I live 12 mile north of Port Everglades and will not go anywhere near Fort Lauderdale beach during March. The traffic along A1A (the beach is on one side of the road and hotels, restaurants and bars are on the other) is horrific in large part due to the number of clueless jaywalkers trying to get to and from the beach. The first (and only) year we made the mistake of driving down there I couldn't believe that portions of the beach were standing room only in the mid-afternoon.
All that said, if you can swing the price of Lago Mar (right on the south end of the beach) or Pelican Grand (on the north end of the beach) you would have a wonderful beach vacation. They are too expensive for students and secluded from the spring break madness. Another alternative would be the Sonesta which is across the street from the beach at the north end. There aren't any surrounding hotels nearby so that part of the beach is less crowded.