<prompt> Human: Hi, rpersonalfinance. I completed graduate school in August and started my first job as an elementary teacher 40,500year salary a few weeks ago. Now that I have a full-time job, I would like to start chipping away at my loans asap, but I feel like deciding how to go about doing it is a big decision and I dont want to screw it up. My loan balance is currently 57,229 49,734 7,495 in outstanding interest. Below is a breakdown of my loans:Direct Stafford Unsubsidized loans Direct Stafford Unsubsidized 7,951- 5.3 Direct Stafford Unsubsidized 6,901- 5.8 Direct Stafford Unsubsidized 8,803 - 6.8 Direct Stafford Unsubsidized 3,735 - 6.8 Direct Stafford Unsubsidized 2,319 - 6.8 Direct Stafford Unsubsidized 1,371 - 6.8 Direct Stafford Unsubsidized 1,348 - 6.8 Direct Stafford Unsubsidized 9,473 - 6.8total: 34,406 7,495 outstanding interest 41,901Direct Stafford Subsidized Direct Stafford Subsidized 3,500 - 5.6 Direct Stafford Subsidized 3,831 - 4.5 Direct Stafford Subsidized 2,039 - 4.5 Direct Stafford Subsidized 2,727 - 3.4 Direct Stafford Subsidized 2,729 - 3.4 total: 14,828 no outstanding interest right nowother Federal Perkins 500 0 outstanding interest Just in case Im ever not working, I think that IBR makes the most sense for me to agree to. However, I plan on paying more than the minimum if that is the right thing to do. I am considering consolidating my loans, but I am unsure which ones I should consolidate. Im not sure if I should a consolidate all but the federal perkins loan and the higher interest loans and pay them off separately asap, or b consolidate all but the federal perkins loan and the two lower interest loans, or if c I should consolidate all of the loans except for the federal perkins. Lastly, I know that as a teacher that once I make 120 monthly payments while working full-time the Public Service Loan Forgiveness PSLF Program will forgive the remaining balance on my Direct Loans. My question about this is once I commit to consolidation and IBR, should I just pay the exact amount for each IBR loan payment, or should I try to pay off everything sooner by making bigger payments than required of me? If my loans will be paid off in 10 working years, is it worth making bigger payments now, or should I just make the minimum payments? Since I do not currently have a car payment, I could afford to pay more each month than the minimum will be. Unfortunately, teacher loan forgiveness isnt applicable to me since I work in a nice district. Thanks in advance for you help! I cannot wait to wipe my hands clean of these loans.  <response>: Do IBR for 10 years, document your employment yearly, and then get Public Service Loan Forgiveness after 120 payments 