Sallie Mae says pay interest on a private student loan while in college? Not smart

The College on a Dime series is written by Zac Bissonnette, a junior at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His book

College On a Dime will be published by Penguin in the fall.

In a press release issued this morning, Sallie Mae suggests that students use private student loans provided by Sallie Mae -- and then make the interest payments while in college to "save a lot later."

According to the press release, "As families make college admission and financial aid decisions for next school year, Sallie Mae recommends building interest payments on student loans into the budget. Keeping up with accruing interest prevents loan balances from growing each month beyond the original balance. After graduation, when it's time to pay down the principal, young professionals start out their careers with smaller IOUs. That means they can pay off their debt faster than their fellow alums who deferred their interest."

Here's the problem: instead of making interest payments on a student loan while you're in college, why don't you just borrow less money and send the cash to the school?