— which he plans on reapplying for each year — that will allow him to pay about $300 a month. He’ll be receiving the monthly bill for the next 50 or so years.“I don’t think about it actually ever ending,” Resetar said. “I don’t see that as a possibility anymore.” Thinking about it as another utility bill provides him some comfort.
Still, Resetar doesn’t blame his younger self for choosing experiences over economic freedom — even if that means resisting how long he can go without turning on the air conditioner in Texas’ summer heat. If he wasn’t in such debt, he’d likely buy a house or condo, go back to graduate school to learn more marketable skills and pursue romantic relationships, which he tends to avoid out of fear of what people would think of his debt. “I think I have come to terms with that,” he said.Damon Mitchell, who moved to Dallas last year, was two years younger than most of his peers when he graduated high school. The Detroit native felt lost.
The pause allowed Mitchell to move to Nashville, explore different career paths and make his way to Texas to work at a nonprofit. Now that federal loan repayments are set to resume, he’s considering enrolling part-time at a community college to continue deferring his payments.Mitchell looks at the financial consequences of the decision he made before he was an adult. Now he only feels regret.When Allen Whitelock’s daughter, Alli, enrolled in college, she opted to attend the University of Tulsa.