I will feel good about spring break until I open up my credit card statement at the end of the month. Like most of us, I took my credit card on spring break. I used it more than I should have, and it is going to be painful to open that statement. Fortunately, I only have one credit card, and I have made sure to keep the credit limit low on it, despite my credit card company wanting to raise it every six months. Many of us are not so lucky with credit card debt. According to Kiplinger.com, the average college student graduates with $2,200 on his or her credit cards. That does not sound like much — especially considering that one semester of in-state tuition costs $3,365. However, paying the minimum payment at the standard 18 percent interest rate will mean that a graduate will be paying off credit card debt for 19 years — with $3,000 in interest. Credit cards are a serious problem for college students. One of the first things incoming freshmen see during Welcome Week is the row of tables of credit card vendors on Library Mall offering free T-shirts for signing up. Returning from spring break, I came home to a mailbox full of credit card solicitations. Rarely a day goes by when I do not receive at least a dozen spam e-mails asking me to sign my credit score away for a piece of plastic with 18 to 24 percent interest after an introductory "low" Annual Percentage Rate. Credit card companies have made it incredibly easy for college students to obtain a credit card. CreditorWeb.com, a website with the slogan "Credit Cards Made Easy," admits that banks offer credit cards specifically for students with lower qualification standards. And, since 92 percent of sophomores have one, you should, too — and CreditorWeb.com will make getting one (or two) a breeze. Of course, websites such as this and vendors on Library Mall will not help you pay off the debt we rack up with a couple of credit cards that have high credit limits and even higher interest rates. On Monday's edition of CNN's "Paula Zahn Now," a feature about student credit card debt showed how aggressive credit card companies' advertising campaigns are on campus. The University of Oklahoma reportedly signed a deal with Bank of America for $1 million per year to have exclusive rights to their campus. While 820 college campuses no longer permit on-campus solicitation, this does not mean that they have the right to shoot you a friendly e-mail, send you a credit card in the mail or have vendors off-campus. More than half of college students have large amounts of credit card debt. This is partially due to students misusing credit cards to pay for bills such as tuition, which can result in that $3,365 tuition bill to double after interest. Credit cards can be dangerous, especially on spring break and on a late Friday night. Credit card companies truly are overly aggressive in their advertising, and some border on unethical. Ultimately, however, we are the ones who sign on the dotted line. Articles and features such as Paula Zahn's on Monday night infer that the blame lies with the credit card companies, but we are all legal adults with the responsibility that accompanies the freedom that comes with leaving home. It is tempting on the first week of campus to get that plastic symbol of freedom with the magnetic strip on the back. It is also tempting to get that second card to pay for the textbook bill for the spring semester or for our spring break vacations. As with anything dealing with our personal finances, however, we have to take responsibility for our freedom to spend as we please. It is easy for the media to blame a corporation, but it is harder to accept that the shady vendor did not force us to write our Social Security number on the application. Jeff Carnes ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in linguistics.