My friend in Germany pays $200 a semester. I pay $200 a MONTH in loans.

[LaraMarnie]

I just found out that my friend who went to university in Germany pays approximately $200 per SEMESTER. For everything. Tuition, fees, sometimes even a transit pass. TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS.

I have $40,000 in loans. And I'm one of the lucky ones.

I'm not mad at my friend. Good for her, honestly. But I'm so mad at this system. I worked hard. I did everything right. And I'm starting my adult life with a ball and chain around my ankle.

The breakdown of my rage:

• Tuition at a public university: still expensive
• Rent in San Diego: don't even get me started ($1,200 for a room, y'all)
• Textbooks: another thousand per year
• Interest: the invisible monster that grows while you sleep

I think about moving to Europe sometimes. Not even kidding. My degree would probably transfer, right?

But seriously, how do we just accept this? Everyone's like "just pick a payment plan" and "have you considered income-driven repayment" and I'm like NO I CONSIDER THAT THIS SHOULDN'T EXIST IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Okay, rant over. But for real, any other Californians drowning in debt while watching other countries do education right? How do you cope without moving to Berlin?

 

[Amelia]

My cousin did her Master's in Norway for free. FREE. She just had to prove she had like $15k in a bank account for living costs, but she got most of that back working part-time. Meanwhile, I'm here with a bachelor's from a state school and a mortgage-sized debt.

I've actually looked into the logistics of moving. For some EU countries, you need to have your degree recognized, which costs money and time. And you gotta learn the language. It's a whole thing. But honestly? The more I look at my loan statement, the more Duolingo German lessons seem worth it.