Is it possible to afford vet school?

[humanehumans]

Currently I'm working part time jobs while getting core classes done at community (to reduce debt). Getting my associates is taking a long time as it is, due to working so much. I already have taken out 7,000 in financial aid and am not even half way done my associates. My grades are amazing, but what does that matter when it's taking so long? I want to get my BS in Animal Science after at an in state school to reduce costs, but will that be enough? Can I get enough in aid and scholarships to get my BS and eventually DVM? It feels like I won't be done until I'm 29, and I can't survive off part time jobs until then. With no parental help, is it even possible?

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[MAD MIKE O7]

Currently I'm working part time jobs while getting core classes done at community (to reduce debt). Getting my associates is taking a long time as it is, due to working so much. I already have taken out 7,000 in financial aid and am not even half way done my associates. My grades are amazing, but what does that matter when it's taking so long? I want to get my BS in Animal Science after at an in state school to reduce costs, but will that be enough? Can I get enough in aid and scholarships to get my BS and eventually DVM? It feels like I won't be done until I'm 29, and I can't survive off part time jobs until then. With no parental help, is it even possible?

I'm not sure if you know this, but you do not have to have a degree to get into veterinary school. You can take the prerequisites and apply. Most of the doctors I have worked with did not have their bachelor's degree when they started veterinary school.

That being said, the debt you incur for your undergrad is going to be dwarfed by the debt from vet school. If you are interested the U.S. Army has a fantastic scholarship program and you can get through vet school basically debt free. There are always options to help offset costs.

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[MixedAnimals77]

Currently I'm working part time jobs while getting core classes done at community (to reduce debt). Getting my associates is taking a long time as it is, due to working so much. I already have taken out 7,000 in financial aid and am not even half way done my associates. My grades are amazing, but what does that matter when it's taking so long? I want to get my BS in Animal Science after at an in state school to reduce costs, but will that be enough? Can I get enough in aid and scholarships to get my BS and eventually DVM? It feels like I won't be done until I'm 29, and I can't survive off part time jobs until then. With no parental help, is it even possible?

It's tough, but it is possible sometimes. If and when you get to DVM, don't expect to work much if at all. Many people live off loans during those years. How much scholarship is available for your BS is really subjective to the school and your qualifications as a person. Good thing about some undergrad loans is that they're subsidized so interest won't accumulate while in school. Don't worry about how long it takes. None of this is a race, it's truly about you and getting everything done at your own pace. I will say I got lucky. I didn't do CC and went straight to 4 year, but I received a full ride. Because of this I have been able to save up enough money to save up for 1 year at my IS, or almost 2 years IS at cheaper schools like NCSU and Iowa. This will reduce my debt significantly thankfully if I get in. Best way to make it the most affordable is to move to a cheap IS state and establish residency for DVM school. As MAD MIKE 07 said you also don't need a BS for most vet schools. Take your time this isn't a race. If it's what you really want to do it is possible. Difficult, but possible to be "affordable" (for me that means loans don't equal more than I would make in one year of practice (~$85000 for what I want to do)for others that means less than $300k depends on your definition of affordable)
*also looking at current and probably future trends the student debt is only going to become worse and less "affordable" as schools continue to charge more despite the terrible debt to income ratio

 

[DVMDream]

Yes, it can be but realistic answer no. Not possible.

 

[SpartanWolverine]

Define "afford". The average debt looks to be around $170,000 and not unusual to be well over $200,000. This for a job that pays, if you're lucky, half that. Not a wise economic decision but certainly affordable depending on your definition.

 

[Lupin21]

I'm not sure if you know this, but you do not have to have a degree to get into veterinary school. You can take the prerequisites and apply. Most of the doctors I have worked with did not have their bachelor's degree when they started veterinary school.

That being said, the debt you incur for your undergrad is going to be dwarfed by the debt from vet school. If you are interested the U.S. Army has a fantastic scholarship program and you can get through vet school basically debt free. There are always options to help offset costs.

