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[quote=Anonymous]I'm a female Pitt alum (parent age).  I have some thoughts to share.  I have a generally good impression of VT from alums (especially engineering) but I haven't been to the campus.  So I won't make many explicit comparisons.

Biggest difference is re: urban/small town rural.  That is a big divider.  I spent my freshman year at PSU University Park and although it was a pretty campus, I found it kind of boring. My interests were more like a humanities professor's interests...Pitt and Pittsburgh had a lot more going on.  I never regretted transferring to a more urban campus.

Regarding the Pitt business program, the current Dean was a very well-liked marketing professor at Michigan when I got my MBA.  We had a lot of fantastic, very intellectual, and friendly administrators in the Michigan MBA program when I was there.  So I think that's a positive.

Regarding sports, I would think people would be excited that Pitt football plays in the pro stadium downtown?  That's new since I graduated.  Pitt basketball is also a sport that has a lot of campus fan engagement.  From my perspective, I only cared about the hanging out with friends part of games.  There should be plenty of that for sports fans.

Regarding gender balance...check the business program's stats if you can.  Subsets matter.  I guess this is re: dating?  There is another big university right up the street (CMU).  There are more than enough college students in the Oakland area.

Re: dorms, my family prefers the lower commitment and lower stress of living in dorms, regardless of price factors.  We don't like slumlords, utility bills, and summer property obligations.  My DH and I were both in dorms for 4 years.  We favored the Lothrop dorm.   I think the newer Honors dorm also sounds great if your kid would be eligible.

I'm going to summarize some of the things that I think Pitt does well:

-Commitment to Liberal Arts being at the core of the university.  (Non-engineering STEM is strengthened by this.)

-Great for pre-med, nursing, pharmacy, etc. because of the Oakland hospitals and clinics.

-Commitment to relevant study abroad opportunities for all students who desire them

-Developing graduates who write (books, poetry, journalism, etc.)

-Self-directed Honors program for kids who know their own passions and want to put extra time into studying those subjects

-City campus in the heart of a cultural district with easy bus or Uber to additional cool stuff

-Outstanding campus buildings such as the Cathedral of Learning and William Pitt Union.

-Chill Greek community.  There if you want it, easy to ignore if you don't.  Outside of Greek life, there are plenty of other socialization opportunities in Oakland.

Regarding practical matters, both choices would probably be equally good re: DMV employment, but each university is probably stronger at placing in its home state. I'd guess that MD people are more comfy with PA and NE outcomes while VA people look south.  But that's a highly personal matter to decide.  The VTers I know are engineers in the Midwest.

Regarding additional Pitt scholarships, late in the spring, there is an opportunity for admitted students to apply directly to small dedicated Pitt scholarships through alumni clubs and such.  I don't remember if the DC Pitt alumni club had one.  My son applied to Pitt last year, and when he declined (for Michigan), the AO did send an e-mail asking if there was anything else that would change his mind.  So I got the impression that maybe there could have been some wiggle room. If you want a merit match, try asking for it.  In my day, there were also small merit scholarships automatically awarded for getting top grades. Don't know if those still exist.  I think they were maybe $500 a term back in the day.

Your kid has two good choices. Either way, it will work out well!  Best wishes!
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