Dear Girl with Student Debt,

I understand how you’re feeling right now. Borrowing money is hard, especially large loans of money, so it’s terrifying to realize that you owe something much, much bigger than yourself.

But if you need to take student loans out to pay for school, then please do so. Your education is incredibly important. The numbers matter, but your self-improvement is worth more.

Remember that this loan does not rule you. You deserve to have a good experience at school while you’re there.

However, with that being said, please don’t forget about the numbers. Even if you are doing deferment while you’re in school (like I am), the interest piles up -- fast. Likewise, graduation comes up fast, and you’re going to be stuck staring at this big, scary number and no real plan on how to pay it off. Be mindful of it.

It’ll loom over you if you’re not aware of how much money you’ll be owing. Use your money responsibly. Pay off what you can while you’re in school, if possible. Try to at least make a plan on how to pay it off in the future. Then spend your money on what you want -- it’s all about moderation.

However, even with all of this advice and statements from me, I am still learning how to deal with student loans too. This is a completely new thing to me, as of three years ago. I didn’t learn anything about it until senior year of high school. It’s definitely an experience to live under the idea of borrowing a large sum of money so I can have a job that gives me a decent amount of money for a salary. We’ll continue learning about this together.

You got this. I got this.

Sincerely,

From the Girl with Student Debt