PP...I also hear the job market is rough for a lot of PhD faculty.

The most lucrative PhD's, based on quick Googling, seem to be in fields that SLACS aren't known for.

The only person who determines if a PhD is wanted is the student themselves.

I would phrase it as "Students who might want to get PhD's have a greater likelihood to matriculate at a SLAC" rather than an institution generates them.

I realize that a student can be moved to pursue a PhD by an excellent undergrad education. But it's more likely a compounded legacy effect and that the type of person who welcomes high contact academics will become a PhD.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9755046/#:~:text=Nearly%20a%20quarter%20(22.2%25),D.

"faculty are up to 25 times more likely to have a parent with a Ph.D. Moreover, this rate nearly doubles at prestigious universities and is stable across the past 50 years. Our results suggest that the professoriate is, and has remained, accessible disproportionately to the socioeconomically privileged, which is likely to deeply shape their scholarship and their reproduction."

Anonymous wrote:https://publichealth.pitt.edu/academics/bachelors-program

Clearly, U Pitt offers superior academic, internship, and social opportunities than does tiny, but wealthy, Grinnell College.

Also, the students at Grinnell tend to be far left liberals. Tolerance of opposing viewpoints and political leanings may be an issue for the non-woke.

Grinnell is an academic powerhouse and regularly included in the top ~10 schools for generating future PhDs. Pitt isn’t in the top 100.

https://www.swarthmore.edu/sites/default/files/assets/documents/institutional-effectiveness-research-assessment/Doct%20Rates%20Top%20100%20Tot%20Sci%20Rankings%20-Summary%20to%202022.pdf

FIRE ranks Pitt as “below average” in free speech and Grinnell as “slightly below average” (17 spots ahead of Pitt.)

https://www.thefire.org/sites/default/files/2024/09/2025%20College%20Free%20Speech%20Rankings%20Report%20FINAL.pdf

As everyone has already said, two completely different college experiences at opposite ends of the spectrum. If your son doesn't like its rural location or small size, then sounds like he made his decision. He absolutely can't go wrong with Pitt.

That being said...if he didn't mind Grinnell's rural location and small size, I would go against the grain and suggest he do Grinnell for undergrad but do Pitt for grad school in Public Health (provided he is truly interested in Public Health and still wants to go into that field after undergrad. It's a field where it's good to have a grad degree).

Iowa is cold and depressing during the winter months and Grinnell's location is rural and very remote.

I would pick Pitt based on location alone- especially access to medical community if that is inended major.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Peer group:
Grinnell: 1480, 51% submitting
Pittsburgh: 1360, 50% submitting

Grinnell's median and percent submitting are on par with schools like BC, UVA, W&M, BU, WFU, etc. while Pittsburgh's stats are closer to Virginia Tech's.

This stat is a little misleading, as are any when people want to hang their hat on the SAT score as a proxy for prestige, selectivity, worth, etc. That percentage of submitters is for both SAT and and ACT, so those median numbers don't mean quite as much. Also, the type of student who qualifies for Pitt's Honors College is absolutely in the same peer group as the students who matriculate at those other schools named above, their families just may not want to pay 80k+ for the privilege.

This comment is a little misleading, as are any when people want to hang their hat on meaningless technicalities. ACT scores are commensurate so those criticisms don't mean quite as much. Also, you have no proof that the "type of student" who qualifies for Pitt's Honors College are "absolutely the same" as those other schools named above.

Because lots of kids get into both and choose between them like OP's kid.

Anonymous wrote:Peer group:
Grinnell: 1480, 51% submitting
Pittsburgh: 1360, 50% submitting

Grinnell's median and percent submitting are on par with schools like BC, UVA, W&M, BU, WFU, etc. while Pittsburgh's stats are closer to Virginia Tech's.

That's just silly nitpicking.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Peer group:
Grinnell: 1480, 51% submitting
Pittsburgh: 1360, 50% submitting

Grinnell's median and percent submitting are on par with schools like BC, UVA, W&M, BU, WFU, etc. while Pittsburgh's stats are closer to Virginia Tech's.

