Ohio college students save money by working quickly

Apr. 7, 2012, Port Clinton News Herald

By Jessica Alaimo
CentralOhio.com

Kaytlyn Tracy hasn't had a lot of time to be a college student.

Instead of partying, going out on Thursday nights and joining a sorority, Tracy has kept her head down and focused on getting her college career done in three years instead of four.

She's eager to graduate early from Kent State University with a psychology degree so she can move to North Carolina to be with her husband, who is in the Marines...

Read more in the Port Clinton News Herald. 

Brown proposes consolidating student loans

May 26, 2011, Fremont News-Messenger

By Jessica Alaimo

Special to the News-Messenger

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown touted a plan Wednesday he said would make repaying college loans easier and cheaper, and make more grants available for low-income students.

Last year the federal government stopped contracting with private lenders to service new student loans, instead administering all payments through the U.S. Department of Education.

However, 6 million people found themselves caught in the middle when the transition took...

Students explore alternate routes to escape high debt

May 21, 2011, Fremont News-Messenger

By Jessica Alaimo

Special to The News-Messenger

Short rainstorms gave brief moments of relief from an otherwise humid Thursday on the shared campus of Ohio State University’s Mansfield branch and North Central State College.

Many students commute. Some will graduate with a two- or four-year degree from these campuses; others will transfer elsewhere.

So why forgo going away to school, a rite of passage for many young adults? Students interviewed all said the same thing: It’s cheaper.

The heavy load of student loans

May 21, 2011, Fremont News-Messenger

By Jessica Alaimo

Special to the News-Messenger

COSHOCTON – Peter Madsen graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1978 with $1,500 in student loans. His parents didn't help him pay for school.

The Coshocton father started saving for his sons' college education when his oldest, Michael, was in second grade. Michael was accepted into Ohio Northern University with grant money. Nonetheless, he graduates this year with almost $20,000 in loans to pay back. Michael's brother, Matthew, a sophomore at Ohio Northern, will have a similar burden. Both are majoring in graphic arts.

Not only are this spring's college graduates more likely to enter adulthood deeper in the red, but with a historically poor economy providing fewer jobs, they are more likely to default on their loans within three years.