Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If W&M is an option, so is UVA. I would think a kid who likes Pitt would like that more than W&M.

Also, IMO, if she definitely wants to do premed, she should go to the easier, not harder, school. GPA matters.

Anyway, she should go where she wants, not where you want, if the $ work out.

Not really, UVA is a much tougher admit nowadays than W&M, especially for males and those from NoVA.

Agreed on GPA mattering.

Is it really tougher for males? I thought almost every school (except MIT and other majority male schools) was harder for girls now, due to the imbalance in application numbers.

UVa admissions might be generally harder for girls than boys, but the differential between the sexes is even greater at W&M, and has been for thirty+ years.

Both of my kids had Pitt and WM in the top 3 at decision time. We (kids and DH and I) were pleasantly surprised by Pitt. We had initially looked only because of rolling admission— get an early yes and take some pressure off.


Kid 1 was looking a pre-PhD is a science field and came down to WM and Pitt in April. Kid 2 chose WM based largely on small intro science classes taught by full professors and not TAs. This kid has ADHD on the mild to moderate end of the spectrum, but it made huge intro chem, bio classes etc concerning.

Kid 2 was interested in a humanities field and went to the not Pitt or WM finalist, which was a SLAC with a specific program in their strongly held area of interest.

I looked more at science PhD outcomes than pre-med outcomes for Kid 1 and they were great for both schools— maybe better for WM, but it’s hard to tell because WM’s department is smaller. NOTE: this kid was from TJ. Pitt is TJ’s safety school and many years 200+ kids applied to Pitt and every single one was accepted. At the time, Pitt was the 3rd most attended college for TJ grads (UVA and WM were 1 and 2. VT was already on its DEI tear and was 4 or even 5).

I would be shocked if pre-med outcomes were very different in terms admission rates for med school/ quality of schools between WM and Pitt. Bunch of TJ pre-med were accepted to both and both were popular. I know Pitt has more hospitals in proximity. But both DC and her roommate (biochem double major, pre-med) were doing meaningful paid research with a prof by sophomore year. My DC stayed on campus to continue research summer after sophomore year. Her roommate had no problem doing something hospital based near her home (IDK exactly what).


It has always surprised me that Pitt and WM are attracting some of the same kids. But visiting Pitt it doesn’t feel huge. I would look at cost and mostly where your kid is most comfortable. Kids who love their college always go well.

Two side notes: my TJ kid got offered a merit award $10k a year) and honors college at Pitt. HC doesn’t actually have many benefits in terms of smaller classes, etc. It’s a nice recognition, but isn’t really a smaller school within a school, like many state HCs, so look at the benefits closely. We didn’t see enough benefit to HC for it to factor into our decision.

Also, my TJ kid who got 10k a year merit for class of 2020 and that was considered an award on the high end. By 2022, there were fewer awards among my kids friends and most were $5k a year. My kid got $0. Also, if your kid was admitted in early fall and hasn’t gotten a merit by now, they probably won’t.

Good luck! Congrats on fantastic options. There is no bad choice there. Just kid preference.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W&M is a terrible choice for premed.

Pitt's an excellent choice for premed.

Assertions without evidence are meaningless.

DP Posts like this are absurd. Google Pitt’s fantastic medical program if you want evidence. This isn’t a trial.

The question is about premed, not Pitt's medical school. Is there any evidence Pitt students are accepted to medical school at a higher rate?

So google that. Anyone who bothers to research this at all will learn it’s an excellent school for pre med and pre- dentistry.

I take that to mean you don't have any evidence.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W&M is a terrible choice for premed.

Pitt's an excellent choice for premed.

Assertions without evidence are meaningless.

DP Posts like this are absurd. Google Pitt’s fantastic medical program if you want evidence. This isn’t a trial.

The question is about premed, not Pitt's medical school. Is there any evidence Pitt students are accepted to medical school at a higher rate?

So google that. Anyone who bothers to research this at all will learn it’s an excellent school for pre med and pre- dentistry.

At the core, this isn't even a question about which school is "better" for pre-med. They are both fine schools with different attributes. But we could be talking about Harvard vs Yale and the part that would matter the most is that OP's child isn't at all interested in one of the options. I can't imagine forcing a child to apply and/or attend a school they don't want to go to, unless there were literally no other option financially and even then I would try to find some way to send them to a school they liked.

No need to debate which school has which feature. This strikes me as a parenting question more than a college question.

Anonymous wrote:My DS is premed at Pitt. He is in the honors program, and most of his friends are from the program and are either premed or engineering. He has done research for several semesters in a lab and has worked in one of the 5 hospitals on campus.

+1 Nice news.

DC is at Pitt and just met someone who transferred in from W & M! Transfer student said "W & M is too small" I just think they didn't like the vibe. It happens..

Anonymous wrote:My DS is premed at Pitt. He is in the honors program, and most of his friends are from the program and are either premed or engineering. He has done research for several semesters in a lab and has worked in one of the 5 hospitals on campus.

PP, do you mind sharing which high school your DS went to and whether he finds Pitt easy or challenging, particularly regarding maintaining a high GPA for medical school admission. Does he find the premed advisory at Pitt helpful? Thanks!!!

My DS is premed at Pitt. He is in the honors program, and most of his friends are from the program and are either premed or engineering. He has done research for several semesters in a lab and has worked in one of the 5 hospitals on campus.

If she likes Pitt and not W&M then let her deal with Pitt. At some point you’re going to have to stop helicoptering. This isn’t about you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W&M is a terrible choice for premed.

Pitt's an excellent choice for premed.

Assertions without evidence are meaningless.

DP Posts like this are absurd. Google Pitt’s fantastic medical program if you want evidence. This isn’t a trial.

The question is about premed, not Pitt's medical school. Is there any evidence Pitt students are accepted to medical school at a higher rate?

Anonymous wrote:We visited both schools. DD preferred Pitt and is admitted. I thought WM is nice too, probably because the test scores/GPA are higher which may suggest stronger peer group. DD is still waiting to hear about Honor college at Pitt. WM sent us texts and email encouraging DD to apply but DD does not like the campus or location (fake colonial town?!). Thoughts?

All day long PITT.

It is a fantastic school for premed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W&M is a terrible choice for premed.

Pitt's an excellent choice for premed.

Assertions without evidence are meaningless.

DP Posts like this are absurd. Google Pitt’s fantastic medical program if you want evidence. This isn’t a trial.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If W&M is an option, so is UVA. I would think a kid who likes Pitt would like that more than W&M.

Also, IMO, if she definitely wants to do premed, she should go to the easier, not harder, school. GPA matters.

Anyway, she should go where she wants, not where you want, if the $ work out.

Not really, UVA is a much tougher admit nowadays than W&M, especially for males and those from NoVA.

Agreed on GPA mattering.

Is it really tougher for males? I thought almost every school (except MIT and other majority male schools) was harder for girls now, due to the imbalance in application numbers.

Pitt is very strong in premed and the sciences, with lots of resources. Also, Pitt has so much buzz that it seems like it's going up and up every year. My bet is that buzz is well earned - every single kid I've ever met who went to Pitt loves Pitt. Your kid will likely be quite happy there.