Location is Everything

          My girlfriend and I are on vacation down South, and today is our first full day down here.  We were driving around today, a long commute to and back from the grocery store, and I said to her, "Wow, this is just really fun."  And it was.  It was beautiful.  The sun was shining, it was a warm but not oppressive 68 degrees, and we had the windows of the car rolled down.  We were wearing sunglasses instead of jackets.  We weren't really doing anything, just enjoying ourselves.  It was beautiful.

          For school (and work for me), we live in Ithaca, and our family homes are both up in the Northeast.  As much as we may complain about the weather and the snow, I think we lose sight of how it actually affects our lives.  The fact is, during the winter up North, you can't really enjoy any outdoor activities.  This is probably a little less true in New York City and the tri-state area, but still fairly accurate.

          In Ithaca, though, it's the rule.  When you might have thrown a football or frisbee around during the summer, in the winter you're stuck playing video games and watching TV.  You dread even the small moments you spend outside, like when you have to get something out of the car.  There are no long pleasant drives with the windows down and the sun on your face.

So depressing.

          We were talking a lot about how beautiful it was, and somehow the conversation drifted to where I would want to live the next few years and after medical school.  It's funny, because I actually have remarkably little say in that.  Sure, at the end of the application cycle, I will hopefully get to choose between two or more schools.  But still... that would be two our of the original twenty-five or thirty I chose.  In truth, they're choosing me.  If I could decide where I'd go to med school, it would probably be in New York City.  As much as I love the weather down in the South, I think it's hard to argue against New York City as an ideal place to live when you're young.

          I haven't gotten any love from the NYC schools though.  That's okay, because I have gotten a lot of love from southern schools, and my second choice for location is probably down South, for the nice weather and more relaxed lifestyle.  Plus, I have lived in the Northeast for my entire waking life, and I think it's time to experience some other parts of the country.

          After that, though, is residency.  And this is the crazy part, because then you in truth have no say in where you end up.  You can rank programs and have an idea of who is ranking you in what position, but still, at the end of the day, a computer is deciding where you will spend the next three to six years.  That's pretty crazy.

          In the meantime, I'm enjoying the beautiful Southern weather.  It's the dead of winter right now, and I'm stitting on a deck wearing shorts enjoying the sun.  It's unbelievable.  Barring some NYC love, I'm also excited to spend the next four years down here.  Maybe staying down here would be the right choice even if I had the NYC option.

          As they say, location is everything.

          What do you think?  How does location play into your life, whether you're going to medical school or just deciding where to work and live?