One to Law School/One to Med School

[GreenWaveWill]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

My SO and I will be married by the time we begin our graduate schooling. I'm headed to law school, she's headed to med school. We basically plan on applying to schools in the same cities as each other, but there are so many flaws with this plan, it has me really worried. What do we do if we don't get into any schools in the same city? Perhaps even worse, what if we do, but then one of us gets into a dream school far away?

I'm really worried about this, definitely not looking forward to the possibility of 3+ years apart once we're married.

Any thoughts, experiences youd like to share? Surely this sort of thing must happen occasionally.

 

[principessa]

My fiance applied to Physics Ph.D. programs and I applied to M.D. schools last year. We weren't engaged when we started out, so I think we each applied to too few schools. We tried to pick schools that were nearby, but still, I think it would have been better to apply to at least 15 each (we each applied to 10). Then we both wanted to go to really good schools, especially him, so there was a point at which he was accepted by two schools that were near schools to which I had been accepted, but he didn't want to attend either of these schools because they were his safeties and he'd already been accepted to better schools. That upset me a bit. Luckily, we got into a school that's good for both of us, and that's where we're going.

So, my advice:

1. You both should apply to lots of schools in lots of places, and try to look for multiple "matches" in each place.
2. Be willing to compromise. It's unlikely that you'll both be able to go to your top choice school.
3. Tell the schools about your situation. Some of them will be sympathetic and be more likely to accept you if you have a compelling reason to go there.

 

[japhy]

it is possible, but it will absolutely require compromise on both of your parts. a great friend from medical school was married and his wife was a law student. the first year they lived near the law school and he commuted 1 hour to school. for summers she was working in nyc, so he went with her, studied for boards and ate pizza.

third year they moved closer to the med school and hospitals. now comes fourth year and she has graduated and will be living all over. luckily, you can do many externships then. if your relationship is the most important thing than you will find a solution that works for both of you.

 

[drlexygoat]

I'm in the same boat. I'm headed to med school in August and my boyfriend is in his 2nd year of Law school in the same metropolitan area....

While I was finishing up my undergrad he moved away to start Law school. We had been living in the same house together. We did the long distance thing for a semester and managed just fine. Over the last few months I've moved in with him and we just bought our first house together!!!! It's a bit of a commute for both of us every day, but it was the most in-the-middle location we could find.

I'm pretty nervous about having both of us in professional school. Granted, we've got an advantage in that he's already survivied his 1st year and knows what to expect. However, the long hours and huge workloads will certainly be a challenge for us both.