After seeing their commercials for the millionth time, I decided enough was enough. The curiosity was eating me alive, and I was on a mission. "They" being Astrive Student Loans, and my mission being to find out how I could actually get a $40,000 check in the mail within a week like the commercials claim.
The first time I called, Ester answered. I inquired if I could ask a few questions about the Astrive student loan program because I'm a student interested in informing others about the possible options of private lending. Ester said, "No, that's actually not okay at all. I'm not allowed to do a survey on my job." She wished me luck, and promptly hung up the phone.
When I called back the second time with a cover story, I get Carla, who sounded much cheerier and younger, probably what Ester used to be like before she had to start answering phones for a company that deals in student loans.
Carla laid down the law. After I told her I was an entering out-of-state freshman into a university where I couldn't cover all the expenses, she proceeded to rattle off a list of requirements, the most important being 21 months of established credit.
I asked how long it would take after filling out an application to find out whether or not I'm eligible for an Astrive loan. Her answer? In as little as fifteen minutes. Just like the commercials said!
So, I asked: I can really get a check within five days if I'm approved in the next 24 hours? As in, in my hand, ready to deposit? Just because I have decent credit?
Carla replied with a yes. When I asked her how that was possible, and where money like that comes from, there was a silence. And then an, "… I don't know." For some reason, her response made me mad.
Not because she doesn't know, but because something about the whole situation seemed so … wrong. I felt sleazy, as though I was sneaking a peek of the point where the American dream starts to go horribly, horribly wrong.
I can't pinpoint exactly why I'm so maliciously suspicious of student loan programs like Astrive. Maybe it has something to do with my distrust of anything advertised on television. For example, if OxyClean really worked as well as the man with the slightly shrill voice proclaims, why are they forced to make low-budget commercials? Think about it.
Or maybe I'm more disturbed by the fact that any company would agree to send me a check for $40,000 after as little as 15 minutes of consideration just because I have decent credit. No, wait - scratch that. I don't even need decent credit, as long I have someone co-sign on my contract that does.
But welcome to America, the world of capitalism, where it doesn't really matter if a company is predatory, as long as it's legal. And in theory, it's every potential consumer's responsibility to be well informed before making such an important decision - like getting a student loan with exorbitant interest rates that will haunt you until middle age.
However, to be more realistic, how rational can a poor 20-year-old with little knowledge of finances be when someone is dangling a $40,000 check in front of them? Just because it's legal doesn't make it right, Astrive.
And there's another thing that bothers me - why should anyone even need $40,000 a year to go to school? We all know school isn't cheap, but when did it cease to be somewhat affordable? When did it become necessary to resort to calling student loan agencies that advertise on TV - oh, the shame - and sinking yourself into debt to get an education?
Yes, I know there are many federal student loans, not to mention scholarships, but the fact that Astrive even exists implies there's a considerable market for such loans.
So in the end, my mission still seems unfulfilled, despite all of my efforts. I still don't know where that money comes from - and I probably don't want to - and now I'm possibly even more disturbed when I see the commercials, knowing that somewhere, someone is seeing that commercial and feeling a glimmer of hope.
In the end, though, this experience confirmed one of my most fundamental beliefs - never buy anything you see on television. Ever.
