So far in my collegiate career, I have racked up a tab of more than $12,000 made payable to the Department of Education — a tab that is continuously increasing and will probably be owed for the majority of my life. The current amount of debt I have collected in four years is not as high as most students because I qualify for Pell Grants and supplements from the state. Luckily enough for me, I have poor parents, which qualifies me for federal assistance.