How Biden’s student loan relief plan getting the axe feels to someone with $0 in college debt
A federal judge's decision to rule Biden's student loan forgiveness plan unlawful highlights the vulnerable spot students find themselves in: face burnout now or later.
A federal judge blocked President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program on Thursday, declaring it unlawful. The decision has left me sad and frustrated, even though I’ve paid off all my college debt.
I was thrilled when I first heard about Biden’s student debt relief. Though I hadn’t borrowed money for graduate school and no longer had my undergraduate loans, many of my friends and coworkers still had theirs. Some of their interest rates are so outrageous that even a decade out, they still owe nearly as much as they borrowed. Many of them have multiple jobs.
They were — and are — living my old burnout life.
The increase in college tuition and predatory lending have created a situation where, unless you’re fortunate to get a full-ride scholarship or come from a lot of money, students are vulnerable.
When I was in grad school, I had three jobs. At my worst, I was a full-time student and covered the desk at a tennis club. And the content coordinator of a local magazine. And a graduate assistant — a position that came, miraculously, with a partial tuition waiver. I started dabbling in freelance editing, too.
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