This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Brandon Axelrod. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I’m in debt because I’m in my first year of oral and maxillofacial surgery residency in Manhattan. My current total is over $400,000 across 10 to 12 different loans, plus accruing interest.
I did four years of undergrad at Cornell University, then four years of specialty dental school at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine. That’s nine years of schooling so far, with three more to go.
I’m very proactive in all areas, so having $400,000 looming has been hard. I went into residency thinking I’d make small, incremental payments as I was able.