Is Location/Climate a Factor for You?

[TiptoeConqueror]

Serious question: There are many factors in choosing grad programs. Has anyone ever considered the weather/climate or location being a huge factor for them in deciding between programs?

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[doggums]

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[TiptoeConqueror]

Doggums, the funny part is that I live on the East Coast but have always felt out of place whenever the temp drops below 60. I just can't handle it. I get miserable in the winter and, like you, am much more productive when it's warm. There's a great program I'm looking at, but every time I think of their average annual snowfall I want to weep. For days.

 

[sctm2]

I agree. It's not the #1 factor for me, but it will be a consideration.

 

[Lisa44201]

Serious question: There are many factors in choosing grad programs. Has anyone ever considered the weather/climate or location being a huge factor for them in deciding between programs?

I didn't apply to a few schools because I didn't like the climate in the area. I spent most of my life in the Northeast, and have a hard time physically with heat and humidity. That made a difference as far as programs I applied to. It may sound silly to some people, but I couldn't see myself being miserable 8 months out of the year due to weather/climate issues.

 

[kpand]

I didn't apply to a few schools because I didn't like the climate in the area. I spent most of my life in the Northeast, and have a hard time physically with heat and humidity. That made a difference as far as programs I applied to. It may sound silly to some people, but I couldn't see myself being miserable 8 months out of the year due to weather/climate issues.

Ditto. I've lived in a variety of climates, but I despise heat and humidity. I'd rather have drizzle, rain, clouds, and all that rather than 300 sunny days per year!

The other thing about location is that I'm married and I have to consider where my husband will find adequate work.

 

[cara susanna]

Bwahaha... that was definitely not something I considered, or I would not be where I am now.

 

[dumbledoresgirl]

Let me tell you...if that was a factor for me, I wouldn't be where I am now. Let's just say I'm in the middle of nowhere in a state that has cold weather for most of the year. At the end of the day, though, the research match was perfect and I am attending a fully funded program--for me, it was worth it. Although I can definitely see how weather would be a factor for people--if you're someone who just can't handle cold weather and snow, signing up for 5+ years of it might make grad school more miserable than it needs to be.

 

[Psychadelic2012]

Huge factor for me. I only applied to climates I knew I could handle living in for 5 years, and I will continue to do so for internship, postdoc, and beyond. The result is that I love the location where I ended up, but the program has been a struggle to fit into. It hasn't been easy, but I am not sure I could have made it in a climate where I would find myself rolled up in a fetal position with no will to live for half the year! I'm sure this will also be a struggle when it comes to looking for postdoc and academic jobs, but oh well. We all have our limits.

 

[Pragma]

Climate didn't really factor in for me, but I also grew up with ridiculously cold weather. I only applied to cities I wanted to live in. Location was and still is a big issue for me. Moving somewhere I don't want to be was not an option when I did graduate school/internship/postdoc/job searching.

BUT, the good news is that I didn't want to be in California so I probably had an easier time.

I can attest to the fact that if you love where you are living, it reduces stress. But i would NOT recommend going somewhere where there isn't a good program fit just because it is a city you like. Pick programs first then narrow them down by location.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I can attest to the fact that if you love where you are living, it reduces stress. But i would NOT recommend going somewhere where there isn't a good program fit just because it is a city you like. Pick programs first then narrow them down by location.

This is probably one of the three biggest mistakes prospective students make when looking for a program. "I only want to live in LA, so I'm just going to look in LA for a program." There *are* great programs in places like NYC, BOS, LA, SD, etc....but the competition is usually ridiculous.

 

[Pragma]

This is probably one of the three biggest mistakes prospective students make when looking for a program. "I only want to live in LA, so I'm just going to look in LA for a program." There *are* great programs in places like NYC, BOS, LA, SD, etc....but the competition is usually ridiculous.

You've got me really curious about what the other two are

 

[bmedclinic]

Not really for me.
I know I dont want part of my morning routine to be shoveling snow, but if it was for a 1 year internship or postdoc, that wouldnt bother me.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

You've got me really curious about what the other two are

1. Students underestimating the total cost of an education. <--there was an interesting survey done w. undergrads that asked about student loans....and most of the responders had a very poor understanding of the process and implications.
2. Looking for location > actual education / fit. There is an assumption that all programs should be sufficient to meet the training needs of every student.
3. Going by name recognition / "ranking" / other metric that has little to nothing to do with graduate education or objective evaluation of a dept and faculty.

 

[psychRA]

Climate did not play a role in my decision at all, nor did geographic location.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Climate and location played a much greater role in my postdoc (and, to an extent, internship) decisions than it did grad school. I can't lie, though--I was somewhat biased against many northern sites because of all the cold up there. However, I still ended up applying to at least a few.

 

[psychRA]

Climate and location played a much greater role in my postdoc (and, to an extent, internship) decisions than it did grad school. I can't lie, though--I was somewhat biased against many northern sites because of all the cold up there. However, I still ended up applying to at least a few.

True. I applied broadly for grad school and internship, but am applying much more narrowly for postdoc. Picking up and moving for 5 years of grad school is one thing, but moving again after only one year of internship feels much less reasonable. I'm hoping to stay in my current region if I can.

 

[ndlek21]

I didn't consider climate at all when looking at schools and programs. However, after I applied it did occur to me how strange it would be to live in a state like Florida after living 23 years in the frigid, cloudy north. I was discussing this with current graduate students and we all agreed it was a lot easier to get work done when you want to avoid being outside as much as possible Most of the places I applied to have climates similar to my hometown (which is known for horrible winters) so the weather will come as no shock...

 

[kpand]

2. Looking for location > actual education / fit. There is an assumption that all programs should be sufficient to meet the training needs of every student.
3. Going by name recognition / "ranking" / other metric that has little to nothing to do with graduate education or objective evaluation of a dept and faculty.

These two are very interesting to me. I understand that there is a level of "fit" which both programs and incoming students have to evaluate in each other... as an applicant to programs this year, I'd love to hear if anyone has advice on how to make an objective evaluation of both the program and the dept/faculty?

For example, I was fortunate enough to speak to a current graduate student at one program to which I applied who was able to give her thoughts on faculty, education, etc. but of course this is one person's perspective, which is still more candid than a program's website. But I cannot do this for every school, and of course there is subjectivity involved. Are there even better sources of info to truly evaluate fit, faculty, and program? Or is this a "do your homework on faculty" + "interview day will reveal the rest" kind of formula?

 

[Member6523]

True. I applied broadly for grad school and internship, but am applying much more narrowly for postdoc. Picking up and moving for 5 years of grad school is one thing, but moving again after only one year of internship feels much less reasonable. I'm hoping to stay in my current region if I can.

Likewise. Keep in mind that postdocs often feed directly into careers so where you end up could likely be where you will be, at least for the next few years. It also seemed easier to factor in location for postdoc because the internship craziness is past you and people will individually select you (unless you go through the neuro match).

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Likewise. Keep in mind that postdocs often feed directly into careers so where you end up could likely be where you will be, at least for the next few years. It also seemed easier to factor in location for postdoc because the internship craziness is past you and people will individually select you (unless you go through the neuro match).

Exactly. This was a huge reason for my having placed greater importance on location for post-doc vs. internship. That, and it's much easier to be tolerant of living just about anywhere for one year vs. two.