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My ass can definitely use a vacation
Class of 2025... How you doin’?
- Thread starter PhiloslothicalStudent
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I wasn’t sure where to ask this but since y’all are talking about picking a more expensive school...I have a similar dilemma of my own of choosing between OSU (Oregon) and WSU.
When just comparing total tuition between the two, WSU is cheaper (about $45,000) due to being able to switch instate. However, I have been educating myself on the repayment plans and using the VIN loan calculator just for tuition, and the monthly loan payments are almost identical on the 20 year income based repayment plans. The only difference is the taxes paid on forgiveness ~67,200 vs ~30,600. Which over the course of 20 years would be equivalent to saving about $280 vs $130 a month (~$150 difference). Im not sure if I’m doing this wrong but it really doesn’t seem like that much of difference to me in the long term? Am I crazy for still seriously considering Oregon or should I just accept the cheaper option at WSU?
When just comparing total tuition between the two, WSU is cheaper (about $45,000) due to being able to switch instate. However, I have been educating myself on the repayment plans and using the VIN loan calculator just for tuition, and the monthly loan payments are almost identical on the 20 year income based repayment plans. The only difference is the taxes paid on forgiveness ~67,200 vs ~30,600. Which over the course of 20 years would be equivalent to saving about $280 vs $130 a month (~$150 difference). Im not sure if I’m doing this wrong but it really doesn’t seem like that much of difference to me in the long term? Am I crazy for still seriously considering Oregon or should I just accept the cheaper option at WSU?
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Heyo! I can’t weigh in with personal experience on this specific scenario because I did summer research with two PI’s through my vet school, but as far as I can tell it’s possible to do research elsewhere. It’s just a matter of funding. So some programs like the NIH/BI program may require that your PI be from your university or something like that. I know my friend ran into an issue like that when she wanted to do research with a PI at Drexel but couldn’t secure the funding because they weren’t a Penn researcher. But if you can secure the funding whether through a grant or if your prospective PI has enough funding to just pay you outright, I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to do it.@ajs513 any weigh-in? I can't find a WZ, and hopefully I tagged the right ajs
You're not crazy - the cost can be comparable if you're doing a long term payment plan because your payment will be the same over twenty years so only the taxes will be different.
BUT
You could be putting that extra $150 to work for you in different ways...
For example, adding $150 per month to your 401K:
$150 per month for 20 years = $36,000 just from your own contributions. Estimating a 6% return on investment, you'd have about $70,000 extra toward retirement after 20 years. If you let that money sit and do nothing until you retire, say another 15 years after you hit your 20 year loan forgiveness, you'd have about $170,000 extra in your 401k at retirement. If you go to the more expensive school, you just robbed yourself of about $135,000 worth of interest in retirement savings. Lots of assumptions in there, but you get the idea.
You can also use that money to put a down payment on a house - either afford a nicer place or get a better interest rate on your loan (more $$ saved). That's also the equivalent of an extra vacation per year.... or a small car payment... or general fun money / breathing room.
So... I'd still go to the cheaper school unless you have a compelling reason not to.
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I second everything Britzen said.
My 2 cents is to try not rely on government repayment options. People have been burned too many times by them-just look at the PSLF debacle. I realize these repayment options exist because there is a need for it but we have yet to actually see IBR/REPAYE playout. There's another great story about a MI state repayment plan that barrowers got screwed over on as well.
Just some general things: (Full disclaimer I am not fully versed in the IBR/REPAYE/etc but what I do know from VIN and a few debt lectures through VBMA-debt free vets on FB is a good resource too if things like REPAYE/IBR are fuzzy.)
The taxes paid on forgiveness will be based on your income tax rate could range from 12%-30%+ depending on your future income based on the amount you would have remaining. Payment plans you would also probably grow your loans and end up paying more over time than straight paying them especially with interest-it's KILLER.
I hope you read my post above- think about what you could do with that 45k plus interest. I left my IS for 30k less in student loans. I wouldn't change it for the world for the money and for things that have happened that people never saw coming (ie earning half my education online I don't have this feeling that some people do of being stuck paying more for these "opportunities" that got taken away because of COVID). One of my classmates could have gone to OR IS and chose to pay more and come to WSU. They feel jipped with COVID-we all do-but I think it's a stronger sentiment among those that chose a school that costed more than their cheapest available option to them.
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So, while we are on this train - I'm kind of in a weird similar position. I don't feel like it's enough to warrant a thread in the thread for this because I think I've already made my choice (Ohio) and yet..
