The there was of course nothing terrifying about the program, but Orlando leaves a lot to be desired as a place to live for three months. The first day I rolled my eyes when I learned one of the other students had brought her car with her. The second day I bummed a ride to the supermarket off her. Not having a car was a major problem. But even with a car there is simply nothing of consequence to drive to. Had I been a two year old I might have enjoyed Disney, but I'd feel like a priest in a porn shop. No all you can hope to do is enjoy the company of other students and professors and work. Maybe, I'm just spoiled by NYC but I became thoroughly depressed by the middle of my stay and my work suffered.
The experience was a huge influence when I was choosing graduate schools. I didn't even send an application to the University of Washington, I knew I could not be happy in Seattle. San Francisco seemed acceptable, as were New York and Philadelphia. In the end, the other schools didn't offer me enough added benefit to get me outta Gotham again.