It’s difficult enough entering into the real world without having to worry about paying back thousands upon thousands of dollars in student loans in the years after we graduate. It’s best to think of that money as an investment more than an evil, insurmountable debt that is going to be attached to our backs for years. But there are some options to lessen that weight in the forms of loan forgiveness.

If you aren’t familiar with the process, loan forgiveness is the cancellation of all or part of your student loans if you decide to go into certain charitable fields for a certain amount of time. Below is a list of some areas that offer loan forgiveness, but it’s not comprehensive. In fact, if you go into some sort of public service upon graduation, it wouldn’t hurt to consult the Human Resources department to see if your job qualifies for the program. Also, the military offers numerous loan repayment programs.

Volunteering

Americorps A year of service gets you up to a $7400 stipend and around $4500 to use against a loan.

Peace Corps Volunteers can get a loan deferment and up to 70% loan cancellation. Read More »

It’s easy to get caught up in the college bubble and forget about everything except the excitement on your campus, but it’s always important to know what’s going on out in the real world, especially with significant events such as the current war.

I’m sure most of you know someone who is either in the military or somehow connected to the military, and a recent report should shock and worry you just as it did me when I read it. According to CNN, “Every day, five U.S. soldiers try to kill themselves. Before the Iraq war began, that figure was less than one suicide attempt a day. The dramatic increase is revealed in new U.S. Army figures, which show 2,100 soldiers tried to commit suicide in 2007.”

I don’t care what side of the political argument you are on, whether you technically consider yourself for or against the war, whether you are a democrat or republican, these are our friends, brothers, sisters, or relatives. The fact that they are attempting or even thinking about suicide after serving in this war is a scary reality that everyone needs to be more aware of.

So, why are the rates increasing so much? People offer up a couple of suggestions…

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That’s right. Sylvester Stallone, who’s like 60 years old or something, has just inked a deal to star in two more films with his Rambo producers.

Strangely enough, Stallone’s two new (yet so old) films “Rocky Balboa” and “Rambo” actually did well at the box office, which means people still want to see this dude kick major ass with either his fist or a giant gun.

While I’m sure Stallone will create more movies based around testosterone and sparse dialogue (say what you want about him, but the guy understands his limitations), I doubt either of them will solve the burning question I’ve had since I was forced to watch the first Rambo movie:

What’s with the bandana?! Read More »

I’ll be the first to admit that I did some messed up shit to my frenemies during my younger years. One time in middle school, my friends and I poured Snapple and mashed strawberries in a girl’s backpack because we were fighting for absolutely no reason.

Seeing as our military isn’t in middle school (though they are in a similar predicament: fighting for absolutely no reason), I’d expect a little more tact from them. But apparently the U.S. military has come down with the mean girls-syndrome that I suffered circa the strawberry incident.

No, they didn’t mash strawberries in the backpacks of Iraqi extremists. But they did do some very Regina George-esque plotting to create a gay bomb to use against enemy soldiers. A gay bomb. Seriously.

A watchdog organization that tracks military spending exposed the U.S. military’s plan to build a bomb that could turn opposing soldiers gay—consequently shifting their focus from fighting to sex, CBS reported.

The watchdog group found that “the Ohio Air Force lab proposed that a bomb be developed that contained a chemical that would cause enemy soldiers to become gay, and to have their units break down because all their soldiers became irresistibly attractive to one another.” Read More »