Is it better to go to school where you plan to work?

[seekinghappy]

I just moved out of the state I grew up in and will be living in my current city for the next 4 years (because of my fiance's schooling). I will have my BSN in ~2 years. Since I will be living in my current city for 2 years and will need to find a job as a new grad, is it more advantageous for me to attend a school in this city? That way, I will have relationships with clinical instructors, nurse managers, etc. and be familiar with the hospitals in the area? OR is it smarter for me to go back to my home state to get my BSN for a much lower in-state cost, and then go back to my current city looking for jobs? In other words, does going to school in the area in which you plan to work give you a leg up when job hunting or probably not by much?

[adinardo]

I can only relay some anecdotal evidence here - but in my area, this appears to be the case. I have heard that the hospitals around where I live (greater Philadelphia area) tend to hire students from local universities before hiring those from out of the area. Our hospitals also tend to hire students who did their externships/worked as techs at the hospital to which they're applying.

I myself am still in school, but my cousin just graduated from a school in Washington, D.C. She applied to jobs both in Philadelphia and in D.C. Though she got interviews at hospitals in both areas, she was ultimately hired in D.C. - likely for exactly the reasons you state.

I don't think that this completely locks you out of working at hospitals outside of the area in which you went to school, but if money is not your primary concern, I would definitely keep this in mind. I have heard that this is also the case in other professions.

TL;DR: Yes, it can be smarter to go to school where you want to work - but it probably won't kill your career if you can't afford anything but in-state tuition. It'll just make it easier.