Ask yourself, will I be able to keep my sanity for the next several years on my life in the geographic locations of the schools where I am applying?
Typically, most academic advisors will encourage you to consider only issues related to "the life of the mind". In other words, will the program be able to do for you intellectually what you need to become a high quality scholar. And while you'll be giving up a large chunk of your life to your graduate program - you will have some free time. Many potential graduate fail to consider beforehand that they will, in fact, be spending some of their time doing something outside of school. Potential students should be able to enjoy the area around where they go to school.
When you visit a potential graduate program, be sure to talk to graduate students away from faculty about what their life is like at their school. Do they enjoy the other graduate students? What do they do when they aren't working? What is the weather like during other times of year?
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