In today's day and age college students are really feeling the struggle when it comes to paying off their loans. As a result, many of them become even more stressed when they graduate about finding a job right away to begin paying off the mountains of debt they now owe.

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Many college students scramble to find a way to pay for school, whether they pay for it by taking out loans, grants or being lucky enough to be awarded scholarships. However, the struggle of paying off the money is something that takes years to go away.

More and more college students are working at least one part time job while in school to help pay which adds a lot more stress to their already stressful days. But after factoring in what they owe, they are not left with much money to do anything else with.

The cost of attending school rises each year and there are so many people who are not able to attend college strictly because they can not afford it. Textbooks alone can cost a couple of hundred dollars and when you factor in all of the other costs, a person can put themselves in quite a hole.

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Ashley, from Jackson, graduated college in May of 2015 and was lucky enough to get a job a few months later. However, even with the job she has now she finds herself putting almost of her money towards paying off the loans.

She complains of constant stress as she struggles to make money to pay off the loans. "I used loans all four years of college, so I owe a lot of money. So I just feel like I'm going to be paying it back for the rest of my life."

Ashley said she felt the need to jump into the workforce right after graduating, not giving her any time to relax. "After graduation, I definitely felt a lot of pressure to get a job because after like six months I had to start paying off my loans."

Gabby, from Howell, is a college student who is relying on a variety of ways to get her through college. To help pay off some of the money, Gabby began working while in college during her sophomore year. However, it still did not leave her with much spending money.

If college students are feeling the pressure to get a job and pay off their loans essentially the day after graduating, then clearly something needs to be done. Getting an education is so important, but there needs to be some changes about the way the system works.

Colleges and universities need to make money, but they need to look into some other ways to get said money besides charging the students the amount of money they do. Many alumni donate to their respective schools but are rarely incentivized. Devising a way to bring return value to a contribution might spark more of them.

State legislation routinely centers around college affordability. The NJ Stars program, which helps bright high-schoolers into two-year colleges, is a time-tested example of positive incentivization, Perhaps this can be broadened to four-year colleges and universities.

Finally, college administrators would do well to look at their own economic structures. We are in an age of doing more with less. It is vital for the future of the educational system, and the futures of everyone who moves through it, that every penny count.

Are you feeling the pain of paying off loans?  Leave us a comment below and fill us in on your specific situation.

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