Not exactly the same thing as family, but I pushed off choosing between love and school till after I heard the decisions. I applied to only one school in the same city as my serious partner (but the most reputable for that area), and the rest were higher-ranked programs elsewhere. In the end my decision was made for me by the adcom committees, and I'm grateful to not have to choose.
But factor in that my partner and I lived on opposite sides of the globe the year before school, I don't know if we could survive two more years, especially considering that my post-MBA goals require long-term international assignments, so 3 years apart could easily turn into 5 years apart. At this point, I know we can handle the distance for limited periods of time, but if I were to go to school in a different city, I would feel the pressure to only take post-MBA jobs in the same city as him. It will be nice to have a few years together now during school, if we have to face more distance apart later. He is stuck where he is now, but his PhD will finish about the same time as I'll be done with international rotations, so we can figure things out then.
Don't underestimate how much it sucks to be in an LDR in a situation where there are a lot of single people looking to hook up. When your friends couple, it's exacerbates the loneliness yet you can't indulge because you're still in a committed relationship.
Also, the best financial decision was going to the school in the same city as my partner. I got a generous scholarship, and my cost of living is very low since we'll be living together. Not to mention all the money saved by NOT having to travel to see each other on weekends or holidays.
bakfed wrote:
I would say that a top 5 and a top 12 isn't that big of a difference. Besides the initial "woohs" and "wows", these programs will help you get to where you want to go. So given the ranking, I would certainly weigh more on family than on school reputation. Notice though that if you're talking about top 5 and top 20, there may be some difference, depending on where you want to work afterwards, what you want to do, and how much "name-brand" you care about.
I agree with the quote. Although I'll be going to a rank 30 school, it has the regional prestige and from alumni network, it will get me where I want to go. If two schools will get you the same post-MBA job you want, other factors like cost of living, "wow" factor, family weigh heavier in the decision.
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01 Mar 2012, 02:39
