We got our first GSD when DH started Law School. Then we added another. By the time he finished his legal masters we had 4. I worked full time. I have to say that I think that school is one of the best times to have a dog if you are committed to the dog as a priority and not to partying.
I think it's important to raise a puppy on a schedule, and sadly many students lack schedules. They're out all night, sleep until the afternoon, roll out of bed for class and repeat.
But when are you ever going to have that degree of flexibility in your schedule again?? I loved having the dogs when one of us wa sin school, because his longest away from home day was 6 hours. With our schedules and the way they overlapped, puppy was never alone for more than 3 hours or so. Those were the days...
And if I found a good dog from rescue, that's a great experience. For me it was all about timing, and then I wanted to be competitive in dog sports so have bought from breeders.