In their words: Local college grads share student loan horror stories

When it comes to student loan debt, Ohio is one of the most indebted states in the country.

Ohio is the third most indebted state in the United States, a new report from Wallethub found. The state's high ranking is just the latest development in the student loan crisis.

This news organization asked former students to share their stories of paying off student loan debt and how it has affected them.

Below are a few responses where college grads shared.

RELATED: Tell us your student loan debt horror stories

“I’m 26 and I graduated last year from Wright State with $25,000 in private loans and $20,000 in federal loans…At this rate, I am petrified about never being able to afford a home or afford to have children. It’s honestly one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made…It’s a massive source of stress in my life, to the point that I’m having euphoric dreams at night about winning the lottery, even though I never play.”

-Joseph Bretzfelder

“Graduated from the Art Institute of Ohio-Cincinnati. Associates degree and in debt for about $85k…I ended up with a loan for every quarter I was there. 9 loans. Their “career placement” placed me in a part time job at Victoria’s Secret.”

-Megan Abell

RELATED: Billions in student loan debt may be voided due to missing paperwork

“I graduated from the University of Dayton in December, 2016 with around $150,000 student loan debt when you factor in interest. The vast majority of that is in private loans…Even with all this debt I feel as though paying for school on my own taught me the value of my education and I feel as though I worked harder in school knowing that it was my money I was wasting. I do wish that students wouldn’t have to go into such an extreme amount of debt just to get a good college education though.”

-Linda Moodie

Find out more about the college debt crisis Thursday and Friday in an online investigation by this media outlet.

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