Student loan debt threatens graduates' financial future
By Susan Tompor
Detroit Free Press Personal Finance Columnist
Janelle O'Hara knows her college debt isn't anything close to the financial migraine hitting other college grads.
The 24-year-old pays $150 a month for her $17,000 in federal student loans -- not much next to the $300 or $400 a month that some of her friends pay.
One of her friends who didn't graduate had to choose between rent one month and the student loan payment. Rent won -- the young woman needed somewhere to live.
"It's there, and it's nagging at you while you're in school. But it's nothing like when you get that first notice saying, 'Oh, by the way, you're going to have to start paying,' " said O'Hara, who works full-time as a social media specialist at Michigan First Credit Union in Lathrup Village. ..............(more)
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http://www.freep.com/article/20120727/COL07/307270123/Susan-Tompor-Student-loan-debt-threatens-graduates-financial-future?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE