In the day-to-day world you can’t simply tell a banker that you want $2,000 and then have the money a few days later. Most of us can’t do that, anyway. They want your paper work, they scrutinize your credit score; it’s a big headache and then you may not get the money despite it all.

As a student that’s not the case. I can sit down and say, “I need $2,000″ and they hand me loan papers to sign. I sign them, they take them, and a week later I can have the money in my account. There is a brief counseling session before the first loan, but after that the process takes only a few minutes. It’s very easy and accessible, which is both good and bad.

Can you blame students for going into tens-of-thousands of dollars in debt? Tuition costs, book costs, living expenses, and yes, toys and fun all require a load of cash. The pressure to take out those loans is huge.

Thankfully, student loan consolidation can help make paying it off a less stressful experience. It can lower monthly payments by extending the terms of the loan. While taking longer to pay off, at least it won’t hurt the pocket book as much eh?

For now I am not in such debt that I need to do this, but after another year or two at the university I may have to consider student loan consolidation options. Finding services now can make decision making then an easier process.

~Steph