It took nearly two years, but I finally paid off a debt I had with the University of Southern Indiana that should’ve never been put on my record in the first place. Some of you may be reading this wondering what the heck I am talking about, so let me briefly explain …
Coming out of high school, I wanted to attend a journalism school or one with a solid program right away, and from the first day I stepped on the University of Wisconsin-Parkside’s campus, I always told myself I was going to leave immediately. After my first semester of college, I kind of did that. I scrambled and transferred to USI without doing any of the proper homework. None. My older brother Simon and cousin Naomi drove me roughly eight hours to Evansville, IN, and then boom, that town became my new home. Not being aware, I discovered my first day on campus that practically none of my financial aid from the state of Wisconsin transferred over in Indiana, which wasn’t good. At all. Sitting down with a counselor, I was slid a loan application for $12,000 (a semester) that gave me the option of digging myself into the gates of hell. I had another option though, and that was taking my butt all the way back to Wisconsin. I got up and left her office. Luckily, my roommates were really cool and took me to Walmart that night to help me find some luggage to jam all of my stuff in. Some items were left behind, but a family friend not too far away from the city stopped by and stored them in his basement until the next time he visited Milwaukee (which was just three months later, actually). I lasted four days in Indiana. Four! So where did the debt come from? A lousy housing contract that I had to sign to you know, keep a roof over my head. So every month since March 2013, I’ve been paying off my 1,*** debt with monthly payments, and today was the last one. An ending to probably the dumbest decision I’ve ever made in my 22-year-old life. But hey, that decision not only got me in more debt, it helped me understand how to make better decisions going forward, and how I need to think everything I do through. Do I have regrets? Financially, certainly. But I try to look at everything else as a huge learning experience. I’ll try not to get too excited about this though, because in nine months, I’ll be doing this all again once I graduate. Donations are greatly appreciated.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Behind the BroadcasterThis blog displays topics that interest me -- including culture, entertainment, music, and life experiences.
Archives
February 2016
|