I have two oos acceptances that I am super thrilled about and grateful for, one at Ohio (the obvious choice based on cost and tbh distance from home) but also at Tufts. I'm almost certainly doing income-based repayment. in my career as a biologist i've simply had no choice. my career goal's a residency in pathology/side-career in wildlife, and eventually teach at a university.
Now for the crisis - mildly already haunted by regret. I'm a little practical so financially I'm already heavily leaning towards Ohio. The twist is I desperately want to live in New England. I lived and worked in Southern Maine in 2015. I worked 60+ hours per week between a wildlife clinic and a coffee shop. Barely made enough to survive. Had two days off per month total. But I was so unbelievably incomparably happy. I spent those two days off per week surfing. It helped me realize what I want out of life (i've worked insane hrs at multiple weird jobs to make cash and see the world and even out of Yellowstone and Italy.. that's where I was happiest). And I'm 28, turning 29 in April -- I'm scared of getting trapped, still have no interest in buying a house. But I realize that's just now. I already have 70k+ debt from a local in-state public grad school (a story for another day). I've already made the choice for money once before and beyond the lessons I receive locally, I am not always sure if it was the right one. I'm staring down the reality that I may never be able to afford to live in the place that I felt truly myself -- but I also recognize that hey, maybe that's just life. Maybe we're never exactly where we want to be and it's up to us to find the beauty of wherever we're at. I'm low-key worried that I'd feel guilty that once again, I didn't snatch what the universe dangled right in front of me.
The next caveat - I have a research contact at Tufts. I think I'd really benefit under this person's mentorship because I've met them in real life and they already occasionally collaborate with my local mentor cross-regionally. So is mentorship generally reserved for attendees of a certain school? Because then -- maybe I'd still have hope to move out there after I finish at Ohio. Or work in New England summers, which seems like the best compromise to me. I'm actually talking with this person soon so if anyone has any further advice about seeking out mentors or questions to ask etc that would be awesome.
In conclusion I think I would/I will really love that tOSU is actually in a city? And that it'd be less isolating, and that I don't need Orgo 2 or Physics 2 to attend there -- in general I feel much less stressed and much less pressure thinking about it. And to me that's really important -- I don't want to keep beating myself up academically -- I'm exhausted. It's 1:30 here and I just ditched my last case study of the evening to try and process these thoughts. I wish I could just go to both of the schools.
I have two oos acceptances that I am super thrilled about and grateful for, one at Ohio (the obvious choice based on cost and tbh distance from home) but also at Tufts. I'm almost certainly doing income-based repayment. in my career as a biologist i've simply had no choice. my career goal's a residency in pathology/side-career in wildlife, and eventually teach at a university.
Now for the crisis - mildly already haunted by regret. I'm a little practical so financially I'm already heavily leaning towards Ohio. The twist is I desperately want to live in New England. I lived and worked in Southern Maine in 2015. I worked 60+ hours per week between a wildlife clinic and a coffee shop. Barely made enough to survive. Had two days off per month total. But I was so unbelievably incomparably happy. I spent those two days off per week surfing. It helped me realize what I want out of life (i've worked insane hrs at multiple weird jobs to make cash and see the world and even out of Yellowstone and Italy.. that's where I was happiest). And I'm 28, turning 29 in April -- I'm scared of getting trapped, still have no interest in buying a house. But I realize that's just now. I already have 70k+ debt from a local in-state public grad school (a story for another day). I've already made the choice for money once before and beyond the lessons I receive locally, I am not always sure if it was the right one. I'm staring down the reality that I may never be able to afford to live in the place that I felt truly myself -- but I also recognize that hey, maybe that's just life. Maybe we're never exactly where we want to be and it's up to us to find the beauty of wherever we're at. I'm low-key worried that I'd feel guilty that once again, I didn't snatch what the universe dangled right in front of me.
The next caveat - I have a research contact at Tufts. I think I'd really benefit under this person's mentorship because I've met them in real life and they already occasionally collaborate with my local mentor cross-regionally. So is mentorship generally reserved for attendees of a certain school? Because then -- maybe I'd still have hope to move out there after I finish at Ohio. Or work in New England summers, which seems like the best compromise to me. I'm actually talking with this person soon so if anyone has any further advice about seeking out mentors or questions to ask etc that would be awesome.
