A lot of commenters are zero'ing in on the author's experience, and I think they're missing the broader point. It isn't about what the author should have done,

A lot of commenters are zero'ing in on the author's experience, and I think they're missing the broader point. It isn't about what the author should have done, it's about a system of financial aid and rising educational costs that is broken, and that irreparably punishes people like the author for making mistakes while letting others off the hook. Depending on how you look at it, he was meant to fail all along (principal + ballooning interest = more profit, right?), and that is the point.