Calling for student debt stories

 

I mentioned in my last post that I was on the verge of paying off my student loans. On December 3rd, I completed the transfer. I'm officially debt free.

I'm currently writing a piece about paying off student loans early (graduation was less than five years ago). Did you know that the average student debt per person in the US is now $29,400?

At the moment, the piece I'm working on has my story and my strategies for getting out of debt. I'd like to include anecdotes from other people who have paid off their student debt or are still in the process. If you're interested in sharing your story, please let me know at snyoung88@gmail.com. I'm mostly looking for Americans or people who went to US schools for this piece.

Here are some questions to give you an idea of the kind of information I'm seeking. Feel free to answer these questions directly, only answer some, or just drop me a few lines about your own student debt situation. You will remain anonymous unless you explicitly give me permission to quote you.

1) How did you decide to take on student loans? Did you feel you had any other options?

2) Approximately how much did you borrow? (Again, this is totally optional and anonymous if you want to share. I'm going to include all of my own numbers.)

3) What is your current debt status? If you're in repayment, does your debt feel manageable? If you've already paid off your debt, how did you do it and how long did it take?

4) What's the biggest sacrifice or most extreme measure you've had to take in order to make your student loan payments?

5) Was it worth it? This is the $70,000 question for me, one I'm planning to answer in my student debt piece.

Thanks in advance for your stories!