I am a senior nursing student. I will graduate in May with my BSN, I am 27 and will be 28 years old when I graduate. I started out at a community college and took all my core classes. I decided to go into a BSN program at a local private school that would allow me to get into clinical right away without being wait-listed. I thought it would only take 3 years to graduate as I had all my core classes completed. But instead it took me the full 4 years because I was required to take religion, art, history, statistics and even a gym class. I have remained at the top of my class and received academic honors the entire time I have been in college.
Now that I am approaching graduation my federal loans are maxed out. My subsidized and unsubsidized loan balance is $53,000 something. Interest is $4000 something with a total balance of $57000. I just received an e-mail that my loan repayment will be around $600 per month. I still have one more semester in school which will be about ($13000). So this is likely to increase along with the interest by the time I graduate. I am so concerned because I am going to be 28 in May and I want to get married, buy a house and have a family. I fear this debt will prevent me from doing any of these things. I'd also like to go back to school and become a nurse practitioner, but this will only lead to further debt.
I have looked into loan repayment programs such as the nurse corps loan repayment program in which you work in a high need area to have your loans forgiven. But according to the eligibility you have to already be employed full-time in a high need area and even if you apply there is no promise you will get into the program. I don't want to be in over head working in a dangerous area either...I just don't know what to do. Does anyone have any advice or know of any options for me? I am terrified that by having this debt my life is going to slip away from me.
