[nanobabes]

Hello, Floridians, I was wondering if anyone could help me figure out what locations in Florida are suitable for me. I am pursuing a masters in mental health counseling, and accredited programs are scarce up here, but are, for some reason, in great abundance in Florida … But before I even think to research each school, I wanna find out if I’d even be able to stand living in some of these locations …

I’m a 25 year old female, Filipina, born and raised in North Jersey, less than half an hour away from NYC. A little bit of culture and diversity is a must for me. I’m used to towns w/ a little bit of so-called “ghetto”-ness, (New Brunswick, Elizabeth, Union) but I don’t want to fear for my life. I'd also obviously prefer a city/town with a good amount of people in their twenties ... Here are some of the locations I’m considering:

Miami, Miami Shores - Barry University, Florida International
Boca Raton – Florida Atlantic University
Orlando – University of Central Florida
Winter Park – Rollins College
Deland – Stetson U.
Ft. Meyers – Florida Gulf Coast University


Also, if anyone knows any useful information about these schools, feel free to share!

TIA!

[TD*]

I would say orlando would match ur description best.. The others dont have the diversity and other parameters you want except for miami.... which is miami.. a bit crowded and a bit over the top for most people.

[beachmouse]

Rollins and Winter Park tend to skew UMC white, and then just south of there you hit Orlando's good-sized Vietnamese community.

[annagurl333]

Well, Winter Park and Orlando are pretty much the same thing. You could live in either city and easily commute. Orlando would fit your qualifications nicely: cultured, diverse, a bit ghetto in parts (not all).
It's not impossible to find a job in Orlando, unlike some cities in Fl. There are lots of things to do, even after the stores have closed, as well as lots of college students around your age. The beach is about a 45 min drive away eastward (Cocoa beach), and there is definately a younger, hipper, "professional" college student vibe to many parts of the city.

It is, however, pretty crowded, with a lot of students with a "party 24/7" mentality. Try not to live right next to campus (UCF) if you want peace and quiet to study in your own home. Traffic is pretty awful, but if you come from anywhere near NYC I'm sure that your used to that. Try very hard to avoid having to take I-4 to get to class/work...its by far the worst road to travel on in Orlando.

I'm a student at UCF, a psych major; and find the teachers to be intelligent on their subject, as well as friendly, and easily accessible. UCF is a beautiful campus, an energetic atmosphere, and is fairly reasonably priced compared to other colleges in Florida.

However, the parking is horrid (there are literally 9 students with a parking decal for every 1 parking spot...it can take someone 15 - 30 min easily to find parking, and if you do go here, always try parking garage "A" first...).

Also, I'm not familiar with how good the "mental health counseling md." program specifically is at UCF.

[Shoegal1075]

Nano - I would stick between bocaand Miami - at 25 I would lean toward Miami - crowdedness will not be an issue as you already know what times square can be like on a daily basis - one persons idea of crowded will probably be completely different to you.

Doesn't mean it is not crowded because it can be but when I imagine crowded I imagine Chinatown.

I suggest Boca because of it's safety and cleanliness and if you have a car you are close enough to venture to Miami should you wish.

Orlando would be my last choice although it may have changed tremendously by now I did not like it at all. Good luck with your decision.

[Pete C]

Definitely not Boca. Why recommend Boca for a 25-year-old looking for diversity and culture and a lot of people in their 20s? Boca is too old. Miami or Orlando/Winter Park are your best bets if you want any sort of diversity, cool eclectic places, culture, and young people. Miami first, Orlando second. For a college student I would choose Orlando because everything here is less expensive than Miami. Orlando also has a huge college population. Miami has more culture if you are looking for the arts and things like that though.

[doggiebus]

OP - I would cross the last three places (Ft. Myers, Deland, and Winter Park) off your list after reading the little we know about you. I would focus my search on the top four schools on your list.