As an SF Bay Area alumni representative for the NYU Stern School of Business whose email address is readily available through the NYU Stern website, I am often contacted this time of year by prospective MBA students in SF and soon-to-be Stern graduates who wish to move here. While the two are in completely different life stages, one question both ask me is very similar: Why did you choose [an MBA from Stern] or [product management at Wells Fargo]? My answers to both are the same: the culture.

Culture, defined as the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a certain organization (or what I like to refer to as "what the people are like"), is an often forgotten and underrated factor when making these types of decisions, but I cannot over-emphasize its importance when selecting a school or career.

Don't have the mindset of, "I'll go wherever/with whoever takes me." First, it may lead you to come off as desperate (never a desirable quality). Second, you have a lot to offer personally and professionally! Believe that any organization or school would be lucky to have you (but mind the fine line between being confident and being cocky), and ask what they can offer you.

You might hear some standard responses. Schools may say "award-winning faculty" and companies may say "a competitive compensation package." But where these schools and companies really differentiate themselves is in their culture: What is it really like to attend school/work there?

Do some footwork. Visit the campus and talk to current students/employees as well as alumni/ex-employees. If you don't know anyone firsthand, leverage your Facebook and LinkedIn networks. You'd be surprised at how willing people are to talk about themselves and their experiences to complete strangers. (Make sure you reach out to a diverse sampling of people, as there are often pockets of distinct cultures within larger organizations.)

Be prepared to ask questions not only of them (Is the culture competitive or collaborative? Are the faculty/executives accessible? What is a typical day like?), but of yourself (Would I thrive in that environment? Can I imagine myself spending at least 8 hours a day with these people?).

For me, factoring in culture made the decisions easier. As a Bay Area native who valued diversity and a metropolitan lifestyle, I knew that I wanted to attend a top tier business school in California or New York. NYU Stern was easily my first choice after meeting students, alumni, faculty and the administration. The welcoming, down-to-earth environment helped me recognize that I could succeed there.

Upon graduation, I knew I wanted to return to San Francisco and work for a company that provided work-life balance, respected their community and was respected by their community (#41). Wells Fargo was the obvious choice, and here I am, years later, still enjoying work (and life).