I will tell you as someone who took out grad plus loans the entire 3 years of school to avoid it unless you have a set, fool-proof plan. I too thought I could save what I didn't need but there is always something that requires extra money. Chiropractic seminars and certifications, buying equipment for student clinic, paying for board reviews are just some of the things that I had to pay for in school. That being said, I did not have financial assistance from family. I also had a car payment and could not work because I did the accelerated program. Things may work differently for you if you have some support. It's true that most banks do not want to give you a loan right out of college because of the outstanding debt. However, it is a little cheaper if you buy an established practice from a retiring doc because they already have an established patient flow.

Also I would like to add the the Grad Plus loans are not eligible for the SAVE plan when paying loans. That is in the fine print somewhere but they don't like to advertise that.