Paying for Dental School (while you're still in school)

[furikake76]

I'm not very familiar with how to search through the threads so I apologize if this topic has been thoroughly discussed already.

I'm an incoming D1 and I've spent most of this summer trying to wrap my head around the amount of debt I'm going to have accumulated when I graduate, and how I'm going to pay for it all. Most forums and articles talk about how to pay off student loans after you graduate, but I'm wondering how it works while you're still in dental school. How do most people do it? Do you try to just pay off the interest on your loans to keep it from piling up? I doubt I can even afford to do that. I'm planning to call my school's financial office soon, but I'm just wondering how other dent students approach the issue of keeping their loan amounts reasonable (ha) while paying for housing, food, etc. and having limited or no time to work to earn extra funds.

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[oralcare123]

Frankly, all financial considerations should be done well before applying and even doing prerequisites and DAT. Now is a little late to back up and all you can do is enjoy the opportunity.
There is no point to pay while you are in dental school, because the most important for you is to graduate and get as much skills and knowledge as possible. You would have to be able to produce within weeks after school, so use your time at school wisely.
It also makes sense to not overspend. Buy the best loupes and light though

 

[Faux]

Just worry about getting through your first year of school. Don't work.

 

[2TH MVR]

My roommate for D1 worked PT. His grades suffered and he was ultimately kicked out of DS. He then applied and was accepted to a much more expensive private DS. I had a small PT job (Gold's Gym) during D3-4. I was a personal trainer for middle aged housewives . Didn't interfere with DS studies, earned a little spending money and most importantly .... kept my mind fresh with things other than dentistry.
Not sure you should worry about paying off your loans during DS.

 

[Saddleshoes]

When establishing your DS life style remember you are living on barrowed money, so keep you living expenses under control.

I have to echo what 2TH MVR said...
I too had a part time job my last 2 years. The little bit of money I earned paid for lunches and gas but mostly it kept me grounded and mentally stable.

 

[ncide]

One of my classmates works a couple hours every couple of weeks through ubereats and grubhub. It's nice working with them because you can start delivering food whenever you are free so it's very flexible work. I wouldn't recommend working too much though, dental school is tough and if you want to be towards the top of your class, you really don't have much free time.

 

[wengerout]

You don't want to work while in dental school. You should focus on becoming the best dentist you can be.

Furthermore, throwing all your money at your loans is not the fastest way to pay them off. Remember, the fastest way to pay off your loans is to make a lot of money. Sounds straightforward, but my point is 99 times out of 100 the way to make the most money as a dentist is practice ownership. Keep your money liquid to buy a practice ASAP and then increase your income to the point where you can pay off your loans aggressively once the time is right. Aside from this make smart financial choices (For example no house before practice, no living like a doctor straight out of school) and you should be fine.