I recommend going straight into grad school. I think if I had taken some time off I would have had a difficult time studying and focusing. I actually completed my requirements for grad school wthin 3 years instead of 4. I needed to shave a year off of the school loans
. I love the fact that I have more expeience than most of my colleagues that are my age and graduated later in life. There are a few people I work with that are in there mid 20's and are just now applying- to vet school-so they won't graduate until they are at least 30. Then if an internship and residency are done they won't be out until there mid 30's.
I do hate the debt but reality is that unless you are wealthy or your parents had a nice college fund for you, a loan is the only way to reach your goal. Out of a class of 120 about 90% of us had to take out loans. You cannot work during vet. school-it is an 8-5 job for 3 years then 4th year it is a 5-6 am to whatever time you finish job depending on your rotation (or you are on call for 24 hrs and then have to go to school all day-yuk!). Many weekends are spent in labs-(anatomy/parasitology/physiology etc...). Most graduate these days with over 100,000$ in debt and vets don't make $hit
.
I say get it all over with at once-don't wait.