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I realize you were just mentioning it, but to comment on the Army Program thought, that is a tough program to get into and should never be taken lightly or done solely in desperation to save money. There needs to be a very clear understanding of what a position entails if chosen for that program.

 

[MAD MIKE O7]

I realize you were just mentioning it, but to comment on the Army Program thought, that is a tough program to get into and should never be taken lightly or done solely in desperation to save money. There needs to be a very clear understanding of what a position entails if chosen for that program.

Oh I didn't mean to mention it solely as a way to pay tuition although my comment does read that way now that I look back. It is a serious commitment and requires consideration of the program's requirements and what is expected of you.

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[Lupin21]

Oh I didn't mean to mention it solely as a way to pay tuition although my comment does read that way now that I look back. It is a serious commitment and requires consideration of the program's requirements and what is expected of you.

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I figure anyone who sees that paperwork that has to be filled out to even apply weeds out a good number of people who really ought not apply anyway. bahahaaa

 

[pooter]

I'm with SpartanWolverine. Define "afford." Obviously, some of us are doing it. Does it make good financial sense? Probably not. Should we do it anyway? *shrug* I was not born into money, and yet here I am somehow. Did I cause my own financial ruin? I'll let you know in about 18 years when the last loan payment rolls around.

If you're working so much that your associates is taking you extra *years,* then if you're really committed to this crazy endeavor, I'd recommend cutting back your hours, even if it means taking on more debt. Because there's really no way to save enough for vet school while working typical kinds of jobs unless you have a previous career and don't change tracks until well into the midlife crisis years. Every year you spend diligently socking away that tip money is another year of making peanuts when (provided you get in) you could be out of vet school and making Almost Real money that much sooner. Of course, this assumes that you don't change your mind, don't run into a problem in undergrad and have to drop out or postpone your schooling, don't have a crisis and end up unable to finish vet school, and don't finish and then realize vet med isn't for you. If any of those things happen and you end up as something other than a practicing vet, then you could be on the hook for a lot of useless student debt.

 

[twelvetigers]

This again boils down to:

If you think you could be happy doing anything else, then do that instead. Like really. Give it lots of thought.

If you do choose to go to vet school, try and be as smart as possible about it - save as much as you can, pursue any scholarships you can, and go to the cheapest school you can.

Don't worry about taking your time, but don't spend six years getting your undergrad degree either. Find some middle ground. Look for scholarships! Good grades should help you with that.

 

[humanehumans]

Thank you for all your replies. I truly appreciate thought-out feedback. No other job could satisfy me intellectually or morally. I will DEFINITELY look into dvm programs that accept students with qualifying credits instead of my BS. Instead of UPenn (expensive and ranked 6th), I'll move in with my friends in Knoxville (to establish residency) and attend UTenn (very inexpensive and ranked 21st, I believe). All your advise is giving me hope and determination. Thank you!

 

[SkiOtter]

Thank you for all your replies. I truly appreciate thought-out feedback. No other job could satisfy me intellectually or morally. I will DEFINITELY look into dvm programs that accept students with qualifying credits instead of my BS. Instead of UPenn (expensive and ranked 6th), I'll move in with my friends in Knoxville (to establish residency) and attend UTenn (very inexpensive and ranked 21st, I believe). All your advise is giving me hope and determination. Thank you!

I would assume that you're going to, but definitely contact the school and figure out exactly what you need to do to get residency so you don't miss anything and accidentally screw yourself over.

 

[LyraGardenia]

Thank you for all your replies. I truly appreciate thought-out feedback. No other job could satisfy me intellectually or morally. I will DEFINITELY look into dvm programs that accept students with qualifying credits instead of my BS. Instead of UPenn (expensive and ranked 6th), I'll move in with my friends in Knoxville (to establish residency) and attend UTenn (very inexpensive and ranked 21st, I believe). All your advise is giving me hope and determination. Thank you!

Vet school rankings really don't mean anything, so I wouldn't worry about that!