I think we all fall in this situation. Some people, like me, get our undergrads paid for, and still take out loans to travel. I did. I had to turn down a school because i was about to have to take out a 160k loan. The key is, don't start buying stuff like a new car or house, don't have kids yet. when you get out of school, work per diem weekends, i mean do this for a long time..years...you can pay off the loans if you do it right