vehicles, mortgage, credit cards, etc. And I paid them off early without any penalty. Might look into that one.
 
Granted my experience with student loans was a long time ago, but as with any credit line, paying the minimum each month really increases your total costs and payoff time. I paid mine in two years.
 
Student loans are a necessary evil for me. I've got a considerable amount of them, but I wouldn't have the job I have, or the opportunities I've had without them. It's real ****ty to start off post-school with a big chunk of debt, but if it gets you to where you want to be then it's all worth it.

With that said, $5k is almost nothing, if that'll get you to DC, then I say do it. Be careful of the terms, but they tend to be better than any other form of credit.
 
Yea, 5k isn't bad, I took out about $5800 and I've been out of school for 8 months and that's down to 5100. I've been paying more than the monthly limit but I've also paid off 3k in credit cards since getting out of school. I imagine I'll have it completely paid off in 2 years, but hopefully only 1.

Not a bad idea if you need it, think about how lots of people take out 20k+ or 100k+ if going for doctor/lawyer.
 
I finished up University with about $11000 in student loans, in Canada. I moved to the U.S. when the U.S. dollar was equivalent to $1.50 Canadian. Needless to say, I took care of my loan in no time at all!. SWEET!:mug:
 
Thanks a lot for the info guys. Guess ill go ahead and apply and see what happens, its a long shot but, would be great if I can get it.
 
My wife and I both have student loans. All of them were Direct loans from the federal government. Both of us consolidated our loans a year ago at 2.625%.

Needless to say, our money market through a local CU earns the exact same amount of interest that this loan is costing us, so we only pay the minimum payment each month.

Oh, and that rate is locked in for the life of the loan, most are amortized over 10 years.

It isn't a bad deal at all.
 
get something outside the city on the Metro lines if you can.
On the VA side! You do not want to get an affordable place on the MD side that has Metro access unless you plan to have nothing in your place and are well armed.

If you do Come let me know, my House should be ready in October and I'll be brewing again (I live about 30 min south of the Beltway on the MD side)
 
budbo said:
On the VA side! You do not want to get an affordable place on the MD side that has Metro access unless you plan to have nothing in your place and are well armed.

If you do Come let me know, my House should be ready in October and I'll be brewing again (I live about 30 min south of the Beltway on the MD side)

Thanks thats good info to know. If I end up, there ill do that. I might go crazy with a whole summer with no brewing.
 
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