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Justice@studentloanjustice.org
Pennsylvania
The following are testimonials submitted to this site. To tell your story, please go here. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Sean I went o Dickinson College after I got out of the Army. I was led to believe that I was now going to enter the better side of life. But Dickinson drained all my veterans benefits and left em with student loans. They made no attempt to male phone calls to get me a good job. So, I returned home because I had no other place to go. My only job choices were working in a factory for $9.00/hour or temp. So I took the bus into NYC for a 4 hour ride each way. I hoped that a company would hire me full time but they preferred long-term temps. I could not sustain my impending student loan payments nor the commute and I did not have the economic resources to move to NYC or anyplace else. So I applied to grad schools. I then went to Columbia and thought that I now was going to enter the better side of life but gained no such access. I saw my classmates getting jobs making about $100,000/year and wanted one too. So I chose the graduate major that was said to lead to the best paying jobs but I did not get offered one. Columbia made no attempt to make phone calls and pull strings to get me a six digit job or any other job. I then returned home and worked for $9.00/hour in a factory. I considered returning to temping and commuting to NYC 4 hours one way again. I called some agencies and was told by a young 20 something girl with a British accent that I was not qualified for office work because I was doing Physical labor. I was very disgusted that so many foreigners come here and get good corporate jobs while we must do physical labor or work in Walmart or McDonalds and the like. I then returned to Columbia and got another grad degree, hoping that this one would lead me to a job making real money. But it did not and could not keep up with the many foreign students who come to the US much better prepared for graduate school and then get well paying jobs in our country, while we must do working class labor jobs. I asked the PA unemployment office but they tell me it is not their job to help me get a management job or a job making $100,000 per year. They resent that I expect them to help me do so. They make sure I understand that I am not special because I have an advanced education and I will learn to settle for a $9.00 per hour like everyone else. I explain that this won't help repay my loans. They tell me tough. That's my problem. But the truth is my loan debt comes out of the economy and it is those who are making money who actually end up sucking up the cost of my education. But they can't see that. All of my loans want to put me on a graduated payment plan but I can't even make that. No lender is willing to have a conference call with all the other lenders. But at this point the only thing that I can tell them is that I cannot come up with the money. I am very angry at my first educational institution for putting me on this education path in the first place. They drained my GI benefits but they did not guarantee me a job. I expected that and they knew that. I even put it in my personal statement that I expected "prosperity" in exchange for going to college and I told them exactly what job and career I wanted. They admitted me by saying that they were the "perfect" place for me but they weren't. They also left me very poorly prepared for graduate school in comparison to the students from competitor schools and especially from overseas. There was only one Dickinson College alumni in my graduate two graduate programs. So I guess the students who go to Dickinson already have something lined up before attending college. But schools can't take all your college benefits and approve your student loans if they are not sure you are going to make enough money to repay the debt. They are wrong for that. I am very angry with them for that. They not only did not help me get to a better place in life, the put the nails in my coffin to ensure that I would never climb out of my student loan debt. They sentenced me to a life in poverty. I really hate them for that. But I hate them even more for turning their backs on me, forbidding me from ever contacting anyone associated with the college, to include alumni and denying me access to the alumni network. They
fear that
I will identify
other dissatisfied
graduated
and start
a movement
against them.
They are so
wrong and
evil about
how they go
about doing
what they
do and the
government
just ignores
the problem
because the
educational
lobbies have
linked up
with the banking
lobbies and
the banks
donate money
to the politicians.
College and
university
education
in the US
is nothing
more than
a racket that
needs to be
busted up.
If a school
cannot get
you a job
making more
money than
you could
have made
without the
education,
you should
not be expected
to repay the
debt and the
school should
be forced
to repay,
to you, the
full cost
of having
attended college
brought forward
to present
value.
