First Generation Grad Student & Stressed about Private Loans! Any advice/feedback would be greatly appreciated !! :)

Hi everyone! I understand that most people on this subreddit (and elsewhere) will strongly advise students against taking out private student loans, but unfortunately, given my personal goals and current financial situation, the other options available to me aren’t enough to cover what I need. Because of that, I’m pretty set on a private student loan as my only option.

I'll provide some background information about myself before I ask any of my questions!:

• I am enrolled in a 42-credit program (roughly 2 years)
• Each credit is $1,805, totaling my entire program to ~$75,810 (private school, fml)
• I am receiving $20,500 in Direct Unsubsidized Loans through FAFSA (so around $10,250 per semester)
• I have a graduate assistantship that covers the cost of one course (3 credits)
• I have paid off about $2523 in my current semester's tuition, I have $7,569.00 left for the current semester
• Graduated from my undergraduate studies debt-free, but I currently have around $7,000 in Direct Unsubsidized Loans from one semester at another school for a different master’s program that I ultimately decided to switch from (currently deferred since I am attending school)
• My credit score is in the 700s
• Already saw all the horror stories about Sallie Mae, so I am already aware to stay far away from it!

I am a child of a single immigrant father, and the first to be dealing with student loans. For those who also took loans out to attend graduate school, do you have any advice? Is College Ave a good student lender? Do you have other recommendations on where to look? (I've already been rejected by SOFI). What is refinancing (I've been seeing that term around and wondered if someone could explain it to me a little)?

Any other information on loans would be really, really helpful!

Also, please do not comment telling me to go to community college or drop out :,( I'm already anxious as is about loans but I am (unfortunately) 100% set on graduating from this school because of the networking opportunities and connections it provides me within my field, which I believe will be valuable for my career after graduation (not to mention the money from my personal savings I already put into the program)