In conclusion I think I would/I will really love that tOSU is actually in a city? And that it'd be less isolating, and that I don't need Orgo 2 or Physics 2 to attend there -- in general I feel much less stressed and much less pressure thinking about it. And to me that's really important -- I don't want to keep beating myself up academically -- I'm exhausted. It's 1:30 here and I just ditched my last case study of the evening to try and process these thoughts. I wish I could just go to both of the schools.
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@britzen and @MixedAnimals77 Thank you both for your insights This really helps. I’m honestly new to student loans, and I’ve been trying to educate myself on the future implications. The uncertainty of these repayment programs and the possibility of them getting taken away in the future does scare me, and I really don’t want to make a decision that I will regret for the rest of my life. The vets at my work have been somewhat unhelpful (as I don’t think they fully grasp the debt load for current vet students). For some reason they think the $45,000 difference is negligible (and it honestly confuses me why they think that), so this modern perspective is much appreciated!
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There’s also the mental strain of watching your student loan balance actually INCREASE after paying hundreds to thousands of dollars month after month for twenty years. I’ve seen social media posts of vets lamenting that they know the forgiveness route is technically slightly cheaper for them because they have a crazy amount of debt, but mentally they really struggle under the weight of those numbers on their statements every month. Some people handle it fine, but some don’t.
In theory the plans are outlined in your repayment contract you sign when you take out the loans. So as long as a program is available when you take out the loans, it would be pretty unlikely that it would be taken completely away without major lawsuits since your loan documents are legally binding documents. But you just never know. And a lot of the forgiveness planning modules make some big assumptions...especially on how much you need save to plan for forgiveness. The amount forgiven counts as taxable income the year it is forgiven (so 20 years from graduation). So if you make a salary of 150,000 that year and get 500,000 forgiven (because your loans kept growing due to interest on an income based payment), that year your salary is going to be recorded as 650,000 and you’ll owe taxes for that tax bracket. Right now the vin simulators and stuff estimate you’d owe 30% taxes on that just because if the current tax guidelines but in 20 years who is to say we’ll still tax that at 30%? Taxes might increase significantly in 20 years. Hypothetically if it went from 30% to 50% at such a high income the amount the IRS will expect you to pay in taxes would go from very roughly 175k to over 300k...hope your investments did well or you saved way more than estimated 20 years prior. It’s just a little unpredictable, and while it’s often a realistic way to manage debt because you just have to, it’s not without risk.
More specifically to @max_wildlife, you can live in New England after school too...there’s many many years after graduation where you can choose where you live. Most diagnostic pathology jobs now are even virtual and you can live anywhere, and there’s quite a few schools in the northeast. I would argue you’d have more free time to after vet school anyway. And you can use what you’re saving monthly on loans for fun in the New England sun. In regards to a research contact...I would still go to the cheaper school. This contact will always be a contact if you maintain the relationship and going somewhere else can actually build your network and open even more doors. Maybe you apply for a residency at Tufts?
In theory the plans are outlined in your repayment contract you sign when you take out the loans. So as long as a program is available when you take out the loans, it would be pretty unlikely that it would be taken completely away without major lawsuits since your loan documents are legally binding documents. But you just never know. And a lot of the forgiveness planning modules make some big assumptions...especially on how much you need save to plan for forgiveness. The amount forgiven counts as taxable income the year it is forgiven (so 20 years from graduation). So if you make a salary of 150,000 that year and get 500,000 forgiven (because your loans kept growing due to interest on an income based payment), that year your salary is going to be recorded as 650,000 and you’ll owe taxes for that tax bracket. Right now the vin simulators and stuff estimate you’d owe 30% taxes on that just because if the current tax guidelines but in 20 years who is to say we’ll still tax that at 30%? Taxes might increase significantly in 20 years. Hypothetically if it went from 30% to 50% at such a high income the amount the IRS will expect you to pay in taxes would go from very roughly 175k to over 300k...hope your investments did well or you saved way more than estimated 20 years prior. It’s just a little unpredictable, and while it’s often a realistic way to manage debt because you just have to, it’s not without risk.
More specifically to @max_wildlife, you can live in New England after school too...there’s many many years after graduation where you can choose where you live. Most diagnostic pathology jobs now are even virtual and you can live anywhere, and there’s quite a few schools in the northeast. I would argue you’d have more free time to after vet school anyway. And you can use what you’re saving monthly on loans for fun in the New England sun. In regards to a research contact...I would still go to the cheaper school. This contact will always be a contact if you maintain the relationship and going somewhere else can actually build your network and open even more doors. Maybe you apply for a residency at Tufts?
