I have an $18,000+ bill leftover after dropping out. How to not let it crush me?

Submitted by myopinionnoconseq t3_11drsb8 in personalfinance

I enrolled at an out of state school for my freshman year of college. It was way too expensive and a very poor financial decision. I dropped out third trimester (spring 2022) , and I have an $18,000+ bill leftover from room, board, and the last semester's tuition that I didn't pay. Minimum payment per month that I was offered was $268 - I can barely afford that, so there isn't a way for me to pay more. I am being charged a $130 late fee + $6 "billing fee" every month that the balance is not paid of in full, which means I'm basically not paying anything on it at all even if I am making the $268 payment.

Are there any debt options that I can take that make this anymore manageable? I feel like at this rate I will be in debt to the school forever and never have a decent credit score. Thanks in advance.

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krustymeathead t1_jaaihxu wrote

I believe an $18,000 bill on a payment plan with $136 of monthly fees is similar (right now) to paying back an $18,000 loan at 9% interest (12*136/18000). I was thinking about the possibility of refinancing the bill with debt, but I'm not sure you'd find an unsecured loan for less than 9%. Paying it back with the current plan may be the best option for now.

edit: if the $136 monthly is a flat fee amount, then at $5000, $136 is the same as 32% interest. not sure if refinancing the debt is possible but at some point it may make sense, once it is paid down to the point that the effective rate is higher than credit card rates.

edit2: also, paying the minimum on that bill until it is paid off will take around 12 years (and $18,632 in fees), so getting to a point where you can pay more than the minimum will help a lot since you'll be avoiding that extra $136 per month.

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myopinionnoconseq OP t1_jaazbly wrote

I will look into it. The post says that i am being charged $136 every month the bill is not payed off in full, which means they will charge that even if i only owe $5. thank you for your advice.

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MrDozens t1_jaafziy wrote

How much are you making and what are your expenses? Im not caught up with the school loan stuff, but didnt they put a freeze on that because it’s going through the court?

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myopinionnoconseq OP t1_jaagkep wrote

It's not a loan, it's a bill. Last year total I made ~$22,000 for the whole year, work is relatively inconsistent for me; i've applied to over 100 jobs since November and haven't landed one. My goal is to land a full-time job with ~$16/hr wage sometime in the next couple of months. Until mid-May I am doing campaign work for ~ 7.5 hours a week for $20/hr

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Weekly-Ad353 t1_jaat5bz wrote

Go to Target, sign up.

$16/hr done and done.

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myopinionnoconseq OP t1_jaazf7w wrote

😅 its always very interesting when people assume that i haven't applied to the easiest places to apply to 😅

i got downvoted for this but it's really crazy to me that people assume there are folks out there who want to be struggling to pay their bills and have food. i've applied from all jobs from fast food to office work.

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asatrocker t1_jab3tu8 wrote

Then try Walmart. Then Taco Bell. You just need a pulse for some of these places

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myopinionnoconseq OP t1_jab47ak wrote

😅. im not sure what's motivating this sentiment but i've applied to taco bell not once but twice lol. they didn't respond either time.

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asatrocker t1_jab55r3 wrote

Any idea why you’re not getting these jobs? If they’re hiring, and you come well dressed, with good hygiene, and ready to learn, you should get the gig

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myopinionnoconseq OP t1_jab6ofb wrote

well for starters, there's no real opportunity to "come" anywhere or in any way. at the beginning of my job search i physically went into places. either there was no person of a managerial position there or they said "well you just have to apply online". even local small owned coffee shops that i walked into said "just take this card and email us". i pivoted to applying to 20+ jobs some days, with a custom cv for each one. 90% don't even respond. The other's send automated messages of rejection. I applied to build a bear workshop twice with no response. finally called to ask what was up and the manager said "i have no way of even seeing who applies, someone else should have contacted you".

long-winded response but it gets frustrating when people who aren't in this situation pass judgement. why would i not be applying to every job that i can when im drowning in debt?

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Demono-Lemono t1_jab8i21 wrote

What does your resume look like? Could just be that it looks unprofessional? Those places are always hiring its crazy you wouldn't hear anything back.

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Td904 t1_jabdngk wrote

You dont need a resume to apply for Taco Bell and Walmart. You just fill out their application. If you handed them a resume they'd probably throw it in the trash.

They always need people especially Walmart. They'll hire convicts and people who have never had a job. They just want you to show up.

