A few years back I was put in an impossible spot.

I agree with what most people have said on here but I wanted to add, please do not be discouraged or feel that it's impossible right now.

Not saying it is impossible, it will just be very difficult. 

Well, they should reply, but if you're dealing with unmotivated 3rd parties like the IRS, may be near impossible to get a payoff. 

If you do drop out, you still need to find a good enough paying job to support yourself which will be more difficult without a degree but definitely not impossible.

Impossible to tell you without more detailed information.

Regarding collections: ours have been much better than I anticipated considering all of the current legal and economic issues you mentioned. 100% collections does seem a bit unlikely, but I wouldn't call it impossible.

There are a number of factors that determine your probability for success, and it'd be impossible to dive into them all.

like it's impossible to refinance less than 6 months?

Which in this market is closer to impossible.