Veterinary Should I hide that my family is paying for my schooling?

[Raryn]

So I am very lucky in the fact that I will not have to take out any loans for veterinary school, my family members have generously offered to pay my way through school. I am very thankful for my situation, but I am aware that I am in the minority here.

What I am worried about is, I have seen/overheard a lot of negative comments from people about people in my situation. I have also been advised not to discuss this with my interviewers since they might look down on it or think that I won't work hard (which couldn't be further from the truth) since I am not paying for my education myself since it is likely they had to. Even though I haven't earned this money myself, or have to worry about accumulating/paying back debt, I have watched my parents work hard all of my life and they have instilled a huge work ethic in me. Is my financial situation something I should keep hidden from my fellow students? I would never come out and tell people that I don't have to take out loans but I also don't like the idea of lying to people/interviewers if they ask.

So the first thing that I'll point out is that while you're in a minority, you're not in an overwhelmingly small one: 25% of medical graduates in 2017 had $0 debt. That number (per the AVMA) is a bit smaller for veterinary school - but even still it was 17%. In addition, that same article brings up that >25% have family paying at least some of their costs. That said, you can read the same article and see that this is a number that many of the higher-ups don't like - because it implies that only the better-off are going to school.

But here's the thing - this is America. People are very private about their finances. Your interviewers will likely not ask you about your finances - and you just shouldn't bring it up. If for some reason they ask, you just waffle and say that your dream is to be a vet and that you plan on sorting out the details after you get your financial aid package. This is not a lie - perhaps you'll get scholarships, offers for 0% loans, or who knows what else? You do not know exactly how you will pay for veterinary school. No one in the admissions process should ask about your relationship with your parents and whether they're willing to foot the bill for school. Even if you have $0 undergrad debt, there's plenty of folks whose parents don't pay for grad school.

In addition, this is something that you typically won't be expected to discuss with your classmates. Again, Americans are typically very private about finances - your classmates know that not everyone is paying for school. They might notice if you're not present at say, the financial aid session discussions loans, but most of them won't bring it up to discuss with you unless they know you very well. If vet students are anything like med students, they'll bitch about being broke or make jokes about debt periodically - just smile and nod. Hell, unless your family is exceedingly generous, you probably won't have much disposable income either - you can make the occasional ramen noodle joke yourself. Just know your audience of who your friends are.

If, after you have started school, someone has the lack of tact to actually flat out ask you if you are taking out loans? You can honestly tell them it's not their concern. Or just tell them your parents are generously paying and you understand how lucky you are. Or anything else. But really, while I remember people bitching about their debt, I don't remember it being a Q&A style grilling of people I barely knew.

There's so many more things to worry about, I'd forget about this one.

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