STUDENT loans are now a convenient medium to rock your way through college. This is so because of recent events in the economic arena that has rocked the United States. Actually, in every tragedy, there is something good that comes out of it. Because everybody is afraid of a looming recession in the country, the Bush administration has submitted to Congress an economic stimulus package that does not just concern the subprime woes but also the whole economic aspects of a typical American household life. And that includes education of course.

And the economic stimulus package has just been signed into law by President Bush himself. Part of the provision in the package is making all federal and private educational loan lenders compulsory to raise their student loan package ceiling. Isn’t that lovely? I do not know the specific amount though but for sure, the what is now dubbed as jumbo student loans are roughly equivalent to the jumbo housing mortgage loans that are now allowed in the housing industry. To give you a clear picture of what this is, a typical housing mortgage loan ceiling in the United States prior to the passing of the economic stimulus package is capped at $200,000. With the passage of the bill into law, the ceiling is now pegged at $700,000 or roughly 150 percent. That is also the same percentage increase that a college enrollee or student can avail in his student loans. There is no extension of loan payments though. It will be at 30 years only.

There is a story behind the insertion of raising the student loans ceiling. President Bush himself only wanted the tax breaks demanded by his constituents all over the United States as well as the ceiling for the housing loans. But his educational advisers have gotten a closer inspection of the drafted proposal to Congress and told him to insert the provision for the expansion of the ceiling for student loans too because a lot of high school graduates cannot afford to go to college. That is why the provision for the expansion of student loan ceiling is there. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a blessing in disguise.

Take advantage of this blessing whether you believe in divinity or not. This is one sure shot to success. If you are just diligent enough, you can surely snake your way to college. Success is individual and should not be entrusted to anyone else. It doesn’t matter whether you’ll be studying at Georgetown or just at Laredo Community College; as long as you have graduated even with only average grades or bordering on passing marks, you will surely be successful. There are working spots for you one way or the other. And remember that student loans aren’t just offered prior to the start of your first semester in college. You can actually take advantage of them even when you’re graduating already.

WONDERING what to do next after high school? Then apply for college student loans. When President Bush introduced to Congress an economic stimulus package which gives tax breaks to American citizens as well as allowing jumbo loans for subprime mortgages, student loans are also included as well. President Bush has perceived that with more and more students graduating from high school in the United States nowadays, a nation with lots of college students can lead to a very successful economy. So the base for qualified student loan borrowers is now being expanded to include those who are not so indigent yet can barely finance one’s child to college. Also included are sons and daughters of people who have credit problems. Another key element in President Bush’s economic stimulus package is to increase the ceiling of maximum student loans that one can avail through both the federal government and providers such as Sallie Mae.

That is why more and more high school graduates by 2008 are expected to enroll in college. And this phenomenon is not just exclusive to public schools. With the introduction of the No Child Left behind Act in 2002, private educational institutions across the United States such as the Waldorf, Jesuit and Montessori systems have banded together and have pooled resources to establish their own student loan schemes. This success is proven with the 97 percent of the 23 million Catholic high school graduates in 2007 that were successfully enrolled in the tertiary system.

With the new policy of Sallie Mae for incoming college student loans to incur jumbo loans, there is no more hassle to apply to another loan provider and circumnavigate your way into a loan consolidation scheme. It’s like running in circles and it will just make your loan record database a clutter. But if you want to borrow so-called jumbo student loans, make sure that you can pay this right after graduation so you won’t have a big headache in incurring a 30-year obligation. Yet there are also a few ingenious ways on how to forgive all your student loans. If you are doing community service in your area for example, there is a great possibility that some percentage of your student loans is forgiven.

Right now, I’m a graduating student at Redeemer Catholic High School here in Washington, DC and I’m interested to pursue ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins in nearby Maryland. My parents are mere employees of a trucking company in the DC area and they can afford to send me only to a community college. However, I’m aiming high. With President Bush’s economic stimulus package through a higher ceiling in student loans, it is one way of becoming my dream come true. I know that once I’ve graduated in ophthalmology from a reputable institution such as Johns Hopkins, I’ll be having a very successful career and I can pay the student loan in definitely no time at all.