How My Partner and I Made a Long-Distance Relationship Work During Her Ross MBA

This is part of a series of blogs from the partners of Michigan Ross MBA students. From long-distance relationships, to finding a job in Ann Arbor, MBA partners share how they’ve experienced the Ross MBA program and how they make it work with their partners. Check out the full series.

By Rocky Merchant, MBA Partner

When Dayna got into Ross, it was a bittersweet moment for me.

I was incredibly proud of my partner. She’d earned her way into her top choice program, and getting her MBA from Ross was the best next step in her career. At the same time, I was incredibly terrified. I was building my own career in New York City, and relocating wasn’t an option for me personally or professionally.

The next two years would be challenging, but we both knew that going to Ross would be the best decision for Dayna, and for us as a couple.

So, we did our best to prepare and plan for this challenge. Even though we would be apart, we were committed to going through Ross together and making the next two years happy and memorable for the both of us.

Prepare

One of the first things we did to prepare ourselves was schedule all of our visits before the Fall semester started. Getting used to a long-distance relationship was a big adjustment, so it really helped to have a plan in place for when we would see each other next — it gave us something tangible to look forward to.

Knowing our travel schedule early in the fall also helped us get the most of our time together when I visited Ann Arbor. Dayna did her best to plan her school work and events around my visits, and I was able to coordinate my workload to accommodate the additional travel.

Stay Connected

To stay connected, it was important for Dayna and I to talk every day. While this got more challenging as we moved through the first year — Dayna’s academics and recruiting became more demanding, and I was gaining more responsibility at work — we tried to be consistent in when we would talk though the day. We usually called each other before we started getting ready in the morning, and always called right before going to bed. We stole a few minutes to talk between breaks in Dayna’s class schedule, or on my walk home from work.

Connecting every day was a nice reminder that that even among the new stresses and changes in our day-to-day lives, maintaining our relationship still remained a top priority.

Get Involved

Dayna is now in her second year at Ross, and I can happily confirm as a partner that you can be a member of the Ross community, even if you don’t live in Ann Arbor. Even though I live in New York, I’ve been able to build my own strong friendships at Ross.

Every time I visited, Dayna and I always made sure to carve out some time to spend with her section. I was able to really get to know Dayna’s classmates and understand who was in her day-to-day life in Ann Arbor. In turn, I’ve always felt that her classmates, their partners, and other members of the Ross community have also made a genuine effort to get to know me. At this point, Ann Arbor feels like my second home –– every time I visit Dayna, I also really look forward to seeing my Ross friends!

There’s no doubt about it––living apart from your partner is not ideal. Fortunately for us, it’s temporary.

There is a silver lining: Dayna is coming home in May, and she’s taking the next step in her career with an amazing job. It’s comforting to know that’s she’s been able to maximize her time in Ann Arbor, and I can truthfully say, so have I.

Read more from Ross MBA Partners