Usually (or at least back when I graduated from college the first time) there was a six-month window before you had to start re-paying the college loan.
Depending on the loan, you may qualify for "Income-Based Repayment" plans, which reduce monthly payments to $0 if you are making little or no money. You still accrue interest, and the crushing psychological weight of all that debt is still there, but it's definitely an option for new grads.
I doubt it. State schools are still pretty cheap. After a minimal scholarship, UIC cost me something like $1300 a semester. That ends up being a not-that-crippling debt.
If you go to a University of California, it costs at least $10,000 in tuition a year alone,definitely more now, that's what it was two years ago. Plus books and rent for most people.
My biggest life regret was not realizing this at the time. I jumped into the workforce and pursued my career at 95 mph.
I should have spent a year travelling.