Miami is the second largest city in the state of Florida with a population of 379,724. The Tequesta Indians, whose empire covered most of Southern Florida for about 10,000 years, originally inhabited Miami. In the early 1500's, Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon tried to establish a settlement in the area, but was unsuccessful, as he and his men could not defend themselves against the natives. In 1566, Pedro Menendez de Avilés established friendly relations with the Tequesta and by 1567, Spanish settlers had built a mission at the mouth of the Miami River. While the origin of the city's name is unknown, some say it originates from the Native American word for "sweet water". Miami was incorporated as a city on July 28, 1896.

Miami is located between the Florida Everglades and Biscayne Bay and has a humid, subtropical climate. Miami experiences two primary seasons, the wet season and the dry season, each approximately six months in length. The wet season falls during spring and summer months, which is also hurricane season. Having several beaches and temperatures that rarely fall below 70° F, the climate is perfect for year-round, outdoor activities including snorkeling, swimming, fishing, surfing, water-skiing, and beach volleyball.

Known as “The Magic City”, Miami's diverse, cultural atmosphere and numerous attractions offer residents and visitors much to do. Foreign cuisine can be enjoyed at some of the finer dining establishments like Café Tabac, featuring a French Mediterranean menu, and The Opium Garden, serving an upscale Asian menu, with numerous, other casual restaurants and cafes featuring varied menus to satisfy the appetite. After dark, Miami's nightlife starts to hum, and nightclubs including the Surface Lounge and Club Deep can be enjoyed for music and dancing. Area attractions such as the Miami Metro Zoo and the Miami Seaquarium offer family-oriented fun for everyone. Sports fans aren't left behind either. Miami is home to 4 major sports teams including the NFL's Miami Dolphins, the NHL's Florida Panthers, the NBA's Miami Heat, and MLB's Florida Marlins.

Miami's close proximity to Latin America makes it the home of Latin American operations for major corporations including Sony, Alienware, Cisco, American Airlines, Disney, Microsoft, Exxon, Oracle, FedEx, and SBC Communications. Many other large companies including DHL, Ryder, Burger King, and Norwegian Cruise Lines have home bases in or around Miami as well. The city also plays a role as a large industrial hub, particularly for warehousing and stone quarrying. However, one of Miami's largest industries is tourism as the beaches in the Miami area attract tourists from all over the world. With a tourism industry so large, it's no surprise that Miami International Airport is one of the busiest international airports worldwide, catering to approximately 35 million passengers each year.

Private Universities/Colleges

• University of Miami
• Nova Southeastern University
• Barry University
• Florida Memorial University
• Saint Thomas University

Public Universities/Colleges

• Miami-Dade Community College
• Florida International University

Technical/Professional Schools

• University of Phoenix
• Miami International University of Art & Design
• ITT Technical Institute: Miami
• Florida Career College
• Florida College of Natural Health

Selecting a school and program can sometimes be confusing for a student. Students will find a wide variety of programs to choose from within the educational institutions of the Dallas. Some programs offered are as follows:

Accounting, Computer Information Systems, Nursing, Criminology, Philosophy, Economics, Photograpy/Digital Imaging, Electrical Engineering, Health Science Business Administration, Advertising, Aerospace Engineering, Motion Picture Production, Chemistry, Music, Civil Engineering, Music Business & Entertainment Industry Management, Industrial Engineering, Anthropology, Journalism, Architectural Engineering, Marine Geology, Art History, Marine Science, Audio Engineering, Marketing, Biochemistry, Mathematics, Biology, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Media Management, Broadcast Journalism, Meteorology, Business Management, Computer Engineering, Neurobiology, Physical Therapy, Elementary Education, Physics, English, Political Science, Environmental Engineering, Psychology, Finance, Sociology, Geological Science, Spanish, Graphic Design & Multimedia, and Systems Analysis.

With so many programs available, how can a student choose? Above all, a student should look at their interests and strengths. There are tools available that can help students adequately determine these strengths. “Students here are encouraged to take assessment tests,” says Ali Rodriguez, Associate Director of Career Development at The University of Miami's Toppel Career Center. “These tests take one's interests into consideration. As well, they look at personality traits and personal values.”

