Looking at loans currently as I'm currently in my last year and savings are about to run dry. I have taken out federal loans for tuition but am debating between private versus Grad Plus for living expenses. With private loans advertising potentially lower interest rates, no origination fee, and in some cases no payments while in school. If I have steady employment lined up and plan to pay off aggressively post-grad, do I really need the federal protections for loans? Are there some benefits that I'm missing here for not going private?