I have to agree with the people who said to wait until you finish your education to start paying off your loans. In the US, you get a 6-9 month grace period between graduating/falling below half time before you receive your first bill to start paying off your loans. Now, I have actually used that grace period when I finished my bachelor's- I took a semester break before starting graduate school.
Now, do not, and I mean DO NOT be afraid to call your loan companies (if you did private loans) or the Department of Education for federal loans. DO NOT think that you have to pay it off right when you start. They will help you if you cannot pay it. I had to call the Dpt of Education FedLoan place part way through my time off because I couldn't afford to pay, and I was starting school a month after my loan payment was due. So, they gave me a break and deferred my loans because I was starting Graduate school a month later and I was working a crappy fast food job. They will help you, you just have to make the step to call them.
Also, NEVER default on your loans. My brother-in-law is learning this lesson because he kept deferring and finally defaulted on his loans from when he went to Uni for a year or 2. He is learning this the hard way now since he has to worry about that stuff, plus being the sole worker in his house since his wife has chosen not to go back to work after she had their son back in August.

Now, your school should hopefully have you go to an exit counselling session your last semester of your schooling (if you are going for a 4yr degree). They will tell you all you need to know when you do that.

Now I do have to say I am scared when my loans finally start coming back at me when I finish my Master's. I currently owe in federal loans- over 60k. I am scared because it is only going to get worse :( Now I am thankful that by the time my loans start coming back at me, my fiancé will be almost done with his because his parents helped him out from the time they started coming to him (back in I think late 2009-early 2010), so for a few years they helped him pay, and now he is paying for them himself. So, by the time mine will come back, he will be either almost done or done. Just remember you can always get help from the loan company and the federal government (if you have federal loans). You just have to call them and talk with a representative.

But, a big one I will tell you now. Start budgeting. and I mean start budgeting your money NOW. This way you can get yourself ready for when you really have to budget when you are paying off your loans.

Crap, I just realised I have rambled on ^^"