Lemondrop

Bree M., 23: Marketing assistant
Northwestern University, IL
$90,000 of debt

Think bankruptcy sounds scary? Try paying back $90,000, which is the amount (including tuition and interest) that recent grad Bree owes. Though grants paid for about half of her tuition costs, that still left Bree footing a $20K+ bill per year. Moving back in with her parents and securing an entry-level job as a marketing assistant have allowed her to pay more than her required monthly payments, though there's still a long way to go.

"When I pay my loan payments every month, I try to force myself to put it into perspective," Bree says. "This month I'm paying off my trip to Istanbul, next month I'll pay off the countless Northwestern football or basketball games that I attended, the next month I'll pay for my photography classes."

"Obviously, I wish that I could've just paid for school out-of-pocket, or that I had received a full-ride scholarship, and my debt has definitely hindered me ... but I had the time of my life in college and got a pretty fabulous education while I was at it. If I had it to do all over again, I probably wouldn't change anything."