For applicants who have families, the B-school choice is complex. Geography, finances, and the job market all come into play

For many business school applicants, spring is about more than just nice weather and long days. It's also decision-making time. As MBA programs notify applicants about their admissions decisions, the mental calculus begins. But in the rush to decide on a school, pack up, and move to campus, an important decision-making factor often gets lost in the shuffle: the impact of the two-year B-school sojourn on a family.

Applicants who overlook family considerations in their quest for the perfect B-school do so at their peril. After all, an MBA program puts a lot of stress on everybody, not just the student. In many cases, entire families are uprooted, new jobs must be found for spouses, and new schools for children. A happy and contented family can make the difference between a miserable B-school experience and one that will be remembered, fondly, forever.

That's why, in addition to finding the best program in the best town for accomplishing their personal and professional goals, prospective students should consider the needs and lifestyle of those around them, too.

It all starts with communication. Applicants with families should share their motivation for going back to school and how the MBA fits into the plan they have for themselves and their families. Doing so increases the likelihood that family members will accept the move. Discussing where you want to live and the impact of the move on the family's finances and relationships is a must. "If the family is not happy, [the move] will not be a successful experience," says Anna Millar, associate director of the MBA program at the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School (Kenan-Flagler Full-Time MBA Profile).

To ensure smiles all around, partners and families of applicants must be part of the application process from the very beginning. What follows is a checklist of what families of applicants should be taking into consideration when deciding where to go to business school.

GEOGRAPHY When Ashley Patrick's husband applied to B-school, she wanted to visit every campus. "I think it all goes back to the culture," says Patrick. "You can tell what life is going to be like when you visit." But she says one school to which her husband applied was too far north for these Southerners, so she refused to even consider it. She wanted them to be in a place where they could easily travel to and from their family in Atlanta. Ultimately, they wound up at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School, where Patrick is the vice-president of Kenan Connection, a club for spouses and partners of Kenan-Flagler students.

Before deciding where to apply, applicants should decide where their family would like to live during and even after B-school, since in many cases the location of the school may dictate where you'll find a job at graduation. If you want to be in New York, but your wife would rather be in Illinois near your extended family, then you'll have to come up with a compromise or risk marital discord. These discussions should begin in the earliest stages of the application process.

Cost of living is another bit of the geography puzzle that all applicants must consider but especially families supporting young children. Living in Hanover, N.H., while you attend Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business (Tuck Full-Time MBA Profile) will have a much lighter effect on your wallet than moving to Los Angeles for the MBA program at the UCLA Anderson School of Management (UCLA Anderson Full-Time MBA Profile). You'll want to know how much you're likely to be spending on rent or a mortgage as well as items such as groceries, especially if you're planning on enrolling in a full-time program that will have at least one of you earning no income for the next two years.

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