DB I took out several loans to help pay for my College during the mid to late 1980's. Upon graduating in 1989, I had difficulty finding employment and ended up working in Restaurants and retail stores for the years to come. I kept deferring my loans (and accruing interest) until I ran out of deferments. I then procedeed to pay for three years until I lost my job and was in over my head with credit card debt. From an original loan of around $10,000, I now owe nearly $30,000 which includes a $9,000 fee from a collection agency. My options are to take out a loan or make payment arrangements, both of which will cost me around $400+ per month. I make $39,000 a year and have a wife and two kids to support. I cannot afford this and am constantly being bothered the collection agency despite the fact that I moved to Europe several years ago. I really want to pay this money as the guilt of these loans is on my mind 24 hours per day. My credit in the USA has been destroyed and I am unable to even get a copy of my college transcripts. I don't honestly know how a collection agency is allowed to charge a %40 fee on top of the loans which are continuing to accrue interest. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Witheld Yes,
all that has
happened to
the others
happened to
me too.
I can't believe
there are
so many of
us. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Jenny 10
years ago
I took out
a student
loan for $3,200.
I was an irresponsible
young adult
and I never
graduated
from college.
I had deferred
my loans to
the max and
then I just
never paid,
thinking they
would never
find me. I
now owe $14,00.
I am now married
with 2 small
children.
My husband
and I both
work low paying
jobs and we
have to pay
$265 a week
for day care.
The IRS has
seized our
tax rebate(mostly
from my husbands
revenue) for
$6,000. We
were going
to use this
rebate to
get caught
up on our
late mortgage
and car payments.
We are now
in serious
financial
trouble. I
spoke to the
creditor and
they are not
willing to
take a settlement,
they didn't
even know
about the
seized money.
I told them
I was willing
to pay the
original loan
amount plus
reasonable
interest but
they are not
willing. I
do understand
that I owe
this debt,
but these
laws are only
in their favor.
Who is protecting
the rights
of the borrower????? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Jason My
story is at
youtube for
all to see: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Frederick TA
doctor butchered
my wife in
1997. She
could not
return to
her job as
a casemanager.
We were forced
into reorganization
bankruptcy
to save our
home. We paid
nearly 80000in
53 months
and completed
our plan.
Three of our
adult children
had plus loans
when we went
into the plan.
The bankruptcy
lawyer told
us "Dont
worry about
it. Tell them
not to worry
about it.
More than
likely they
will be discharged.
:They don't
have to make
payments during
the reorganization
if they don't
want to."
We passed
this on to
our children.
We believed
everything
we were told.
We were never
told about
the plus loans
being sold
and resold
while we were
in reorganization.
We never heard
of AES oor
ECMC or anyone.
We were so
trusting of
our lawyer
it makes me
sick that
he never gave
us the information
we should
have had to
protect our
children.
At the end
of our plan
the bankruptcy
court had
paid about
5000 out on
our childrens
three loans
separaely
and on my
wifes loan
for school. When the plan closed and we began receiving piles of notices and warnings etc from Smae we were lost. They waited until everything was final and began a barrage of mail announcing huge huge amounts of interest that had been salpped on each loan. (Our oldest son had auto debit and paid 87 an mo. on his loan. At the beginnning of our Ch 13 plan his balance was about 11,500. It was originally 9000 but when he graduated and consolidated it went to 11000 and now they added 0ver 6000 in interest all in one day. He was furious. :They began taking 183.00 a month out of his checking account instead of 87. He stopped paying on his loan. Of course that meant I had to watch my fragile credit hx destroyed that my wife and I were just getting all clear. My son won't pay them.) Our daughters loan went back to 1992. She had borrowed 2000 for grad school on a plus loan. She faithfully paid every mnth anythingn from 40 to 50 and had each cancelled check. She assumed her loan was paid off since we received nothing form anyone regarding her loan and her figures showed that it was paid. Her loan reappeared. One line showed a 0 bal. and the next one showed almost 2600 or 2700. Our youngest son had almost the same amount of 600 in interest added to the balance of his 2000 loan. He also had paid off the other plus loan of 2000 during our reorganization. In addition the funs taken out of our payments into the Ch 13 reorg. (about 5000) never showed up anywhere. We were directed to another company AES? or ecme? and they said if you think the fed court sent us money prove it. if your daughter has all her cancelled checks..prove it. This is where we are at: My wife is nearly sixty and I am in my sixties. I could have retired last year. I cannot afford to retire. I am now trying to pay my son's share of thse plus loans every month. My wife gets 575 a month in disability from the government. She is totally and permanently disabled because she trusted a doctor. She cannot walk except for a few small steps without assistance. Many days she has to stay in a wheelchair. We walked and hiked everywhere. She cannot bath or care for herself wihtout help. The attorney never told us what would happen with these loans. It was a great concern to us and my wife asked him at any meeting for answers about the plus loans and her loan. We got the same answer. If we had been given the information about how they sell these loans and move them around. I still do not understand it. I am afraid I am going to have a heart attack form the stress of all of this. We did file for a discharge of her loan in May of 2005. I found your site on a website about Sallie Mae. I am sick about all of this. If I had had any idea what I was getting into I would never have signed for any plus loan. Each of my children are married working adults and tried to do the normal responsible thin with these loans. The harder they tried it seesm the more interest and fees were added. My
wifes original
loan when
she returned
to school
in the 80's
to get another
degree for
a beter job.
