School-specific tips for partners

  • Stanford – 90% of the class lives on campus first year. You really shouldn’t feel like it’s a must. We lived off campus and I was still able to engage in every social activity I wanted. At the same time, we still had a feeling of breaking away from the campus when we needed to!
  • Kellogg – Kellogg is known for being exceptionally welcoming of “JVs” (Joint Ventures). While this usually refers to strong clubs for the partners, [my partner] took advantage of the Kellogg experience in more robust ways: he took classes (with & without me!), taught seminars through affinity clubs, joined me on trips, and was even on the executive leadership team of a club. (He was on campus so much most people thought he was a student!) He had deep friendships with many Kellogg students.
  • Columbia – Columbia’s “Better Halves” group offers events and support specifically for partners. However, invite your partner to Happy Hours, cluster events, and club activities (such as Wine Society) early-on. You will get the chance to interact with lots of other partners early and having familiar faces certainly helps!
  • Booth – There is so much going on outside of Booth walls that can benefit both partners and students. Getting familiar with the rest of this historical institution and discovering the pool, the midway skating rink, Ida Noyes movie theater (if it’s still there) should be part of the experience. And then there is Chicago itself!
  • Sloan – I have found Sloan to be very accepting. Almost all events are open to SOs and most people seem to be in relationships. The concern I had coming in was that it would be hard to maintain a great relationship while also getting the full MBA experience, that the MBA would put a lot of pressure on the relationship and potentially cause it to crack. I find that not to be true. In fact, the instant MBA social network and the extra degree of freedom I have (as opposed to working) allows me to have an even richer relationship.