To some of your points:
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You can’t compare student loans to mortgages. Mortgages are secured loans, so the bank is taking less of a risk. Student loans are unsecured, so are much closer to a credit card than a mortgage. Credit card interest is often 15-20%, and no one blinks at that. (I think that’s not smart borrowing either)
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loans are usually not dischargeable, but more have been lately. Still not a good plan to ever think bankruptcy is the way out of your debts, any debts.
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the government can take your tax refund IF you are in default on government loans, not just if you owe money. So don’t have a tax refund if you are in default. Tax planning can avoid this (I can calculate my refund/amount owed to wit in $50). This is true for Stafford or Perkins loans too, the first dollars you borrow, not from private lenders. Don’t get into default.
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Parent plus loans belong to the parent, so the parents aren’t co-signing. Social security, or any government payment due to you, can be taken if you are delinquent on a government obligation, so if the student still hasn’t paid by the time SS kicks in, it can be garnished. There are 65+ year olds getting hit for loans they have never paid back.
Absolutely agree that borrowing should be kept low, and often the solution is to pick a cheaper school, not borrow more. I don’t think I’ve ever seen on CC that it is a good idea to borrow more than the Stafford loans, or more than $30k, and most want to even avoid that. Not for a dream school, not for Harvard, not for art school. Set a budget and stick with it, and plan to pay back the loan, not default or assume it will be forgiven.