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Hey! I'm pretty sure you can apply to any summer research program, regardless of school. I did summer research at Purdue's vet school as an undergrad and absolutely loved it! I cannot speak highly enough about the vets in my research group. The vet student on the project was a Purdue student, but there were some students from other schools working with other research groups.
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I've seen on school websites that pre-vets can do summer research at whichever vet school they apply to, I'm not entirely sure vet students can do that too. I really want to ask the admission officers but I don't want to bother them either, I imagine they must have their hands full with offers going out.
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You make me so happy
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That's fair. Yeah I'm definitely still leaning towards Ohio, and I would absolutely consider a residency at Tufts, or even an internship at the wildlife hospital there. I think I'm going through the 'rapidly approaching 30' crisis even though I know that age means nothing, but I'm dealing with those existential themes, especially as I'm working through my own personal fears of commitment etc. And since vet school and my career as a veterinarian will be the biggest commitment I've made thus far in my life, I definitely want to set myself up for success as much as possible. Which I think is the cheaper school, but still feels weird somehow. Living in the future and kind of planning for these things is sort of new to me.
And yes debt is super real, yeah; thankfully I do think I'm one of the rare people that deals with the shocking numbers well. But beyond that, the 4th year flexibility at Ohio I feel like I could get a little more creative with my education whereas Tufts feels a little more prescribed.
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Sorry I should have been clearer, there were definitely vet students from other schools doing summer research with other groups!
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There can definitely be a disconnect depending on people's views of money from it's ok to swim in debt ot default to they may have so much money 45k is a drop in the bucket. I also think it's partly what you've had experience with and what becomes "nothing" vs a "big deal" monetary wise. Right like when you're little $20 is a BIG deal. Now $20 is less than a full tank of gas for me. So I think some of that plays into it as well. Personally, I think 45k is a huge deal but I always think what could I do with that money instead. I think it is helpful to attach that number to something tangible to make it more realistic especially when it's just this number on paper for the time being.
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You take your English degree and leave
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Ya now that I’m thinking about it them being in one of the highest paid vet fields (lab animal) is probably skewing their perspective. I’m not sure how I will consider $45,000 in the future as I have no idea what field I’ll end up in, but right now it’s $10,000 more than even my undergrad degree which seems slightly insane. I’m pretty sure I’ll end up going with WSU because I think I’m willing to sacrifice the things I like about Oregon to hopefully have a happier future. Thank you for your thoughts sometimes I feel like I need a nice dose of reality haha😅
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Come to the dark side we have bears😊
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That’s half of a new grad GP salary for some people I know. Half your yearly salary in extra loans. Plus interest on top.
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That's almost three of my car, and I'd love to not have a car payment...
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Uh I wouldn't be so sure about that. GP vets around here are pulling in more than I am after a 3 year residency (and I know ER vets are likely doing even better than that). If they work in industry they might be doing better but lab animal in academia is... let's say often underfunded.
I definitely think $45K is a lot of money.
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Oh I guess my boss just may be an anomaly for academia 😅 he’s definitely making a lot more money than I ever would expect to make as a GP vet 😪
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Have to also remember that they may have some outside funding considerations. One of our researchers makes just a little bit more than an ER vet in private practice through his school salary, but then he makes money outside of that through other gigs.
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Hi everyone! So excited to come back on here and see this thread started after being off the site for a bit! I have 3 more weeks left at my job at the vet hospital and then I'm going home to live with my parents and work at my high school summer job (popping popcorn by the lake! what could be better than that?!) I already put a security deposit down and signed the lease to the house I'll be renting in TN! This is all so crazy! I used to read these posts every year and get so excited for when it would be my turn!
How do you guys plan to relax and have fun this summer (considering COVID)?!
How do you guys plan to relax and have fun this summer (considering COVID)?!
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Ooh that sounds so fun!! I’ll be interning for a couple of weeks at a zoo, then *hopefully* things will be relatively normal enough by July to go on a trip to South Africa with my grandparents that was supposed to happen last summer. I was going to try to do a much longer internship that would’ve left me zero time at home, but I decided to compromise with something a bit more relaxing!
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I hope to travel a bit (COVID permitting) nowhere crazy but maybe go up north or drive to North Carolina... I’m wary of flying
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I will be going to Nashville to see my fiancé’s family in April and then hopefully moving to Columbus in June to settle in and relax before school! Maybe another trip to Nashville because it will most likely be the last time until I graduate with how busy everything is🥲 😂
also maybe planning a wedding???? My mom has been a major road block and i would really rather elope so there’s some drama llama with that
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I 10/10 recommend. My fiance and I are eloping the week after graduation and I'm thrilled to not have the stress of planning a wedding.
