In addition, I strongly disagree that having some more debt is going to prevent you from having a home by the time you are 45 or having a child. Like a vet told me today, "you aren't going to be in the poor house even with your debt." When factoring in your salary with your debt, chances are you will have more money than a lot of families with kids and a house. For example, I work with techs and receptionists with families and homes and I know that when I am a vet, even with a ton of debt, I will have more expendable income than they do.
There's actually a ~400-post long thread on VIN about the cost of veterinary school related to debt. It is astounding how many practitioners are completely oblivious to the debt level of new graduates and what this means to the profession. Many question, "New grads have over $200K in debt? Are they buying big-screen TVs?" and just do not realize the base tuition costs. They think vet students must be living extravagantly to build up that level of debt--it's news to them that tuition alone at many schools is in the $40K/year range (and some much higher). Someone pointed out that when someone they knew graduated, "they had $10,000 in debt but their starting salary was only $15,000, so I don't think student debt is anything new."
To which I say, 10,000 to 15,000=his debt equaled 67% of his starting salary. 250,000 to 80,000= debt is over 267% of your starting salary.
As sumstorm pointed out, there are veterinarians--new grads, established doctors, etc--living in efficiency apartments and staring down 30+ years of paying upwards of $1,500 a month in monthly payments. If you don't think that's a tremendous monkey on your back, I urge you to crunch some numbers and take a good long look. Other professions do NOT have the debt:starting salary ratio we have.
Make whatever choices you want, but I urge you do so some research and do it with your eyes open. The pracitioner you spoke with might very well not have an idea of what is truly going on with vet school tuition these days.
Also keep in mind tuition is rising about 10% a year at a lot of schools. That adds up to additional tens of thousands of dollars over the course of your education BEFORE interest.
If you really think that 200K + debt (which is really 400K plus when you pay it back over 20-30 years) means that you do not have to alter your plans for home ownership or chidren, etc, please please crunch some numbers.
FYI, my first choice for undergrad was Duke--since I was six years old. I did a summer program there the summer before my senior year of high school. I cried like hell when I ended up going to my state school. I would have given ANYTHING to go there and I felt like a failure for YEARS because I didn't go there. It was a huge sore spot that I'm not proud to say I'm still a bit bitter about.
However, now I am so so so grateful that I did not end up paying private tuition on top of my veterinary school debt. I would have been crippled for life--even though I plan on specializing. I can't imagine what life would be like with $400K in debt before interest. Point being, I know what it's like to have dreamt of going to school since you were young, etc etc. In my opinion, unless there's a clear benefit professionally, you'll be much better off if you save $100K than if you go to your "dream school."
That said, decide what you want and own your decisions--just please do yourself the favor of looking into what peope on here are saying about the debt load. Make sure you understand what you are getting into and what you are sacrificing, as well as what you are gaining.
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