Med Students on Long Distance Love: Does It Last?

When medical school forces couples apart, students face tough realities Medical students dish on the messy, tender, and surprisingly philosophical reality of long-distance relationships during med school, from navigating five-hour drives and FaceTime rituals to deciding whether love can survive diverging lives on opposite sides of the world. Dave is joined by co-host M1s Cory Karasek and first-timers Elizabeth Meyer, Margaret Huang, and Jonah Albrecht — each bringing a completely different version of the long-distance story. Liz is making it work with her boyfriend Riley, who logs most of the miles so she can keep studying. Jonah is bracing for the moment his girlfriend Victoria leaves for PA school hours away, still figuring out the logistics while trying not to be, as he admits, aggressively Type B about the whole thing. Cory brings the perspective nobody wants but everyone needs — the relationship that didn’t make it through the distance — somehow managing to be funny, honest, and more or less at peace about it. And Margaret? Well, she opens with “I catfished you guys” and proceeds to deliver an unexpectedly beautiful take on love, friendship, and a 15-year long-distance best friendship that started on Skype in fifth grade. If you’re wondering whether your relationship can survive medical training, this episode won’t give you a formula — but it’ll give you something better. You’ll walk away with real talk on how to have the big conversations before distance hits, when “figuring it out as you go” works best, and how intentionally folding your partner into your new world can be the thing that keeps you from drifting into strangers. It’s warm, it wanders, it goes places you don’t expect — and somewhere between the insider trading jokes and the onesie party bus tangent, there’s genuinely useful stuff in here for anyone trying to love someone from far away while also surviving med school. Episode credits: Producer: Dave Etler Co-hosts: Cory Karasek, Elizabeth Meyer, Margaret Huang, Jonah Albrect The views and opinions expressed on this podcast belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa, the Carver College of Medicine, or the State of Iowa. All discussions are intended for entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Nothing said on this podcast should be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical condition. Always seek qualified professional guidance for personal decisions. We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS! We welcome your feedback, listener questions, and shower thoughts. Do you agree or disagree with something we said today? Did you hear something really helpful? Can we answer a question for you? Are we delivering a podcast you want to keep listening to? Let us know at and we’ll put your message in a future episode. Or email theshortcoats@gmail.com. We need to know more about you! (email a screenshot of the confirmation screen to theshortcoats@gmail.com with your mailing address and Dave will mail you a thank you package!) The Short Coat Podcast is FeedSpot’s Top Iowa Student Podcast, and its Top Iowa Medical Podcast! Thanks for listening! We do more things on… Instagram: YouTube: You deserve to be happy and healthy. If you’re struggling with racism, harassment, hate, your mental health, or some other crisis, visit and send additions to the resources there to theshortcoats@gmail.com. We love you.

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Med Students on Long Distance Love: Does It Last? is an episode from The Short Coat Podcast by The Students of the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.

This episode is 59:25 long.

This episode was published on Feb 19, 2026.

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