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As someone who caved to the wedding. 10/10 recommend eloping.
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Honestly that is what I have wanted to do from the beginning but my mom was all about the wedding and said she would pay for it and all of these false promises without knowing how much a wedding/ event costs and so now she’s backing out but still wants me to have and pay for one? And do it her way? So basically she wants a wedding but doesn’t want to pay for it and i said there’s not much i can do about that. I think we are probably going to elope at this point because for me it’s not worth the drama or the stress or constant back and forth during vet school.
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Wellllll if anyone doesn't elope and wants to commiserate over wedding planning stress, hit up ya girl here 
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I must be the odd one out lol because i actually love planning. 
As a kid, I would plan my birthday parties a year in advance with all the details of theme, cake, decorations. Although there was a lot of stress when planning my wedding (since I was also completing my masters at the same time), I still really enjoyed it! But then again, I also was blessed with a great support system: both my parents and my in-laws provided physical and financial support through the whole process.
As a kid, I would plan my birthday parties a year in advance with all the details of theme, cake, decorations. Although there was a lot of stress when planning my wedding (since I was also completing my masters at the same time), I still really enjoyed it! But then again, I also was blessed with a great support system: both my parents and my in-laws provided physical and financial support through the whole process.
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Ah yes...see the difference here is the bolded was less than idealI must be the odd one out lol because i actually love planning.
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I also love planning and organizing! I just didn't think a wedding was worth the cost when we could buy a house sooner instead 🤣I must be the odd one out lol because i actually love planning.
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HALLO everyone! I am so excited to realize this thread exists! I haven't officially committed to any school yet, but at this point unless I get a sizeable recruitment scholarship & acceptance from Penn, I am between UMN & tOSU, leaning heavily to attending tOSU for financial reasons. It would also be incredibly nice to be within a day's drive of home in case something were to happen with my parents (both aging & not out of the realm of possibility for health issues to arise). It's incredibly comforting to see all these frank discussions about finance and repayment & such - it's a conversation my family seem unwilling to have, thinking I should go to the school with the biggest name or prestige (because it will get me more access to jobs/internships/residencies/etc later on). I have no intention of ruining my life for a career, so any chance I have to minimize my vet school spending will be prioritized. Hope you're all doing well, and so excited to see so many of us heading into our dreams!
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Fair enough. We saved money as much as we could. My mom and I love arts and crafts, so we did lots of DIY decorations!
Plus, we knew that buying a house would be years down the line for us anyways. Especially since at the time (we got married in 2018), we didn't know when or where I'd be starting vet school. Plus with finishing my Masters, and my husband in a transition between jobs, we knew buying a house was a LONG way away.
To those getting married soon, figure out what works out best for you and your significant other!
To those currently married in vet school, any advice for those of us who will be entering vet school married?
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Sit down with your SO and make your compromises before you start and set your expectations for each other-and be flexible!
Examples: Make every Wednesday date night, every Sunday is studying with the group, I can't clean house on exam weeks so it's your turn. Making sure that they know your schedule-not being home til 10pm or having patient care at 7am. On the days he works I cook dinner if I'm home before 4pm and his days off he cooks dinner. Right now with COVID my husband knows every 3rd week he can't use the living room because school is at my house-that means he can't play video games till after 12pm. Or like next Tuesday if we are going to have dinner together it needs to be done at 5pm because I have euthanasia coaching from 6-9pm. With exams at home making sure he knows not to disturb you during that time. Really just communication and setting expectations. Talking to each other about financial decisions like joining VBMA which is an expensive club. All the things that you've hopefully been doing-just knowing that sometimes depending on what your SO does you might not see them for like a solid week or more sometimes-4th year I'm not going to probably see my husband for 2 months straight. Letting each other know when you need time with them. My husband knows to ask me how my day was at dinner if we both weren't off otherwise I sometimes get grumpy-just making sure to check in with each other.
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What do vet students usually do over the summers after first and second year? Once I move for school, I really don’t plan to move back home since I am going OOS, even though I love the hospital I work at and they’d be thrilled to have me back over the summers. Do you guys find summer jobs? Do schools help first and second years find internships or externships? Do people just travel/relax/etc? Moving is my all-time least favorite activity and I plan to sign a 12 month lease around July, so I’d really like to not relocate during the summers but I’m realizing I don’t know what people typically do!
