<p>Hi all, I'm an 18 year old (almost 19 - eeep!) freshman at Oregon State University. I have a few painful health problems that are especially bad during the winter. We're not sure why but my pain is exponentially better in summer; my doctor thinks it could have something to do with my pituitary gland. I believe it also has to do with the warmth being relaxing towards my muscles. (as a result from the pain I get bad muscle cramps in my abdomen/pelvic/back that cause more pain). I need to take charge of my health and move some place warm to get more vitamin d, sunshine, and relaxed muscles. However, I am a homebody and love Oregon. I really like the seasons here and that I am close to mountains in the winter for skiing and have nice summers.</p>
<p>I'm currently an Animal Science major (pre-vet) and am looking for schools with some sort of animal biology/zoology/pre-vet major. My parents and I believe University of California Santa Barbara and University of Miami or the most appropriate choices for my major/interests.</p>
<p>My thoughts towards UCSB are: much closer to home than Florida, only 2 hours away from my best friend who goes to school in California, nice campus. It would be much warmer than here but not as warm as Florida, and I've heard it's known to be a party school and superficial.</p>
<p>Thoughts on UM: warm and humid - i.e. good for muscles and health, close to the ocean, as far from home as I can get on the continental US, sometimes rediculously hot, and I've heard that a lot of "spoiled" kids go there. I won't fault anyone for having money, but if that leads to a superficial attitude I won't be thrilled.</p>
<p>Both schools appeal to me, and both have draw backs, but I am having a very difficult time deciding. Any input or opinions on California vs. Florida as a choice for college would be great!</p>
<p>-Kalie</p>
<p>**have also looked into Barry University in Florida, just not to the same extent. It's a private catholic school, I am not catholic but it doesn't bother me. If anyone has infor/experience here that would also be great!</p>
<p>Sounds like health is a major issue. You definitely don’t want to be in lots of pain when you have mid-terms, finals, and papers too worry about in late fall/early winter. I’d take a good hard look at Miami, but look at past weather patterns to make sure. From experience, So. Cal can get chilly at times even though it is rare. I’d think that Miami stays on the humid and warm side more often than the dry desert of So. Cal though.</p>
<p>JWGou812: Health is the sole purpose fueling my transfer. Every fall I start out doing well, and then a few months in I drop off. This fall I started out with straight A’s but slipped because I had to miss over 2 weeks of class, and ended up with a 3.54 GPA. I do not have ADD or have any family history of it, but chronic pain causes similar symptoms. I have a very difficult time concentrating and completing work when I am not able to be relieved from my pain. Thank you for the information. </p>
<p>If you are considering Florida, it would be silly not to include U Florida in your search…its bio programs are ranked higher than U Miami and has the ~11th ranked Vet school in the US. It could also be cheaper. Just sayin’.</p>
<p>If you need warm weather all year, you can’t be assured of that in Gainesville. It can get quite cool, especially at night, in the winter. South Florida is your best bet for year round tropical weather in the contiguous U.S.</p>
<p>You may want to consider where you want to attend vet school and plan accordingly. The UCs feed into UC Davis, whereas Miami feeds into UF. I’m not sure what the requirements are for establishing state residency, but it can be important; it is virtually impossible to get into some vet schools as an out-of-state student.</p>
<p>I disagree with sentimentGX4; Miami and UCSB are academic peers.</p>
<p>Have you been paying attention to the weather in Florida this past year? There have been numerous hard freezes in central florida in Dec. and Jan… Here is the avg. climate over the coldest months for Gainesville:</p>
<p>MonthHighLow Jan 64°F 40°F Feb 68°F 44°F </p>
<p>Miami:</p>
<p>MonthHighLow Jan73°F 57°F Feb75°F 61°F </p>
<p>Way warmer lows on average in the winter for Miami as compared to Gainesville. Of course both places are ungodly hot and humid in the summer. :-)</p>
<p>Yeah I live here. Thanks for the statistics lesson…but most people would consider Gainesville a pretty warm place to live in the winter……just not as much so as Miami.</p>
<p>I think UC Davis would be a better choice for warm weather in CA, but UCSB might be warmer than Oregon. I’ve also heard that UC San Diego has warm weather even though it’s on the beach. In spite of its party reputation, the kids I’ve known who went there or who currently go there are not party kids so I think it has all types.</p>
<p>I think humidity versus dryer air will come down to personal preference. However, during the summer I’ve stayed with friends in MO and the humidity seemed nice for pain. I recall feeling warmer and looser, however I showered morning and night. But, I am also wondering if rediculous heat throughout the whole year would be…sapping?</p>
<p>I was not thrilled with UoF because it’s a huge school, about 40,000 are enrolled. I know UM and UCSB are still large at 15-20,000 but that’s similar to OSU and something I’m used too. I would prefer a smaller school. </p>
<p>As for vet school, I don’t plan on paying out of state tuition for any graduate school. So when it comes to that I’ll live and work in whichever state I end up deciding on for a year beforehand. </p>
<p>UCSD has the opposite of a party reputation. It has one of the most, if not the most, stale social scenes among the UCs. (Well, supposedly Merced is even more stale but it’s in the middle of nowhere.)</p>
<p>Also, I don’t understand why you would say Davis is warmer than UCSB ricegal. It’s far more north than UC Santa Barbara. Davis isn’t “warm” at all. I think you have your UCs very confused.</p>
<p>Of course if the OP is able to execute on the real objective of becoming a Vet while going to school in California or Florida, ultimately she will be targeting UC-Davis or U Florida regardless.</p>
But, I am also wondering if rediculous heat throughout the whole year would be…sapping?</p>