As the topic of the name suggests, I would like to invite all my fellow married friends and those who are about to get married or in an relationship to through some light on balancing the mba and marriage. It is a difficult situation to move abroad with a huge financial debt and time constraint. You could be at one of the greatest tourist spot, but either finance or time is troubling you to relish the moment. How difficult is it to balance?

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M for MBA or M for Marriage

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gurpreetsingh

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17 Mar 2012, 08:09

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so guys no one handling marriage and mba together?

highwyre237

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26 Mar 2012, 11:17

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I'll be dealing with a tough choice soon...

Getting married this Sept, planning on starting my MBA fall of 13. The future wife has her dream job right now in boston... but I dont have much of a shot at HBS or MIT... so, we need to decided
do I
A) Go to a regional School
B) live apart
C) let her leave a job she loves...

Pretty tough trying to decide where to apply when these questions aren't answered.

sweeces

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27 Mar 2012, 05:43

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I'm married with kids and i'll start the mba journey this fall. As for balancing everything - my wife is a stay at home mom and i won't be gone every week on travel (yay for consulting) so i *think* it'll be pretty easy for us.

career123

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20 Apr 2012, 05:52

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Comparing both MBA and Marriage is not right, if you have chance to go abroad on a good package then you should not lose the chance. First make your career and then go for marriage otherwise it is very difficult to set the career.

highwyre237

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20 Apr 2012, 06:26

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career123

I guess it depends on who you are... To me, my fiancee(wife in a few months) is more important than my career. If I felt moving would but an insurmountable strain on our marriage it wouldn't be worth it. BUT, I also wouldn't be with a woman who didn't want the best for our future. My fiancee loves her job, and will continue to build a career. I know what steps I need to take to build one too. We aren't here to get in each other's way, we're here to support each other, so our lives are a bit easier and more enjoyable in the future.

Some people focus on building a career before finding the right woman, others are lucky enough to include them in the journey.

cervieri

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12 May 2012, 15:37

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Guys,

I'm not married yet, but I have recently engaged. So I am going to take the risk of "many changes at the same time".
Let see how it goes...

I have a question though: do b-schools allow partners to attend classes? Does anybody know how it works in Kellogg and Ross?
In my case, it would be beneficial…

novanative

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13 May 2012, 08:15

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cervieri

My guess is no unless your fianceé is going there too.

JayJay00

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27 May 2012, 20:32

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The proverbial M - rock and a hard place.

I'm at the age where my friends and family would like to see me married. But as you can guess, contemplating an MBA and you realise you can really only have one of those really expensive things (cynical? yes, a wife is expensive).

Personally I work in a job where I am home for may be 6-8 hours max, if I'm lucky. In such circumstances its neither fare to subject your other half to such torture since he/she will have needs :lol:

or will your marriage last longer than Kim Kardashian's.

If you are thinking about your MBA constantly, you want that M. Don't think you need to have the wife. Conversely if you think about a wife and kids more than you think about a very expensive piece of paper and a golden rolodex, get hitched.

rakp

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27 May 2012, 21:11

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My two cents:

I think it's not impossible to manage a marriage and a MBA at the same time but I feel it's important for both partners to understand completely and to agree to what they are signing up for. It's important to have your expectations aligned. Secondly I think it helps for both the partners to be busy, if one isn't working etc then they will definitely feel a bit left out or bored. Lastly I feel this arrangement works better if you aren't recently married or in a new relationship. If two people have been together for a long time then they understand and know how to manage each other.

Like I said before not impossible but patience and determination is the key here.

highwyre237

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26 Oct 2012, 06:46

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Update on my side.

Now officially married (a little over a month) and finished submitting round 1 apps.

Make sure your wife or fiancee (not both, that could get you in trouble) goes to information sessions and campus visits with you. The schools themselves did a much better job selling to her then I could have ever done. They have convinced my urbanite hipster of a wife, that a 2 year break in middle of nowhere NH, upstate NY, or even NC is a good idea... (Bloomington, Indiana did not do a good job of this lol)

:-)

About taking classes, some programs allow partners to audit classes, I know for sure Tuck does, IDK who else does

gurpreetsingh

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29 Oct 2012, 01:40

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highwyre237

About taking classes, some programs allow partners to audit classes, I know for sure Tuck does, IDK who else does

The bolded reply of your is worth the GOLD.. :-D

Sumitbramhe

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21 Apr 2017, 22:51

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Hi,

I have a question from myself on this topic. So, I am turning 28 in May this year and I am planning to get in to a b-school next year. So, what is the best course for getting married? Any instances on what others have done in such situations? Should get married after I complete my MBA?

PS: Will be going for arrange marriage for sure

Lebanonadmit

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21 Jul 2017, 01:28

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I believe that there is a way for the B-schooler and the B-school partner to gain both professional and personal satisfaction and advancement from the MBA. It's all about balance, intention, and honest communications. There is a fantastic book out dealing with this and more -- The Unofficial Guide to B-School Partner Life: Balancing between the B-School Bubble and Reality. Essentially, it looks at how to have a successful time at B-School, and how to make the most out of the experience.

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