But Roe's scrappiness and competitive thirst--learned as a hockey player for Williams College in the early 1960s and honed during 35 years at Bemis--have paid off.

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Dartmouth College and Williams College also have limited their no-loan packages in recent years, while Wesleyan University earlier this year announced it will begin to consider a student's ability to pay in its admissions decisions, due to the school's financial constraints.

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Fascinated by the '20s and '30s, she traveled at age 16 to Williams College in Massachusetts to visit the archives of jazz-age band leader Paul Whiteman.

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But Dahjanay Williams, a 21-year-old junior at Wheaton College in Massachusetts, still worries that if she doesn't get a job before her loans come due, she won't be able to make regular payments and her credit will take a hit.

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For some students, a prepaid card offered through a college may be the fastest way to receive student-loan funds, says Rich Williams, higher education advocate with the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

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