![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Stryker88 on May 15, 2004, at 3:48:25
i am so overloaded with federal student loans, is anybody in the same boat, it is overwhelming and sometimes gets me pretty depressed to knw that I got to fork out this kinda dough 35,000 dollars in the hole is a tough position to be in.
Posted by gardenergirl on May 15, 2004, at 10:07:39
In reply to Student Loan Debt Sux, posted by Stryker88 on May 15, 2004, at 3:48:25
I'm not in the same boat, fortunately, but a number of my classmates are. I did have loans way back when I first started undergrad. It was really awful to be paying them back for 10 years when I never finished the degree. A lovely monthly reminder of dropping out. :(
Good luck to you.
gg
Posted by ghost on May 15, 2004, at 11:48:36
In reply to Student Loan Debt Sux, posted by Stryker88 on May 15, 2004, at 3:48:25
I'm $60k in the hole. In hindsight, I never should have gone to a non-state school. I haven't started paying back the debt yet, but have every intention of dealing with the lenders and explaining that I can't possibly make the payments they'll be expecting (I estimate $600 or $700 payments if not more), because of medical bills, monthly meds, other bills. They have to work with you if you make the effort to work with them to lower your payments.
I'm not looking forward to dying in debt. But hey, they always say "you can't take it with you!" That's gotta go for money you earn and money you owe, right?
Posted by octopusprime on May 15, 2004, at 12:06:28
In reply to Student Loan Debt Sux, posted by Stryker88 on May 15, 2004, at 3:48:25
i wish i had qualified for federal loans :(
while my debt was/is much smaller than yours, i carried higher interest loans (including some credit card debt at 20%, bank line of credit at 10% and 5%) immediately after graduation while i was unemployed. i had to make repayments without a job, no renegotiation available. it was awful, especially since people have been graduating into a soft job market for three years now.optimism: after two years of working i have reduced the principle of the debt significantly. even at the high interest rates. it is possible to crawl out from under.
i know the debt was making me suicidal at one point. because the loans were insured, i was worth more dead than alive (still am come to think of it). this is an unenviable position for anybody.
stryker, i hope for the best in your job search. i know the biggest difference in turning my feelings on debt around was getting a good job and being able to prove to myself that i was able to pay. because i never would have got the job without the degree, and because i had a lot of good and broadening experiences in school, it makes the degree "worth it".
all the best.
Posted by chemist on May 16, 2004, at 13:30:14
In reply to Re: Student Loan Debt Sux, posted by octopusprime on May 15, 2004, at 12:06:28
just over $90,000, half of which is in default...what a price for such wonderful memories, and i, too, mistakenly did not go to a state-school for my undergraduate work.....but at least the diploma has a nice frame! all the best, chemist
Posted by ghost on May 16, 2004, at 16:08:22
In reply to i've got you all beat... » octopusprime, posted by chemist on May 16, 2004, at 13:30:14
feh. i didn't even get a nice frame ;)
i assume by your nickname that you're a chemist by trade? so am i... small world...
Posted by chemist on May 16, 2004, at 17:07:11
In reply to Re: i've got you all beat... » chemist, posted by ghost on May 16, 2004, at 16:08:22
> feh. i didn't even get a nice frame ;)
>
> i assume by your nickname that you're a chemist by trade? so am i... small world...hey, i have a frame from Target: bought it myself. and yes, i have a degree in chemistry...you in industry/academia/other?....all the best, chemist
Posted by ghost on May 16, 2004, at 18:46:17
In reply to Re: i've got you all beat... » ghost, posted by chemist on May 16, 2004, at 17:07:11
haha. target :)
i just finished a year of grad school and loathed every second of it. i'm looking to go into industry asap. what about you?
Posted by chemist on May 16, 2004, at 20:41:12
In reply to Re: i've got you all beat... » chemist, posted by ghost on May 16, 2004, at 18:46:17
> haha. target :)
>
> i just finished a year of grad school and loathed every second of it. i'm looking to go into industry asap. what about you?ph.d in 1999. 3.5 years postdoc, then 1.5 year assistant professor, then industry contracting/collaboration, then start-ups (==unemployed). my experience says go for industry.....all the best, chemist
Posted by ghost on May 16, 2004, at 21:15:44
In reply to Re: i've got you all beat... » ghost, posted by chemist on May 16, 2004, at 20:41:12
glad to hear at least one of my life decisions is on the right track. :/ thanks
Posted by chemist on May 16, 2004, at 22:34:34
In reply to Re: i've got you all beat... » chemist, posted by ghost on May 16, 2004, at 21:15:44
> glad to hear at least one of my life decisions is on the right track. :/ thanks
...andi strongly recommend medicinal/pharmacuetical chemistry, for what it's worth....or, go the route of solid-state MEMS....all the best, chemist
Posted by ghost on May 16, 2004, at 23:24:32
In reply to Re: i've got you all beat... » ghost, posted by chemist on May 16, 2004, at 22:34:34
> ...andi strongly recommend medicinal/pharmacuetical chemistry, for what it's worth....or, go the route of solid-state MEMS....all the best, chemist
yay! that's where my leads are and my experience lies. glad to hear it!
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Social | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.