This was not common in my social circles in the early 2000s. More often than not, people would take as little as possible (to the point they were barely getting

This was not common in my social circles in the early 2000s. More often than not, people would take as little as possible (to the point they were barely getting by) because they were scared of being unable to pay them back. But these were also people that couldn't imagine going to an out-of-state school because of the tuition costs. Maybe a computer with a graphics card upgrade, but that was the extent of it. Also, the idea that you could you student loans for non-essentials was a foreign idea. But some people I knew did take out more than they needed, but it was enough to get pizza once a week, not live in a hotel. It makes me wonder, were loan limits much lower 20 years ago than now? It feels like this kind of over spending would have literally been impossible when I was in school.