kenzie2012 Posted June 20, 2018 Share Posted June 20, 2018 My boyfriend and I have been in a long distance relationship already for the majority of 3 years, although the last year has been much easier being only an hour away from each other. However, I am moving 5 hours away in a few months to start my PA program, and I'm just worried about being able to make time to see each other. He has to stay here for a semester while he finishes up his undergrad degree, but then will be moving with/near me once he graduates depending on where he gets a job. We've always made it work in the past, but considering the workload of PA school, I don't know how many weekends I can really take off to see him? Not that I'm planning to see him every weekend, but once or twice a month would be nice. Is it possible to take weekends off without studying at all and still pass exams/keep up with the workload? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrePA94 Posted June 20, 2018 Share Posted June 20, 2018 Hey! Im on the same boat as you. I think that after exams (which should range from 1-2 a month), and so long as you are on top of your workload every other day (studying material a couple of hours at night, every night), you can take a single day during the weekend off for your boyfriend. There are people who do PA school with families and children that they need to take care of. I think that so long as you study every day, and pick weekends after exams, you're golden! You also mention that you will be living 5+ hours away. I think it would be best for him to visit you if possible, or you to take trains/buses (so that, in that 5 hours, you can study and not have 10+ hours completed wasted). Just my opinion, and best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MT2PA Posted June 20, 2018 Share Posted June 20, 2018 43 minutes ago, PrePA94 said: Hey! Im on the same boat as you. I think that after exams (which should range from 1-2 a month), and so long as you are on top of your workload every other day (studying material a couple of hours at night, every night), you can take a single day during the weekend off for your boyfriend. There are people who do PA school with families and children that they need to take care of. I think that so long as you study every day, and pick weekends after exams, you're golden! You also mention that you will be living 5+ hours away. I think it would be best for him to visit you if possible, or you to take trains/buses (so that, in that 5 hours, you can study and not have 10+ hours completed wasted). Just my opinion, and best of luck! RE: exams - try 1-2 per week, not 1-2 per month. There is ALWAYS something to be studying for in PA school. That said, OP, I've seen some long distance success and some failures. I've seen live in relationships thrive and fail during PA school. Everyone has different levels of necessary studying in school - some study a lot and all the time, others do less. There is no one size fits all answer. Can you take a whole weekend off? Sure. Are you the kind of person that can do that and keep up with the workload and not fail? Only you know that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aceface Posted June 20, 2018 Share Posted June 20, 2018 The great thing about being in 2018 is FaceTime. My girlfriend started medical school on the east coast in 2015 and I'm on the west coast. Sometimes we FaceTime just to see each other while she's studying, and we just keep it on mute. It's what you make of it, I also fly out there every couple of months. Since you've been doing long distance before, can do it again. If you have a sit down conversation with him and tell him how PA school will be, he will understand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HanSolo Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Here's how it works. The first 2-3 weeks of the semester are amazing. You're on top of your game, keeping up with the work, and feeling pretty good about where you are at. Maybe a few classes have weekly quizzes, but that's not so much information at once. Then exams start to roll in. Before you know it, there are 4-5 in one week. You need the weekend for that. There's a bit of a lull after the first round of exams, but it'll be rare to go a week without at least one exam once it starts. Every program is different, of course, but I think that's generally how it goes at most places. Your significant other will need to be comfortable being the one that comes to visit you for the vast majority of the time. You can get away with taking the whole weekend off early in the semester, but once things pick up, it will be hard to take the travel time off to visit (especially if it is 5 hrs driving each way). I know someone who drives 3 hours each way almost every weekend to see a S.O. He makes it work. It is possible, but you need to be realistic about the work load. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastCoastPA Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Honestly, it might work out for the better that way. My SO lives with me, but it still feels like a LDR anyway. I definitely don't have a 1-2 exams a month program like above though; with my program every class (8 this semester) has exams every other week starting at week 3 so every other week is essentially an exam packed hell week (with regular classes still scheduled around them) and getting a C or dropping below a 3.0 results in expulsion. It's definitely a high stress environment, and having her here but not having any time for her honestly causes more problems and feels worse than if I could just go see her whenever I had time. I'd say it's probably VERY program dependent and also just dependent on how easy it is for you to take in the information so YMMV. Having her here definitely did make learning physicals easier though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KindnessMatters Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 I'm in the same boat..I'm starting PA school 10 hours away from my husband who can't move with me because he's finishing up his 3rd year of medical school and has one more year and a bunch of traveling for residency interviews to do. We've discussed it and I'm honestly more scared of the idea than he is but I also don't think it's worth it for me to put off my dreams and an opportunity for a great career to have a few years without seeing each other as much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monet Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 On 6/20/2018 at 11:46 PM, EastCoastPAapplicant said: Honestly, it might work out for the better that way. My SO lives with me, but it still feels like a LDR anyway. I definitely don't have a 1-2 exams a month program like above though; with my program every class (8 this semester) has exams every other week starting at week 3 so every other week is essentially an exam packed hell week (with regular classes still scheduled around them) and getting a C or dropping below a 3.0 results in expulsion. It's definitely a high stress environment, and having her here but not having any time for her honestly causes more problems and feels worse than if I could just go see her whenever I had time. I'd say it's probably VERY program dependent and also just dependent on how easy it is for you to take in the information so YMMV. Having her here definitely did make learning physicals easier though Which PA Program do you attend on the east coast? So with your program requirements, you are not allowed to make a C on an exam, correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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