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Old 09-30-2004, 01:45 PM   #2 (permalink)
hokieian
Crazy
 
Location: Saratoga Springs, NY
First of all, you don't need to do it RIGHT NOW in order to get the current low rates. Interest rates for student loans remain the same for an entire year and every July 1 they are readjusted to the current rate. So as long as you consolidate before July 1, 2005 is doesn't matter when you do it.

As a rule of thumb, if something sounds like a great deal, but they tell me I have to ACT NOW, I generally send that offer straight to the trash can. Any financial decisions should not be rushed. Sure you may miss out on some great deals this way, but you won't get screwed either (and you probably have a much higher chance of getting screwed).

One peice of advice I would give is make sure you consolidate with a reputable company. I would do it with a company that you pick and not one that sends you fliers in the mail. You can't go wrong with Sallie Mae (I'm also considering Iowa student loans for my grad school debt - do a google search on them to find their web site).

Make sure to read the fine print. Make sure that whoever you consolidate with doesn't charge you for paying your debt off early or making payment larger than required. Also look around for deals that take extra percentage off for direct withdrawl from your bank account and for making payments on time.

And finally, remember that you can only consolidate once. That isn't such a big deal now since interest rates are at rock bottom, but I was an idiot and consolidated back in 1999 and am stuck with very high rates for all of my undergraduate debt.

Basically, the bottom line is do your homework and do not make any rush decisions.
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