It was essentially the same parlor trick as convincing you a payday loan is a good idea, just with the seal of approval of perceived authorities. In my own case

It was essentially the same parlor trick as convincing you a payday loan is a good idea, just with the seal of approval of perceived authorities. In my own case, back in the 1980s, loan "counseling" barely existed- it was just a form your college's financial aid deparment made you sign. Very little discussion of the implications at all. Due to a long period of under- or un- employment, my student loans ballooned from the initial balance of $25K in the late 1980s to $100K today. Only in the past ten years could I finally afford their ridiculously high "income-sensitive" payment, and I will likely just be paying the interest until I die. That's why we need relief- abuse of the trust of millions of young people- the vast majority of whom likely had never financed a thing before that point- at the hands of a predatory loan system endorsed by higher ed and the feds.