In case you were wondering, it is possible to be married and in school, but also possible to get married while in school! So, how do you manage the married life and med school? Some of the best advice I received from a married 2nd year student when I got here was to be home when you’re home. I set my study schedule so that I would get home from school (or stop my studying if I was already home) around the same time he got home from work, and then I was home for the night. We cooked and ate dinner together, watched TV, did chores—whatever we wanted to do together. Some of my classmates have a set date night each week where they close the books and do what their significant other wants to do. Some people have a TV show that they watch with their spouse, no matter what else is going on. As long as you have some dedicated time for your relationship and you remember to talk through things, you should be just fine.
There is a good variety of married, committed, and single students in all of the different year classes and programs. I have come to find out that your relationship status does not matter when it comes to the friendships you will form. You will see that your class will really become a second family. Everyone is in this together, and we all help each other through it. This has been something that I have been most impressed with since I have started at DMU.
The one thing I was most worried about before starting at DMU, was how my spouse was going to transition to our new life, especially not knowing anyone. This was never even an issue. She soon made friends with other student spouses, and even students in my class. She uses her “plus-one” pass all the time to go to the school gym and workout classes with her new friends. DMU also has an SOS club (Significant Others Support). Men and women are welcome to join, and the club has smaller sub-groups which focus on different interests like knitting, reading, billiards, or sports. There are also a variety of year-round activities for students with children. I really could not ask for a better place for me as a student, and for my family to go through this crazy thing we call med school.
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From the kitchen of Christopher Hogue & Ali D'Andelet
Married (With Kids)