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You can do whatever you want! Some people find a vet related summer job. Some find a non-vet related summer job. Some people go home and visit family, some just chill and enjoy having no responsibilities. Some do summer research programs. There’s a few formal externship programs through some corporations like Banfield. For the most part you’ll have to seek out whatever you want. (As an aside, I personally wouldn’t recommend calling any experience an “internship” if just blindly contacting places...once you get into vet school internship typically implies a post grad training position so that can be confusing.) That specific summer I worked half the week in a pathology lab at my school then drove home for 3 and 4 day weekends where I worked in a clinic 1-2 days then hung out with my family. But there isn’t any right or wrong answer.
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I did research both summers and also worked in the large animal hospital between 2nd and 3rd year. Took some time off to relax too. Did a bit of traveling. Thoroughly enjoyed not having exams to study for
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My first summer I mostly relaxed. Went back home for the summer and did 2 short externships at a couple different places near my parents and then just relaxed for the rest of the time.
Summer after second year uh...was last summer. I originally had planned to do a couple different externships then too, but then **** hit the fan. I was able to find something kind of last minute for 2 weeks at a clinic that still was letting people come in because they got funding for some TNR so they were letting a couple students going into 3rd year spay and neuter a bunch of cats. So it ended up working out okay even though my original plans went out the window.
Summer after second year uh...was last summer. I originally had planned to do a couple different externships then too, but then **** hit the fan. I was able to find something kind of last minute for 2 weeks at a clinic that still was letting people come in because they got funding for some TNR so they were letting a couple students going into 3rd year spay and neuter a bunch of cats. So it ended up working out okay even though my original plans went out the window.
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Follow-up question to the above: how much do summer activities during vet school matter for matching to internships, particularly small animal rotating internships?
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They can be cool additions to an application if you find something unique or made some good connections, but they’re not anywhere near as important as good grades/high class rank, excellent letters of recommendation from people at your school, etc. I don’t think a program will say “oh goodness this person was ‘lazy’ and didn’t do anything for a month straight that one year several years ago!”. But if things are otherwise similar between applicants, the person who did a mission trip to somewhere to do spay neuter, or who externed at a sea turtle rehabilitation place, or who spent time shadowing a specialist, or whatever may have a little tiny bit of a leg up just because they did something cool that makes them stand out a little more. But if you need a mental break that’s fine. I mean once you enter the workforce you’re not going to have just weeks at a time to relax and have fun so you may as well take advantage while you can. I’d kill for more than a week off at a time lol.
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This is exactly why I took my breaks easy. Starting clinics soon and have nothing planned for any of my vacation blocks because I need those breaks that will be some of my last ever
Conversely I did not take my breaks easy..
I took summer classes so I can finish dual MPH / DVM in 4 years.
Also worked my butt off. Made enough money to pay for a year of vet school tuition & fees between the two summers. (Cheap IS rates, but still.)
(Also note that I am very tired. So tired.)
I took summer classes so I can finish dual MPH / DVM in 4 years.
Also worked my butt off. Made enough money to pay for a year of vet school tuition & fees between the two summers. (Cheap IS rates, but still.)
(Also note that I am very tired. So tired.)
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(I am also very tired)
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I pretty much did this too. Did research and worked a lot. I tried to make sure I took a week or so to go visit my parents and have a little down time each summer and I'm glad I did that.I did research both summers and also worked in the large animal hospital between 2nd and 3rd year. Took some time off to relax too. Did a bit of traveling. Thoroughly enjoyed not having exams to study for
There was a lot of variety in what my classmates did - some went abroad and did volunteering/externships, some just worked, some worked non-veterinary jobs the whole summer to make a little extra cash. There's not a right or wrong way to do summers.
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I’m sorry if I’m being annoying with this! I really appreciate all of your more knowledgable opinions 😩 but I spoke with my parents and they want me to be able to make my decision without worrying about the money. They aren’t able to pay the difference upfront, but they said they are willing the contribute to my monthly loan payments (or tax savings) to make up for the difference in tuition between Oregon and WSU. However, I’m still scared about taking out that much debt upfront even though I know I will have help repaying it. Will it make a difference in my life with having that much debt tied to my name? In my mind, I was just about to fully commit to WSU, and now I’m conflicted again. 😔
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Are they willing to still put that amount of money towards your loans if you go to WSU instead so that you are in an even better place financially?
