Law Schools, Money, Romance and Dating, Student Loans

Is Law School Loan Debt Ruining Your Love Life?

You probably never thought that your student loans would be both financially and romantically ruinous, but as it turns out, young adults aren’t keen on getting into bed with six-figures of debt every night.

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Of the many things we’ve spoken about when it comes to student loan debt, romance and dating generally hasn’t been one of them. You probably never thought that your student loans would be both financially and romantically ruinous, but as it turns out, young adults aren’t keen on getting into bed with six-figures of debt every night.

Sure, you may never be able to buy a house, but you already knew that — after all, you’ve already got a mortgage on your education. That being said, it might take a while to find that special someone to rent with for the foreseeable future. Or hell, let’s be a little more realistic: you might be living with your parents. Do you really feel comfortable bringing home dates to a room filled with stuffed animals or high school football trophies?

If you feel like your love life is becoming a parodic version of that Carly Rae Jepsen song (Hey, I just met you / And this is crazy / But you’ve got loan debt / Lose my number, maybe?), fear not, because you’re not alone….

NPR recently wrote about the impediments young adults face because of their loan debt woes — things like being unable to buy a house, have a child, save for college, or save for retirement. Because really, who wants to enter into a relationship with a person who won’t be able to save for the future? From the article:

When NPR asked about this issue on its Facebook page, many couples said they’ve avoided legal marriage so one partner wouldn’t be liable for the other one’s debt. In fact, responsibility for student loans does not transfer to a spouse. But, practically speaking?

“Well, once you’re married, you’re basically responsible for it at some level,” says Bill Driscoll, a financial planner in Massachusetts. He sees the impact of student loan debt on his 30-something clients.

“It’s causing uncertainty and tension,” he says, “because it’s an impediment to them moving forward on a lot of fronts.”

“Uncertainty and tension”? You don’t say.

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Considering the current climate in legal education — namely, the lack of jobs for recent graduates — perhaps NPR should have reached out to some folks from this fine profession to get their thoughts. With starting salaries swirling down the drain and graduates facing the worst employment market in more than 30 years, you’d probably be hard-pressed to find young attorneys worrying over the state of their love lives. (To be perfectly honest, they’re more worried about the fact that their bank accounts are in shambles.)

But if romance and dating is something that you’re worried about, instead of allowing your law school debt to ruin your love life, why not lay all your cards on the table when the time is right? There must be someone out there who is willing to look past your debt and create a future with you — a future that involves plentiful amounts of ramen noodles, but a future nonetheless.

And if you aren’t able to find that person, you can hook up with another lawyer. It can’t be that bad… right?

Call Me Maybe When Your School Loan Is Paid In Full [NPR]

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