MSF regional placement vs independent job search

Hello,

I am preparing to apply to a few MSF's on the west coast (mostly cali) in the later rounds after I take my GMAT (and get a killer score). I see on these forums that most students apply to every kind of top school, including east/west coasts, texas, even Europe all at once. It is my understanding that most MSF's hold regional placement privilege, so are all these people trying to study and then eventually work in those regions? The reason why I'm asking is that my west coast list is quite limited and if I don't get into USC (which will be very hard with my stats), the next best choice is not so great. So does it make sense to go study on the east coast with the eventual goal of returning back home? Additionally, my resume is not stacked with any internships so I will probably not be as qualified for the first half of OCR until I get off-season internships and pass CFA I. Would it be hard to find a relevant job on the west coast right after graduation upon returning or should I stick with the west coast? Thank you for your inputs.