“A student may think they know what they want to do, but that can change over time,” Rodriguez states. That is why it's emphasized that students be very introspective of themselves in picking a program of study. “Later on, do an internship to help you figure out if you're on the career path,” she adds.

In addition, students may want to research the industries in and around the city where they will be attending, if they're interested in living there. “Accounting is a really hot career right now,” says Rodriguez. “Technical fields and different areas of engineering are very popular as well. Our biggest major here is biology.”

“The two biggest business sectors in Miami are international commerce and tourism,” says Jaap Donath, Vice President of research and strategic planning for The Beacon Council Economic Development Corporation of Miami. But that's not all that Miami has to offer. “We're very diverse. Internet technology, telecommunications, biomedical, and aviation are huge,” he comments.

Donath states that these businesses drive the expansion of other industries as well. “Construction has grown rapidly over the past five years. That expansion is fueled by the other industries need for space.” As a result, the economy has flourished and Miami has become a city rich with employment opportunities. “We used to have a high unemployment rate in the early 1990's,” Donath adds, “but we've created a lot of jobs and that rate has significantly dropped.

Private Universities

• University of Miami - $ 29,020 full time

Public Universities

• Florida International University - $3,062 full time resident; $15,4622 full time non-resident

Technical/Professional

• Miami International University of Art & Design - $40,000 (based on a two-year Associate of Applied Arts Degree)

The examples given are basic tuition fees and do not include other fees such as lab fees, housing fees, book fees, meal plans fees, and various other fees that schools may apply. It is suggested that students investigate these supplementary costs too.

Also available to students are grants. Grants are given based on financial need and do not need to be repaid. While some grants come from government, others may come directly from the educational institution. In addition to grants are state and Federal loans. These need to be repaid, beginning six months after the conclusion of a students studies. Some examples of loans are the Federal Stafford loan, the Federal Plus loan, and the Perkins loan. Yearly, approximately 10 million students submit applications for loans and grants. About 9 million students will receive these awards.

Lastly, scholarships are available to students. These do not need repaid. Some are national scholarships available to all students. Other scholarships are limited to certain people only, based on geography, gender, race, disability, field of study, financial need, and GPA along with several other miscellaneous criteria.

For students in Miami, some available scholarships include:

• Miami-Dade County Fair Scholarships - $2,000 for high school seniors that will be attending college
• Miami Heat Scholarships - Academic Scholarship: $2,500 for high school seniors; Jack Ramsay Scholarship: $2,500 for broadcast journalism students
• AGI Minority Geoscience Undergraduate Scholarship - Up to $3,000 for minority students studying geoscience
• Target Community Scholarships - $1,000 to $25,000 for high school seniors and college students age 24 or younger
• Arby's Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Scholarship - $10,000 for students that have participated in a Big Brothers Big Sisters program
• Avis Rent A Car Scholarship - $2,000 for students that have already gained experience in the travel industry
• Tylenol Scholarships - $250,000 in scholarships to be awarded to healthcare students
• Leonard M. Perryman Communications Scholarship - $2,500 for students majoring in Journalism or Communications
• Scripps Howard Foundation Scholarship Programs - Up to $10,000 for journalism students
• Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund - Up to $2200 semester for African American students
• American Chemical Society Scholarships - $15,000 for students of African-American, Hispanic/Latino, or American Indian origin, with high academic achievement in chemistry or science

While most internships are unpaid, there are some that do pay. Some internships offer college credit as well. Taking place in many different environments such as government, non-profit, and corporate business sectors, internships aid in giving the student an edge that one needs to be competitive and successful in today's job market.

An excellent example of an internship opportunity in Miami is the APA Accredited Psychology Internship Program that is offered by the Human Services Department of the Miami-Dade County government. This particular internship is full-time and paid. Over the one-year course of the internship, the intern will earn around $16,000.

There are more than career fairs available however. The schools work with the employment community to make sure that students are receiving proper training. As well, employers utilize school resources in an effort to make job opportunities available to student.

“We do a lot of office visits with employers. We try to ensure that students are getting the right training. We look at employers training programs, their operations, their interviewing techniques… to prepare our students,” Rodriguez continues. “In addition to that, we have a database that has internships and jobs that employers take advantage of to make opportunities available. On campus recruiting takes place too.”