Hey everyone! Please excuse my long winded thread...
I have been searching this forum for about an hour, hoping to find some recent information on this topic. If I am just being blind, and posting about something obviously covered in a recent forum, please post the link if possible! I apologize in advance.
Most forums on here concerning student loan repayment were from around 2006, and oh how times have changed... some vet schools can cost you up to 400k nowadays, plus or minus cost of living. I will be starting vet school in the fall, at Ontario Veterinary college (OVC). I chose to go to Guelph for undergrad too, mostly for cost in addition to the great reputation the school has. I am not Canadian, so I pay international tuition, but it was still less expensive than all the American schools I considered. I ended up paying about 26k (CAD) a year, bringing me to about 105k (CAD) for my four years there. I am very grateful to have had help from my parents and I graduated with about 65k (USD) in student loans. Estimating at about an additional 180k (USD) from OVC alone, I'm expecting to come out of school with around 245k (USD) in debt. (and this was the less expensive path I took...yikes!!)
I had been accepted to St. George (more yikes in terms of cost) and wait listed at a couple out of state schools. OVC, while always being my top choice personally, was also the most cost effective out of all my options. scary to think that this is considered most affordable.
I'd really like to hear from veterinarians who have been out of school for some time, as well as recent DVM grads. What were/are your student loans like? How long did it take you to pay them off (or how much longer do you have)? What programs did you find (if any) that helped to pay them off or lessened the load on your monthly payments post-grad? What were your starting salaries like (your state, specialty etc.). I know starting salaries for GP vets in my area is around 60-80k.
To help with my debt so far, I've been paying the interest back during summers and the year between my undergrad and grad school, before my full payments have kicked in (which will start in April and my current full time job will allow me to be able to cover the cost of them up until my fall semester begins). I plan on working for a mobile vaccine clinic that I tech at now one weekends (the vets bid anywhere from 500 to 1500 a DAY on weekends for clinics that last 4-6 hours). Could rack up a couple thousand a month from that alone, while also doing something full time during the week. I'm not interested in luxurious travel experiences or having children any time soon after school. I have no problem working like a dog for the next decade (which I know we all will haha). I also don't have any issues living cheaply (i.e. with roommates or small apartment etc.)
Just looking for some insight or tips from anyone who can give their two cents. I appreciate any of you taking the time to read this and respond! Thank you
I have been searching this forum for about an hour, hoping to find some recent information on this topic. If I am just being blind, and posting about something obviously covered in a recent forum, please post the link if possible! I apologize in advance.
Most forums on here concerning student loan repayment were from around 2006, and oh how times have changed... some vet schools can cost you up to 400k nowadays, plus or minus cost of living. I will be starting vet school in the fall, at Ontario Veterinary college (OVC). I chose to go to Guelph for undergrad too, mostly for cost in addition to the great reputation the school has. I am not Canadian, so I pay international tuition, but it was still less expensive than all the American schools I considered. I ended up paying about 26k (CAD) a year, bringing me to about 105k (CAD) for my four years there. I am very grateful to have had help from my parents and I graduated with about 65k (USD) in student loans. Estimating at about an additional 180k (USD) from OVC alone, I'm expecting to come out of school with around 245k (USD) in debt. (and this was the less expensive path I took...yikes!!)
I had been accepted to St. George (more yikes in terms of cost) and wait listed at a couple out of state schools. OVC, while always being my top choice personally, was also the most cost effective out of all my options. scary to think that this is considered most affordable.
I'd really like to hear from veterinarians who have been out of school for some time, as well as recent DVM grads. What were/are your student loans like? How long did it take you to pay them off (or how much longer do you have)? What programs did you find (if any) that helped to pay them off or lessened the load on your monthly payments post-grad? What were your starting salaries like (your state, specialty etc.). I know starting salaries for GP vets in my area is around 60-80k.
To help with my debt so far, I've been paying the interest back during summers and the year between my undergrad and grad school, before my full payments have kicked in (which will start in April and my current full time job will allow me to be able to cover the cost of them up until my fall semester begins). I plan on working for a mobile vaccine clinic that I tech at now one weekends (the vets bid anywhere from 500 to 1500 a DAY on weekends for clinics that last 4-6 hours). Could rack up a couple thousand a month from that alone, while also doing something full time during the week. I'm not interested in luxurious travel experiences or having children any time soon after school. I have no problem working like a dog for the next decade (which I know we all will haha). I also don't have any issues living cheaply (i.e. with roommates or small apartment etc.)
Just looking for some insight or tips from anyone who can give their two cents. I appreciate any of you taking the time to read this and respond! Thank you
