Anonymous wrote:Pitt accepted 15/16 applicants from my kid's FCPS high school last year. My kid liked the campus and the distance from home. I'm sure he'll really like the easy application. With a 3.7/4.0 and a 34 ACT, he might get some merit aid (if he doesn't, it's off the table). With merit, it would be a potential backup to VA Tech if he gets rejected there for his "low" GPA.

Our Pitt tour guide was a TJ grad and seemed to have a lot of classmates there for pre-med.

Pitt is particularly popular at TJ among future pre-meds because the Med School has a guaranteed admission program.

The acceptance rate from FCPS and MCPS seems to be substantially higher than from within PA itself. They presumably like out-of-state students paying higher tuition.

Also from Pittsburgh, OP, and the reason locals sometimes felt that way was because Pitt is local. My mom used to threaten us (joking) that if we didn't get our acts together we'd be going to "Pitt on the bus" -- meaning living at home too.

Pitt is a fantastic school. CMU is very expensive and for most people it is a 'reach' school.

Pitt accepted 15/16 applicants from my kid's FCPS high school last year. My kid liked the campus and the distance from home. I'm sure he'll really like the easy application. With a 3.7/4.0 and a 34 ACT, he might get some merit aid (if he doesn't, it's off the table). With merit, it would be a potential backup to VA Tech if he gets rejected there for his "low" GPA.

Our Pitt tour guide was a TJ grad and seemed to have a lot of classmates there for pre-med.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rolling admission, easy app, good merit scholarship, and stats driven process. That was our reasons. CMU is hard to get it and stingy with merit money. No safety.

This.

Reasonable distance from home.

State school which means DC TAG money.

City of Pittsburgh seems to love Pitt, and it is a nice city for DC who grew up in DC.

The Cathedral does take a little getting used to

Are you talking about the Cathedral of Learning? What about it is hard to get used to?

Very popular with our W HS in MD.
Per Naviance, 59 applied this year and 41 last year. Only 4 enrolled last year. Looks like a safety school for a lot of kids.

Carnegie Mellon's acceptance rate is less than 14%

Regardless of whether your kid is applying to an Ivy League school or not, its no one's safety.

"CMU isn't a back up."

CMU is a back up (maybe more of a match rather than a safety) for an Ivy candidate, especially if they are thinking Dietrich.

I think "stingy with merit aid" isn't quite right.

CMU ECE or CS are not backups FOR ANYONE.

So getting merit aid in those majors is almost impossible and those students are the ones most drawn to CMU from around here and the stories you hear.

Anonymous wrote:Rolling admission, easy app, good merit scholarship, and stats driven process. That was our reasons. CMU is hard to get it and stingy with merit money. No safety.

This.

Reasonable distance from home.

State school which means DC TAG money.

City of Pittsburgh seems to love Pitt, and it is a nice city for DC who grew up in DC.

The Cathedral does take a little getting used to

Rolling admission, easy app, good merit scholarship, and stats driven process. That was our reasons. CMU is hard to get it and stingy with merit money. No safety.

Based on my son’s school’s Naviance, about 10% of kids apply to Pitt. I think it is because of its rolling admission and simple app.

Apply early, if your stats are good you get an admit and alleviate some pressure.

CMU isn't a back up.

not the OP but my DD was deferred to regular admission by Pitt, she got accepted to Dusquesne with a scholarship.

Still hoping for Pitt and G-town to come through...

Where are you “seeing” this op? From your school counselling office, your college admissions office or just your armchair while on DCUM?

I grew up in PA, and nobody even knew Pitt outside of Pittsburgh, it was similar to GMU.

Since moving here a few years ago, it seems like the school that a lot of strong students choose as a back up. Is it the merit money? I like Pittsburgh, but I don't think the city is the draw. I also see relatively few super strong students applying to CMU, why?