Yesterday, the Huffington Post launched a new a section called HuffPost College, covering news and opinions from college and university campuses across the country.

The section launch kicked off with a feature that addresses the most pressing concern of America’s college students: money.

“Majoring In Debt” sheds some very real light upon the issue of debt that millions of college students and graduates grapple with in the midst of a grim economic climate.

Nine current students and graduates aged 21-47 tell us, in their own words, what it feels like to be
$15,000, $100,000, or even $250,000 in the red. The feature is part of an ongoing investigation into the student lending and debt collection industry, which found that Americans owe $527 billion total in student loans, and an average of $23,200 each.

Despite owing an exorbitant amount of money coming out of college, many students insist that it’s worth it. Others, however, question whether or not they made the right choices regarding the school they chose, the major they picked, and even the types of loans they took out. It’s important to make sure you carefully consider these kinds of decisions, but one thing’s for certain–to become successful in today’s society, you need a quality education.

Here are a couple of excerpts drawn from “Majoring in Debt:”

I know there has been talk in Washington about helping us “student debt-drowners,” but I watch politics go on as usual and it leads me to believe that there will be no help for me and the thousands like me. Where’s our bailout?
- Todd Sussman, 26, law student, University of Miami

These financial companies are completely out of control, and their predatory lending practices take advantage of millions of students just like me, who are trying to finish training, and be productive members of society. To all the students who are thinking about borrowing from private banks, be very careful, and most importantly, demand ethical behavior.
- Charlie Preston, 30, resident physician, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health

These testimonials are accompanied by a word from Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who voices his own desire to carry out the government’s plan to lend money directly to students instead of through banks.