Grew from
$13,000 to
70,000 plus.
She is battling
such deep
depression
right now
I am afraid
for her. She
has been trying
to get thngs
together to
prove thses
monies were
sent to them.
It is overwhelming.
I do not understand
in this nation,
where they
send our tax
dollars to
every country
in the world
for everything,
the government
can allow
untold families
to be treated
this way.
I do not understand.
And when I
call I have
to talk to
someon in
India
that I can
barely understand.
What hurts
the worst
is our son
leaving us
to eal with
this. He says
he will pay
his loan but
not 6000 plus
in interest
they added
on. And the
lawyer told
us in 1998
that they
are not allowed
to add interest
and late fees
and now he
says he never
told us that. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Witheld My
husband the
victim of
a hit and
run driver,
and he was
left in a
vegetative
state for
months. This
took our savings,
and left bills. My
dreams were
shattered
when my Dad
had a heart
attack and
then a stroke. I
was needed
at home for
awhile to
help my elderly
Mom take care
of him.
I took a part
time job,
and took a
deferment
for awhile
with full
intentions
of finishing
graduate school.
Well, my Dad
got worse,
and my Mom
started having
medical problems
too.
PHEAA allows
someone to
care for a
sick child,
but not a
sick parent
who lives
in the same
home. I was
told I had
to start paying.
Unfortunately,
what I could
pay, and what
they wanted
was two different
things. So,
they sent
a letter to
my employer
and I was
let go. In
the meantime,
I had a Dad
with cancer,
a bad heart,
who had multiple
mini-strokes
to take care
of and a Mom
with orthopedic
problems. Then
I found another
job...paid
what I could...and
had to go
on family
leave because
the end was
near for my
Dad. That
is when I
was defaulted.
To think that
the goverment
speaks of
the importance
of FAMILY
VALUES... I
have been
in and out
of low-paying
jobs without
benefits.
I tried to
pay, but it
has never
been enough,
so the loan
has been handed
from collection
agency to
collection
agency...sold...and
it has risen
from the original
$14,500 loan
to a now whopping
$31,000...and
increasing. I
agree that
something
needs to be
done about
this, but
What? NO one
listens...politicians
certainly
don't, and
everyone else
looks upon
us as losers,
and dead beats.
My life is
ruined. If
only I would
have worked
my way through
college slowly
and would
have paid
for it as
I went. Maybe
the factory
work wasn't
so bad after
all. At least
I had my dignity. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Karen During
my semester
of student
teaching I
ended up getting
a divorce.
My daughter
and I moved
out before
I had even
finished.
I did not
get a job
for several
months after
I finished
school.
In short I
used up the
period of
deferment
because I
could not
afford to
make the payments.
Although I
contacted
my lender
and still
do, I was
unable to
get a smaller
interest rate.
Now I am locked
in at 8.25%
I was unaware
that I could
go to another
lender to
lower the
rate.
Now that I
have the information
it is too
late. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Linda I
finally went
to college
in my 40s
after my husband
left me with
two children,
3 and 8 in
1987.
(He is since
deceased.)It
was a graphics
art school-
2 year course
and I paid
for it with
grants and
loans.
I graduated
and paid directly
to PHEAA
until my loan
ballooned.
I was receiving
letters from
Sallie Mae.
I called and
they said
they could
reduce my
payments. |