young dentist here
1.) congrats on admission to NYU dental school. Unless if you are a vegetarian I recommend Halal Cart, long line but you could study with flashcards while waiting for good food.
2.) mathematically you could pay off the loans via the old fashioned way (what im doing now), IBR (what I'm thinking of doing), or just have the government bail you out when the dental salaries go under (hopefully the economy should not come down to this)
3.) dont work in NYC or LA, LA has a lot of HMO practices which make it difficult to earn a living there. I dont know what constitutes a small town but money can be made if you could move there
4.) if you must see the city, live near the outer suburbs and commute to work the opposite direction while everyone is driving into the city honking like crazy
5.) marry middle class/upper middle class/rich. This sounds like a taboo thing to say but a lot happy couples I have seen have both contributing to the table. As long as she/he doesnt have a lot of debt/irregular spending habits this is a good financial plan. I know my parents both have to work in order to have a good house in CA, imagine the possibilities if you're in a lower cost area.
6.) hopefuldentistry brings up some interesting points but you could only do so much in dental school, a lot of the knowledge gained actually comes after dental school but if you're willing to shadow/hustle with Oral surgeons and periodontists, you definitely have an edge as a newly grad.
