There's an interesting older documentary about Pitt's campus area available on the PBS station's website.

https://www.wqed.org/history-documentaries-pittsburgh-history-series/

Scroll down to "Something About Oakland".

Anonymous wrote:Campuses could not be more different. I think it will be an easy decision once you visit both.

Agreed. My kid was also deciding between these two (and Wisconsin) and chose Pitt because the city living really appealed to her. They’re vastly different campuses and both good schools. I'm sure there will be a clear preference.

We have a senior at Pitt - they are not a business major, but many friends are, and all have jobs lined up (except one who is going straight to law school). It has been a great sports town (aside from Pitt football and basketball, soccer and volleyball are tops, and some of my students friends like baseball), and we usually attend a Pitt and Steelers game when visiting in the Fall. And the Pirates games are awesome. They have that new young pitcher everyone raves about, and the stadium is right on the water. While I've always found baseball games a little tedious, the new pitch clock, and the fabulous location, made going to Pirates games fun for me

Personally, I think it's the urban/rural divide that will make the difference for your student. After visiting both, one will just make sense to them

Anonymous wrote:they have the same male:female ratio

Degree seeking undergrads

VT
Men: 16,748; women: 12,775
https://aie.vt.edu/content/dam/aie_vt_edu/common-data-set/23-24/CDS_2023-2024.pdf

Pitt
Men: 8,438; women: 11,620
https://www.ir.pitt.edu/sites/default/files/assets/2023-2024%20Common%20Data%20Set%20Pgh%20Campus_10.pdf

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in DC but went to school at Virginia Tech. Yes true that the surrounding area is rural, but it is a true college town and does not feel rural at all unless you were in the environmental sciences program. I cannot imagine being bored at Virginia Tech! A million activities, clubs, intramurals, etc. I remember visiting busy “city” schools at that age and thinking gosh no way do I want that. It’s really a personal preference.

I can't imagine going to college 4 hours from an international airport.

Yes, not being able to easily fly off to Switzerland Every other month was quite a drawback. But actually, you might want to check your geography skills. Many international airports are under 4 hours away- eg Richmond, Raleigh and Charlotte.

Pitt honors

they have the same male:female ratio

Anonymous wrote:Campuses could not be more different. I think it will be an easy decision once you visit both.

+1. Your kid will have a preference. For me, no way would I go to VT OOS.

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in DC but went to school at Virginia Tech. Yes true that the surrounding area is rural, but it is a true college town and does not feel rural at all unless you were in the environmental sciences program. I cannot imagine being bored at Virginia Tech! A million activities, clubs, intramurals, etc. I remember visiting busy “city” schools at that age and thinking gosh no way do I want that. It’s really a personal preference.

I can't imagine going to college 4 hours from an international airport.

I grew up in DC but went to school at Virginia Tech. Yes true that the surrounding area is rural, but it is a true college town and does not feel rural at all unless you were in the environmental sciences program. I cannot imagine being bored at Virginia Tech! A million activities, clubs, intramurals, etc. I remember visiting busy “city” schools at that age and thinking gosh no way do I want that. It’s really a personal preference.

The one your kid prefers.

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!

Campuses could not be more different. I think it will be an easy decision once you visit both.

Visit both for admitted student days and let the kid decide. You’re overthinking this.

These are two top choices for DC, intended business major, OOS for both. Any thoughts? The below sound accurate? Other factors DC should consider?

Business program: Pitt's is ranked higher and DD was only accepted to second-choice major (still business) at VT. Nod to Pitt.

Cost: Received token merit from VT, none from Pitt. Pitt charges extra for business program. For COA it would be $61k Pitt, $55k VT. Nod to VT.

Setting: DC likes Pitt's urban campus but we haven't visited VT, yet. On the calendar.

Sports: Both are good but VT may have an edge for its football games.

School spirit: Similar to above. From those we know, people like Pitt but adore VT.

Housing: VT I believe only promises housing for the first year and at Pitt it's 3 years. Nod to Pitt.

Student body: Like that VT has a more even gender ratio. Like that Pitt has more racial/ethnic diversity. Tie.