I know this has been discussed before, but I can’t find the thread . . . One of my secondaries asks me to rank my reasons for wanting to attend their school :location, faculty, facilities, school reputation, research opportunities, etc.
In all honesty, my top reason for wanting to atten this school IS location - my husband teaches 45 minutes from this school. Any other medical school is going to require a commute of > than an hour or me living away from my husband during the week.
Any perspectives on whether or not it is viewed negatively to list location as your top reason for wanting to go to a school? Or is it simply a tool for asking questions at the interview?
Thanks -
Amy
Amy,
If you are going to use location as one of your main reasons, make sure you can identify with the patient population in the immediate and surrounding areas. The schools in my area want people to come back to practice primary care, especially in the rural areas. Therefore, location was a perfectly good reason to want to attend their schools. In fact, they are LOOKING for that. Know what I mean?
Hope that helps!
DRD
I might apply to the school in my home town where I grew up. Quite honestly it’s to be near to my parents, who are getting on in years, and also because it’s an affordable part of the country (e.g., houses < $75K). It’s not a top 10 school but so what? Medicine is medicine. Their facilities are supposed to be very good, very up to date, friendly people. Plus, I miss the region. (My spouse doesn’t, though; heh–we’ve got some talking to do! 
)
Are they going to look askance at my reasons for applying? “So you just want to be here for your own convenience?”
Med schools generally are pleased to know that their students have some form of social support while they are in med school - friends or family in the area. So location can be important factor. Think of why people apply to state schools…location (usually because of reduced financial burden). Just make sure to tie in location with school-specific reasons for why you want to be there. (Patient population, research opportunities, etc.)