My Student Loans Left on a Train From Chicago But When Will They Arrive in St. Louis?

Question:

Dear Steve,

So, in 2016 I took out my first student loan! Only thing is, I was also unable to have my own bank account because I was “unable to sort my money the right way”. My stepmother at the time did a jointed bank account but when I protested to have my own account, they just repeated that I’m unfit to have my own account. They did the same thing with my birth certificate so I ordered a new one until she gave it back last year.

Long story short is that I took out 3 loans. 2 of those were me alone, so I had full control of the money. The other 2 were given to my stepmother and also my father.

I had no control over my loan money and last March I was forced to leave because I asked my brother for money to help me stay there just a bit longer.

I have 2k in debt and I have no help. I’m not sure what to do or who to call for it, so it’s climbing in interest. It has made me never want to go back to college again especially since I didn’t want debt in the first place but I was forced to go to college.

Can I get some kind of mandated help from my father and previous stepmother so that I’m not stuck with this giant bill alone?

Jasmine

Answer:

Dear Jasmine,

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I don’t even know where to start. My first impression is there is some conflict between what responsibilities your family thinks you can handle and what you want to deal with yourself.

My general impression from your question is you went to college with some loans and you needed more money to stay in school but your brother said no.

Where did you go to school? What kind of loans do you have? Are they federal or private student loans?

How many total loans do you have? You say, “Long story short is that I took out 3 loans. 2 of those were me alone, so I had full control of the money. The other 2 were given to my stepmother and also my father.” Do you have three loans or five?

If you took out loans, they are your personal responsibility. If someone else took out a loan then that is their responsibility.

Please post your responses to my questions in the comment section below and help me to fully understand your situation so I can point you in the right direction.