It is where "my guitarist" went to school, I recieved a BEOG grant. I had to pay back 50% of what I borrowed. No brainer. Best of Luck, Wesley R.
I worked in the Chemistry department at the local university after getting my bachelors degree, and took grad-level courses for fun because of the deep discounts for employees. One day, I realized I had fulfilled the Ph.D. requirement. One 10-minute discussion with the department chair, and I was in the program within 72 hours.
Med school: I only got into one school. Whew! Residency: based on location and reputation. At that time I wanted to be in NY/Long Island area. Fellowship: I got into the two top programs in the country and chose the one that I thought would help my career the most: Johns Hopkins. Neither location nor pay were an issue.
It's close to home (45 minutes away) and I didn't need music theory to get into the program! Right now I'm conditionally accepted.. which basically means I'm in since I only need a 65% average to get in and I have about an 86% average. I would have tried to get into Grant MacEwan in Alberta, but it's so expensive to live there!
I did a lot of research and consulted some of my professors to find some good programs. After I sent out all of my applications, interviewed at all the schools, and got my acceptance/rejection letters, I chose the program that offered me the most financial security as well as the one where I felt the best connection with the faculty. I'm very excited to start. As you know, Kevin, I wish you the best of luck in your search. Let me know if there's any way that I can help you out.
Proximity. The longest bit of the walk for me when I was in college was from the front gates to the lecture theatres!
Stanford had a great history department. One of the best in the country. Also, it is located in California. When they offered me a full fellowship covering tuition and living expenses for four years, then, well . . .