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myopinionnoconseq OP t1_jab9fuw wrote

i genuinely wish i could send you a copy. i took a template from the havard job center resume template document. filled it with job experience (non stop working, either part-time or full) for the past year and a half. including one job from this past fall working on the governor's campaign. still getting straight up ghosted by almost every job. ive been called in for 2 interviews, both interviewers told me that they were really impressed with my resume (1 law firm, 1 leasing agency). got rejected from both saying "they'll keep my resume on file for the future" i've also had several personal connections who've looked over/proof read it.

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unwinagainstable t1_jabcirz wrote

Have you tried temp agencies? I’ve had pretty good luck with them getting me into the door and then getting hired on full time with the company I was placed with.

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myopinionnoconseq OP t1_jabirp8 wrote

i tried one but it seemed more like a scam than anything? i'll try again. thank you.

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rukioish t1_jad4p57 wrote

It's hard to believe because coming out of the pandemic the food service industry is really hurting for bodies. Literally every single food service in my city is hiring right now for every position. I am curious where you live where food service is just straight up denying more help.

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myopinionnoconseq OP t1_jad8yfe wrote

i just don't know what incentive i would have to lie about applying to taco bell lol. i live in a mid-ish sized college town.

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rukioish t1_jadb1zv wrote

I think considering the employment climate, it's easier to assume the person is just not trying or is being rejected for other reasons than the idea that everything is fully staffed up. I also live in a college town, and the fast food restaurant across the street has been hiring for 2+ years now, and I have not seen a single food service fully staffed since pre-pandemic. Signs everywhere no matter where you go.

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myopinionnoconseq OP t1_jadble3 wrote

and you think people are just choosing to be jobless rather than apply to fast food?

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rukioish t1_jadg7gv wrote

Sometimes its not their choice, but sometimes its not because there are no jobs, it's just because they are un-hireable for whatever reason.

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helvetica434 t1_jadbqer wrote

I know this advice is frustrating, but getting a full time higher paying job is really the only good outcome for you, for this bill and in general. Can you talk to people who have the jobs you want and ask how they got hired? I like that you called the manager to follow up on applications. That didn’t work that time but maybe it’ll work eventually. Sorry it’s been so hard so far.

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myopinionnoconseq OP t1_jadcek5 wrote

talking to people who work in my desired field got me the work that i have now (~7.5 hours a week, $20/hr doing field campaign work for a few school board races). i appreciate your kindness. its very frustrating when you do the things everyone tells you do (good resume, apply constantly, be persistent, etc.) and not only do you not get the outcome you're expecting, but you're blamed for circumstances that you can't control.

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gullykid t1_jaapo1c wrote

I've been out of school for a while, but I thought tuition generally had to paid up front?

Its shitty advice, but if you can't afford the payments, don't pay. You've already dropped out and if its only a semester of credits, you could always start over later at another school. There is nothing they can reposses. Bankruptcy is an option if they try to garnish your wages.

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bananajr6000 t1_jabaeg4 wrote

Any new school requires your transcripts. You can’t lie and say you never attended elsewhere.

And you need to pay what you owe before the school will release transcripts.

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yeah87 t1_jachfpx wrote

> You can’t lie and say you never attended elsewhere.

What? Sure you can. They only need transcripts if you are trying to transfer credits. If you're starting over there's no reason for a transcript.

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[deleted] t1_jaag41e wrote

[deleted]

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myopinionnoconseq OP t1_jaagvml wrote

i work and always plan to get my degree. i am actively paying off the bill. i qualify for in-state tuition at the beginning of the summer and will be enrolling at the cc. i am asking for management advice so that the bill is not so crushing. thanks though.

i guess that i didn't clarify well enough in the post, this is not debt from a loan, this is a bill from the school for room/board/tuition. i cannot afford to go back to school right now, i dropped out because i could not afford to stay any longer.

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New-IncognitoWindow t1_jabfwrg wrote

This isn’t going to be popular but don’t pay it. It will eventually go to collections and you’ll be able to settle for much less.

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myopinionnoconseq OP t1_jabiple wrote

what do you mean by settle? are you able to negotiate with collections agencies? how will that impact my credit score? thank you for your response.

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Virdel t1_jabore8 wrote

It will bomb your credit score, but you basically have no job and no great prospect of paying this debt, I think this likely makes the most sense. This will almost certainly bar you from this university in the future though.

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New-IncognitoWindow t1_jabjk13 wrote

Yes and it will definitely hurt your score but if you’re already broke it may not matter.

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