30 down, 20 more to go

So one of my goals in life is to go to all fifty United States. Originally this goal was to do this before leaving the country- but that did not happen (when you get a chance to go to Tahiti for basically free you take it no matter what)
So I have gone to 30 out of 50 states- this was easy when you lived back east and the states are really small. Now all that I am missing is most of the south and the mid-west states, and Alaska.
Now there are certain rules that are established in order to count the state. Meghs and me came up with the rule that you have to have photographic proof that you are in the state or you have to add to their economy by buying something. The second part of this rule allows for you to count when you have a lay over in a state.
So with all this- I have been two 28 states, had lay overs in 2 states, and add 1 more if you count Washington DC as a separate state (which it kind of is since they have a separate representative for the Miss America pageants)
Anywho- so what is the point of all this? I am looking at Master Programs and where I want to go, and I am going to be a little bit honest- Florida State is looking really tempting right now just because if I do go out there, not only will I be adding a new state, but if I drive out there then I could easily knock out 8 new states just on the drive. Plus ROAD TRIPS to the other nearby states.
So do you think I should take this into consideration when choosing a school to go to? I still have time to think about this, but I am liking this idea.
How many states have you covered?
PS- Have you ever tried to name all 50 states without looking at a map in less then 5 minutes? I got 49. I forgot Arkansas. You should try it- no cheating