One thing that is crucial is the TYPE of loan you get.
PRIVATE LOANS tend to carry a bit higher interest and if you miss a payment, pay late etc. the lenders are NOT willing to work with you or forgive. They will send you straight into collections or default just like you are missing a payment on an auto loan or a credit cared
FEDERAL LOANS generally have lower interest, better terms. And if you are going for higher dollar amounts you will carry for a number of years then it is really worth it to repair whatever needs work on your credit report until you qualify, because the government is much more willing to work with you if you ever hit a rough patch and have trouble making full payment. They will work wth you by creating alternative payment plans until you are back on track. They even erase delinquencies from your credit report after you have had "good behavior" for a while.
It sounds like you're in a hurry but if you do go to a bank or CU, make sure that the loan is at least a "PRIVATELY HELD FEDERAL LOAN" instead of a straight private loan. This means the governmet is giving funds to the lender to originate loans, and the government will consolidate them for you after you graduate. Then you would be in a federal direct consolidation loan which qualifies you for the terms i mentioned above plus all sorts of laon forgiveness plans that are not available for private loans.
Good luck! 
Starting Score: TU 610 EQ FICO 635