Lemondrop

For some of us, college was a Sambuca-flavored blur of frat parties, snooze-worthy seminars and Dave Matthews Band shows. For others, it was a stimulating, brain-invigorating journey spent at libraries, internships ... and Dave Matthews Band shows.

But whatever your college experience, chances are it didn't come cheap. The latest biennial "Measuring Up" report (pdf) from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education shows that the cost of a college education has dramatically increased -- by 439 percent from from 1982 to 2007, at the same time that median family income has only gone up 147 percent.

The average college grad who's borrowed money for higher ed leaves school with an average of $20,000 in debt, and according to a report by the College Board, about 60 percent of undergrads now take out loans (pdf).

From being saddled with astronomical debt to settling for a more affordable second-choice school, we talked with five Lemondrop readers about the tough decisions that came along with their college educations.

Click here for five real stories about college fees and debt.