Hello I was wondering how important location matters to get good internships in college. Specifically I’m wondering about the aerospace engineering field. Should I factor into my college decision the opportunities outside of school? If so does anyone know of any locations that would be good for these internships? Thanks 
I don’t have any definitive insights on this, but my hunch would be that if you’re at a top-tier institution, they’re likely to have a national job and internship recruiting footprint, and if you’re at a somewhat lesser known school, having good regional opportunities is probably of greater importance. Obviously the Seattle area is going to be strong for aerospace (with both Boeing and Blue Origin nearby). Don’t know enough about the field to recommend other locations.
Huntsville with NASA, Dayton with the AF Research Labs.
If you want an internship during the school year, then location is an important factor. If you are looking for summer internships only then what companies come to the school and hire interns is much more important than the school’s location.
Colleges in areas with a large concentration of employers (large cities) have an edge in most cases. There are also internships within the colleges especially on larger research projects or in university affiliates such as hospitals, government offices, spin-offs and joint ventures.
Exactly what @happy1 wrote. If you want the internship during the school year, then you need to be in a location where it would be easy to get to and from the potential internship sites. For summer or semester-long full-time co-ops, what matters is the relationship between your program and the industry. Given that not all universities with strong ties to aerospace industries offer an aerospace engineering major, you should pay attention to mechanical engineering programs as well… For example, the University of North Dakota only offers mechanical engineering, but has strong programs in other aspects of aerospace, and excellent ties with industry.
National companies hire nationally. DS, at Alabama, interned with aerospace companies in New York and Maryland. He searched and applied online, interviewed by phone and skype. He also had internship interviews (obtained same way) for companies in Florida, California, and Texas. Attending a school near aerospace companies may be helpful, but is not required.
Pick a school based on the reputation of their engineering programs, not location. Good students will get good internships if they’re in well-connected schools no matter where these schools are based. I know an engineering student at Colorado State University who got a 3 month internship at NASA, even though the two are more than 700 miles apart.
Thanks everyone!