this is a good point. I went to grad school in DC for just this reason (worked well, did internships in 4 places). During the school year the internships are less competitive (one of mine still had 350+ applications for 10 spots) since the applicants are restricted by geography.
There are also various “semester in DC” programs… not sure if there are “semester in NY” programs.
It matter for some and it does not matter for others. Location was my D’s first criteria for choosing college and Grad. school. She did not apply to any college further than 4 hrs of driving away and to any Med. School further than 5.5 hrs away. It was different for residency application, she was forced to apply to very many and it was much more challenging process. However, she is happy to match to her number one choice which is also only 2 hours away from her hometown.
My son is a business major. He wanted to find a college in a large city because he figured there would be more internship and job opportunities. Also, we live in a small town of about 5,000. He wanted to experience something bigger. He chose a good school in a large city about an hour away from home. He found an internship after his sophomore year and has been hired on after he graduates. It’s nice he’ll only live an hour from home.
I always said college hunting was like HGTVs “House Hunters” show. There are things on your list you want but there are trade offs most often. You hope your student finds a college that meets most of the criteria on their list. Location is something that should definitely be considered, but may be one of the things that becomes less of an issue as the student explores all the other options.
Is she going into something that requires an internship? I know that it seems like a lot of majors do but for example my middle son may be a teacher… so that wouldn’t require an internship rather student teaching… If her chosen major does seem to require one I would ask the colleges what percent of students do them.
She doesn’t know what she wants to major in yet. It is still really early days in her college search (she is a hs sophomore) I just started wondering about it after we looked at a rural school.
Thanks I imagine their are many majors that don’t need them -I hadn’t thought about that
One of ours did a rural college and 4 internships. Spent a summer fellowship at a non-profit overseas, did a semester studying in DC and interning at a Congressional rep’s office, was part of another international non-profit with work that could be done remotely from campus, and spent another summer doing communications at a non-profit in a city. The school helped with locating some opportunities and others were generated independently. It can be done; depends on interest level and logistics.
I don’t necessarily think being in a rural setting would be bad for internships. I think one factor families should consider is how travel arrangements worked. I wanted a college that was easy to get to (the metro line connects the campus to the airport and amtrak). For some colleges, you really have to drive there and the logistics of finding a place for parents to stay may be harder. Ultimately, it may not be a big deal, but it’s at least one small factor to look at.
Winter sports vs warm beach are also obvious differences.
"I don’t necessarily think being in a rural setting would be bad for internships. "
-Not bad at all. D. had the easiest time getting to intern at Med. Research lab for 3 years at her college in a middle of nowhere. Actually, she could not obtain such a position in her hometown (city!).
The kid I know with the most interesting job (NYC - book editor work) graduated from a midwest LAC.