<prompt> Human: Im a 23 year old college grad going into my first year of medical school. Im extremely passionate about Medicine and cant really see myself doing anything else. I was lucky enough to have parents willing to pay for all of my undergrad at UCLA and currently have a few thousand saved up going into my first year. However, Im going to a private school across the country thatll cost me about 75,000 per year including tuition, housing, supplies, etc. its the only school I got accepted to. Ive been an avid reader of this sub as well as other personal finance and financial independence literature sitesresources and I dont know how to not freak about this much debt. Anyone else done it and know if the anxiety and fear about it goes away? How long did it take to pay off your loans? I plan on living very frugally during residency and even after that until I pay off loans but i just feel like Ill be so behind compared to others in different fields.  <response>: Anyone else done it and know if the anxiety and fear about it goes away? Honesty, Id hope not. 310k is a crisis of student loan debt especially if youre unable to complete a residency or dont graduate. Its a life changing sum. Assuming all goes well, you need to live on next to nothing and pay that sum off beyond ASAP. Dont be the typical doctor who lives a step above paycheck-to-paycheck while they moonlight at an urgent care center. I pay off loans but i just feel like Ill be so behind compared to others in different fields.Doctors earn so much in part because their education is so expensive. If you dominate the debt early on, youll likely have a great income and will be doing perfectly fine. The goal is to push to get the debt eliminated so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor. Dont rush out and buy a house on a physician loan, a luxury vehicle, etc. 