Student debt in the United States

Last Friday I talked about my own experience taking out private loans in order to fund my undergraduate education. For those interested in learning more about the student loan crisis and the rising costs of education in the United States, the following are links to some great articles:

http://www.good.is/post/on-track-for-1-trillion-student-loan-debt-greater-than-credit-card-debt/

http://www.good.is/post/when-will-the-bubble-burst-student-loan-debt-swells-511-percent/

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/08/the-debt-crisis-at-american-colleges/243777/

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/01/fashion/recent-college-graduates-wait-for-their-real-careers-to-begin.html?_r=2&ref=education

Given the increasing cost of college, paired with the lack of job openings for recent graduates, many college students are being forced to consider whether or not to study something they love or something that will land them a job. If public education in Colombia is privatized (and hence, the cost of tuition increases), how would this change your educational plan? For example, would you change your field of study?