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Well, I got my financial aid package from UF today. Not only will they allow me to take out more loans if I need them but they are also offering me 3,000 my first year in Graduate Grants as opposed to the 1,000 FSU is offering me. Not to mention the 3,000 difference in scholarships the first year. Decisions been made- can't argue with numbers. Thanks for all your help guys!

I am just surprised that everyone says I will have better professional opprotunities in Gainesville. I thought being by the capital would offer some support to the FSU argument in that regard, no?

I wish I was getting different responses then what I am getting... but I know that they are right. I want to go to FSU. I got my letter of acceptance from there first and I was stupid and started making all sorts of plans for moving up there and getting an apartment with him and got us both really excited for it. Unfortunately, he is finishing his 2nd year in law school. My program is at least two years. At most we'd have a year together... unless he stayed in Tallahassee to work after he graduated. Right now he has no idea what he wants to do upon graduation. He even said to me the other day, "who knows... I might get a job in Gainesville" wouldn't that be ironic if I moved there for him? I don't want this to be an emotional decision but the emotions behind it are so unbelievably strong it seems impossible to supress them. I keep saying, "why does ranking even matter", etc...I keep trying to give myself reasons to go to FSU. I feel like choosing UF is dooming our relationship. Grad school/law school/internships/clerkships/2 and a half hour drive... how will we be able to keep that up? Especially if I am broke and need a part time job. I was hoping for someone on here to be like, "I've heard great things about FSU. You'll be set no matter where you go." That didn't happen. I've tried to give him the chance to say, "I am serious about you. I want to make this work. Please move by me." He hasn't done that out of respect for me and my decision making. He said that a relationship will be hard to continue if I pick UF but that he will try but that the relationship will be hard no matter what once he graduates. That this will be a crucial year for us. I think that in and of itself should tell me that me and him are not on the same page for how serious this is. Thank you for putting it in a format that made it easy for me to see that.

I did file for FAFSA. My awards package is showing up already for FSU which is showing me being able to take out 10,500 in loans for each semester plus 500 in grants each semester. UF's package is not showing up yet... I do not know when it will. Finally, I applied for a scholarship at FSU on March 29th- I don't even know if I will hear from that scholarship by the time I need to make the decision.

I'm so confused on what to do I do not even know where to start. I’ve been talking to family and friends about which school to go to and it is simply not helping. They are all so biased all it is doing is making things worse. Making a pros and cons list is also just making me more confused. Here is my situation: I got into both schools I applied to for my program starting in the Fall of 2013. I am going to go for my masters in Mental Health Counseling. I applied at the University of Florida (the university I went to for my undergrad) and Florida State University. Florida State was originally going to be my "back up". Florida State is in Tallahassee which is about 2 and a half hour away from where I currently live. However, my boyfriend lives in Tallahassee and is about to finish up his second year of law school there. During the whole application process I kept promising myself that I would not let my boyfriend influence my decision. Though, I am going to be totally transparent here- he is a HUGE factor in where I will decide to go. I would save almost $40 every other weekend in gas visiting him. I would save money living with him. I would be able to get a job on the weekend without sacrificing my relationship. Though moving to Tallahassee will mean I am moving farther away from my mother. My father just passed away in February and I am concerned for her wellbeing. I already live 2 and a half hour away and moving to Tallahassee will increase the distance to 4 hours. Though I visit my mother about once a month (though it has been more often lately due to circumstances) and my boyfriend and I try to visit each other almost every weekend (taking turns for driving). If I cut out that driving I do not feel as through the 4 hours drive would seem that bad. Here is the thing: University of Florida has the #8 Counselor Education program in the country. I don't think Florida State is even ranked. Though they are both accredited. Upon graduating the program you have to get licensed- after you are getting licensed- why would it matter which school you went to? Finally, the University of Florida has offered me $3,000 in scholarships for my first year. Florida State has offered me nothing. There is a catch with that as well... Florida State is about $1,000 per 24 credit hours cheaper than University of Florida and it is a 72 credit program. 72/24=3..... 3,000 dollars cheaper total which is the exact price of the scholarship. Not to mention the money I would save living with my boyfriend. Though if my boyfriend and I broke up... I'd be farther away from my Mom, at a worse school, that I would have turned down scholarships to go to. Epic fail. I had to tell University of Florida my decision on 3/21/2013. I told them yes since I was 100% unprepared to make a decision. I need to tell Florida State my decision on April 15th. I have not told them anything yet. If I change my mind I am prepared to revoke my decision to UF and here is why.... The faculty at UF has been terrible to me so far. Let me explain: when I first started the application process I was broke. I had to wait to a dangerous time to send in my GRE scores because I simply could not afford it earlier than that. I called the admissions department 3 times, left 2 voicemails, and wrote 2 emails trying to find out if my scores came in by the deadline. I heard nothing even though the admission websites specifically says to contact your department to make sure your application material has been received. Finally, a week after the deadline I got ahold of them and found out my GRE scores indeed came in on time- talk about stress! Next, they scheduled and interview for me. At first they told me I would be attending the morning interview starting at 8:30a.m. I took the day off work and prepared. A few days before the interview I got an email with the itinerary telling me that I will be attending the afternoon session starting at 12:30. Good thing I had taken the whole day off work! I wish it ended there but it doesn’t because a few weeks later I got an email regarding the scholarships that I had applied for. This email was informing me that I did not receive any scholarships but it was not addressed to me! It was addressed to a “Lauren Parker” and my name is Leah Parker but underneath the name they had my address listed. A few hours later I got a “correction email” telling me to disregard the previous email and that I had indeed received $3,000 of scholarships. This email had the correct name but the wrong address! When I responded to the email asking for clarification it took almost a week to get a response. THEN I checked the CACREP website where you can see if the program is accredited and when I looked up UF it said that their accreditation was expired. Here is the link that shows that information: http://www.cacrep.org/detail/directory.cfm?program_id=84 Naturally I emailed the program asking them about their accreditation. I even included the same link I just posted in the message I sent them. I was polite and ensured them that I believed that they were accredited but just wanted to clarify that this information was out of date. In response I got an abrupt email from the head of the program saying, “I do not know where you got your information from” (even though I included the link) and sent me another link with updated information. He did not even sign the email. Then the program barely gave me any time to decide and when I did send an email stating that I would attend the program I got no response. I am still not sure if that email I sent was even received. Finally, EVERY email I have received from the program has had some horrible misspelling and grammatical error. Example: “Dear applicant: Attached is an official letter of acceptance — please let Ms. Bruner if you are accepting this invitation at soon as possibe — Comgratulations.” This whole process of admissions at UF has come off as very unprofessional. Though, can you really judge a program by this? I don’t know if this is foreshadowing for what is to come. In contrast my experience has been seamless at Florida State University. My heart tells me to go to Florida State. My logic says University of Florida- with some serious reservations due to the admission process. I just need to talk to someone totally unbiased. I need someone to either say, “it won’t matter which school you pick- ranking doesn’t matter” or for someone to say, “ARE YOU CRAZY? GO TO THE HIGHER RANKED SCHOOL!!!” But no one wants to give me advice one way or another. I have told my whole story and just need a 3rd party to tell me what they think.