Financial aid is does not usually cover the ever rising expenses of higher education. Students often have to get creative to pay for college. This usually means working one (or two) jobs and borrowing student loans, but no two students' experience is the same. Each student faces unique challenges and finds unique solutions to overcome these challenges.

There are plenty of statistics about how students and families pay for school, but these statistics can make it easy to forget that each number has a face attached to it; millions of people in similar situations, but with unique experiences and stories. This article looks at three students and their experiences paying for college.

David Blount is a former Berklee College of Music student who admits to being severely in the hole and is struggling to pay it back.

"Tuition and cost of living would run me about $40,000 a year and I was taking out all loans," he said. "For three semesters I worked to make sure I had food to eat and to go out from time to time with friends. After a while money was just a really big concern and I opted to not return. So after three and a half years I'm up to $133,000 in debt."

"My parents were cosigning these loans," Blount continued. "They had refinanced just so they could send me to school. I was just like enough. I didn't want anymore debt over their heads or mine. The main focus is to pay off my debt to where I feel comfortable about going back to school and finishing my degree."

Mr. Blount appreciates the education he received but is not so keen about the cost of receiving it.

"The level of education I was receiving was top notch, but the price of going to that school or any school for that matter is astronomical," he said.

Blount believes that even though he attended a top music school, there is no reason any school, no matter how good it is, should leave a student in debt for the rest of their lives. "Financially no this was not worth it, education wise yes," he said.

Blount is just one of many students who have stories about taking on debt to attain a degree. Considering the debt Blount accrued, it is hard to call him lucky, but some students don't have the support of their families and have to take care of all college expenses themselves.

Crystal Steed is a senior at North Carolina A&T State University and her family does not have the financial means to pay for school. She relies solely on financial aid.

"My mom can't pay for me to go to school so it's paid for all through financial aid," Steed said.

"I receive loans, grants, and scholarships. Freshman year I had a $9,000 loan, sophomore year $10,000, this year $2,000, and next school year I have a $7,000 loan. My scholarships and grants cover the rest," she said

Ms. Steed is not thrilled about accumulating nearly $30,000 in debt while earning a degree.

"I honestly don't want to pay this money back," she says. "Right now the money's doing nothing but building interest. So it says one amount but in reality it's a lot more. I wish college was just free all the way through. In the end I guess it's worth it but I won't know until I start working."

Isiah Scriven is a student at Prince George's Community College outside Washington DC. He shares a similar story with Steed and works to pay for school.

"Before attending PG, I spent a year at the Art Institute in Atlanta. The cost was about $23,000 a year and I was paying for it," Scriven said. "I got a job at a clothing store and had to go on a payment plan. I didn't really have a huge loan but I recently just finished paying them back last year. The major wasn't for me so I opted to leave and return home. I don't receive any kind of aid now and continue to work and pay for it myself. Although I still have some money to pay back I have done a good job of evading any real debt."

Mr. Scriven says it's been a hassle but continues to push on so he can finish school and accomplish his goals.

"I'm sure people look at me and think oh he's 22 and making his own way and doing well for himself. But people don't realize how stressful this is," he said. "I can't really do what I want because I'm using all of my money to pay for school, bills, and rent."

"I plan on attending Georgetown University next spring and getting my degree in Psychology," he continued. "I think it will be good because I'll be receiving a better education and because my mom works there, I won't have to really pay anything. I'll be going there all the way through grad school and then move to New York where I think I can find a pretty good job."

By Michael Jones II
NASFAA Communications Intern

Posted 06/10/09 to www.NASFAA.org. Redistribution to non-NASFAA institutions is prohibited. Please submit Web site questions or comments to Web@NASFAA.org.