<p>Hi all, </p>
<p>At the moment, I’m waiting to hear back from the Health Administration programs at both the University of Central Florida and the University of Kentucky. </p>
<p>Both schools are accredited by the CAHME, the only healthcare management education accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and both programs were ranked #46 by U.S. News and World Report in 2011, which was the last time healthcare management programs were ranked by any noteworthy source. Normally, I don’t put too much stock in U.S. News and World Report rankings, but unfortunately, there’s hardly anything else to work with.</p>
<p>I’m more inclined to attend UCF if given the choice because I have family and friends in Florida, and I prefer warmer weather to colder weather. Also, I feel as though the healthcare industry in general is more robust in Florida than in Kentucky, although I could be wrong on this because, admittedly, I know very little about Kentucky. Furthermore, I’ve never visited UK–nor Kentucky, for that matter–so I don’t know if I’d like all that much. For what it’s worth, I grew up in the Northeast, am not all that religious, and rather socially progressive, so it doesn’t seem like Kentucky would be the best possible fit for me, especially for the long haul.</p>
<p>However, I completed my first two years of undergrad at Florida Atlantic University at Boca Raton and strongly disliked it because I felt as though it was too much of a commuter school. I also found it a difficult place to navigate socially because I was on a completely different wavelength–for lack of a better term–than most of the students there. I am an educated-oriented, career-driven individual. At FAU, I found most of my peers to be flying by the seat of their pants, so to speak, and not really all that interested in school or their future careers. When I transferred to the University of Arizona my junior year, I did come into my own, as I was finally around other students with similar interests and goals as me. Naturally, my last two years of undergrad proved to be much more social and, in turn, enjoyable than my first two years.</p>
<p>Although I’m leaning towards UCF, I’m afraid that I will have a similar experience there to one I had as an undergrad at FAU. I understand that UCF is a better school than FAU, but I’ve visited the campus of UCF, albeit five years ago, and found it to have a similar vibe to that of FAU’s main campus at Boca Raton–it seemed very much like a commuter school. There’s nothing wrong with attending a commuter school, but I don’t want to replicate a lousy experience. Being around locals and non-traditional students has its merits, but it’s harder to make friends and, in turn, navigate socially at commuter schools, although your mileage may vary.</p>
<p>On the other hand, the UK, consistent with the University of Arizona, is more of a “destination school,” if you will–kids come from all over the state, region, country, and world to matriculate there. If I had to guess, there are probably more students in UK’s program between the ages of 21-25 who are full-time traditional students, which describes me, so hopefully, easier to make friends and network. Also, UK is a higher-ranked, more reputable university overall than UCF, so even though the MHA programs are ranked the same by U.S. News, it may be more advantageous to attend UK over UCF simply for that reason alone. </p>
<p>What do you all think I should do if I’m admitted to both programs? Does anyone have any experience with either program/school or, perhaps, both? Is the healthcare industry stronger in Florida than Kentucky or vice versa? Is UK a better school overall than UCF? Should I go to graduate school where I want to eventually settle down, where there’s more employment possibilities, or to the better program? Please help! Your replies will be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance, </p>
<p>MarkFromBackEast</p>