Student loans are the last thing any college student wants to think about while they are on summer break, yet it's a topic that many of us can't escape. Our student loans are the reason why many of us have one or multiple summer jobs, why we try to save our money at all times and why we often have to pass on certain opportunities because they cost too much. Knowing how much we take out in loans and how much money we already owe can be incredibly frustrating and after reading an article in "Consumer Reports", I felt it was vital to share some important facts I learned.

1. "42 million people owe $1.3 trillion in student debt."

This just goes to show that you are not alone, however, it doesn't make the burden of student debt any easier. It truly is unfortunate that students have to pay such a large price for trying to do the right thing and further their education to help increase their chances of getting a job in the future. This alarming number is also expected to increase in the coming years.

2. "If states had continued to support public higher education today, at the rate they had in 1980, they would have invested at least an additional $500 billion in their university systems, according to an analysis by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting."

This was a fact that I found especially irritating for obvious reasons. If states supported higher publication now as much as they did then, there would be $500 million dollars invested in universities, which could essentially help provide aid to students and offset the costs students would have to take out in loans.

3. "The federal government holds about 93 percent of the $1.3 trillion in outstanding student loans."

Our own government that encourages all of us to continue onto higher education are the ones that are making the most profit off of our student debt. Ironic ugh? So while we have to work tirelessly and endlessly for many years after graduating college to pay off our loans, the government gets to sit back and not only watch while we struggle to do so, but also make money off our burden of student loans.

4. "Today, one in four borrowers are behind in their payments according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, with an estimated 7.6 million in default."

This statistic is not as alarming after reading that there are 42 million people in debt as a result of student loans, but was is alarming is that we are being punished for not being able to pay off our loans on time. The government shows no attempt in understanding how difficult it is to be thousands of dollars in debt because of student loans. The reality is that sometimes graduating from college doesn't always lead to a job with as much financial security as we planned, which makes it incredibly difficult to keep up with loan payments especially when there is accruing interest included in our payments.

5. "The financial impact is so daunting that 45 percent of borrowers say that knowing what they know now, their college experience wasn't worth the cost."

This was one of the final things that the Consumer Report article established, a truly unfortunate way to end the article knowing that nearly half of the those who borrowed student loans, feel that doing so, had such a drastically negative impact on their college experience. This is a statistic that I, as well all of you should, refuse to accept or succumb to. Although the stress of being in debt from the loans I have already taken out is something I think about often, I will never let it hinder my college experience. Yes debt is a very unfortunate part of college that many of us have to experience, but it's also just as, if not more important to remember all the positive experiences college gives us such as the friends we make, the opportunities we are given and the vital things we learn that will help us with our careers in the future.