I'm so dizzy....

...my head is spinning!

I just received my loan check in the mail to cover this year's tuition. Included with the check was my estimated repayment schedule, blah blah blah. For an $8,000 loan there is a $22,000 finance charge!!! (!!!!!). Holy jeez. I have to sit down for that one. I did, of course, choose the Full Deferral option (no payment til after graduation), but still. $22,000 seems a bit exorbitant. And that's only for this year. Add 2 more years to that. That's almost $100,000 debt when everything's said and done. Unless I make payments while I'm in school, which would bring down the finance charge, I think...if I understand correctly. My God. Why is school so ridiculously expensive??