As a college graduate, you likely are focused on landing your first job, finding a nice place to live and settling into the “real world.”
If you graduated with a substantial amount of debt, however, you would be wise to spend some time mapping out a strategy for paying it back as quickly as possible.
According to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Education, 26 percent of college graduates borrow at least $25,000 to pay for their college educations.
“Today, many students are graduating from college with a significant amount of debt, but are unprepared for how to deal with it,” said Dick Willey, president and chief executive officer of American Education Services, a national financial aid services organization.
AES hosts www.youcandeal withit.com, designed to help college students and graduates become financially responsible. Here are some tips from AES.
* Consolidate. Consolidating your loans can reduce your monthly payments and potentially lower your interest rate. AES recommends that you look into this option as soon as possible to lock in a low interest rate. When you consolidate, you’ll get just one...