This stat is a little misleading, as are any when people want to hang their hat on the SAT score as a proxy for prestige, selectivity, worth, etc. That percentage of submitters is for both SAT and and ACT, so those median numbers don't mean quite as much. Also, the type of student who qualifies for Pitt's Honors College is absolutely in the same peer group as the students who matriculate at those other schools named above, their families just may not want to pay 80k+ for the privilege.

This comment is a little misleading, as are any when people want to hang their hat on meaningless technicalities. ACT scores are commensurate so those criticisms don't mean quite as much. Also, you have no proof that the "type of student" who qualifies for Pitt's Honors College are "absolutely the same" as those other schools named above.

Well if we're basing it off of SAT scores/GPAs, which you seem enamored with, we do have some "proof" about the type of student who choses the Pitt Honors College relative to those other schools. Just say Pitt is worse because it's ranked lower on US News and get it over with.

https://www.frederickhonors.pitt.edu/admissions/first-year-admissions

Pitt isn’t actually ranked lower than Grinnell by US News. They’re so different that they’re on separate lists.

They’re both great schools, but completely different 4-year experiences. There is no right answer. Your kid should pick the experience he finds more exciting.

OP: Has your son been admitted to the Honors College at Pitt ? If so, why in the world would he elect to attend the SLAC over a National University which offers a much better curriculum for his desired major ?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Peer group:
Grinnell: 1480, 51% submitting
Pittsburgh: 1360, 50% submitting

Grinnell's median and percent submitting are on par with schools like BC, UVA, W&M, BU, WFU, etc. while Pittsburgh's stats are closer to Virginia Tech's.

This stat is a little misleading, as are any when people want to hang their hat on the SAT score as a proxy for prestige, selectivity, worth, etc. That percentage of submitters is for both SAT and and ACT, so those median numbers don't mean quite as much. Also, the type of student who qualifies for Pitt's Honors College is absolutely in the same peer group as the students who matriculate at those other schools named above, their families just may not want to pay 80k+ for the privilege.

This comment is a little misleading, as are any when people want to hang their hat on meaningless technicalities. ACT scores are commensurate so those criticisms don't mean quite as much. Also, you have no proof that the "type of student" who qualifies for Pitt's Honors College are "absolutely the same" as those other schools named above.

Well if we're basing it off of SAT scores/GPAs, which you seem enamored with, we do have some "proof" about the type of student who choses the Pitt Honors College relative to those other schools. Just say Pitt is worse because it's ranked lower on US News and get it over with.

https://www.frederickhonors.pitt.edu/admissions/first-year-admissions

https://publichealth.pitt.edu/academics/bachelors-program

Clearly, U Pitt offers superior academic, internship, and social opportunities than does tiny, but wealthy, Grinnell College.

Also, the students at Grinnell tend to be far left liberals. Tolerance of opposing viewpoints and political leanings may be an issue for the non-woke.

Anonymous wrote:My son graduated from Grinnell a few years ago. He loved the school, but he was looking for the feel of a SLAC. However, know that Grinnell lacks the school spirit of a big state school like Pitt. Your son is looking at two very different schools - opposite ends of the spectrum. If he does not like the small size of Grinnell now, it will be claustrophobic for him after a year or two. My son did say that by the end of his senior year he was ready to go.

Rural, cold weather, isolated LACs are tough environments for many--probably young and old.

Not trying to knock Grinnell College, but it has had a lot of bad publicity regarding alcohol & drug abuse among its student body which was made public by a professor at Grinnell on his blog (has since been removed).

OP: For the subjects that your son wants to study, the far superior should be clear. Have your son/daughter examine the course offerings at his intended major at each school.

Never heard of Grinnell.

Pitt is not in the Forbes t100 (LACs and Universities ranked together). Grinnell is.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Peer group:
Grinnell: 1480, 51% submitting
Pittsburgh: 1360, 50% submitting

Grinnell's median and percent submitting are on par with schools like BC, UVA, W&M, BU, WFU, etc. while Pittsburgh's stats are closer to Virginia Tech's.

This stat is a little misleading, as are any when people want to hang their hat on the SAT score as a proxy for prestige, selectivity, worth, etc. That percentage of submitters is for both SAT and and ACT, so those median numbers don't mean quite as much. Also, the type of student who qualifies for Pitt's Honors College is absolutely in the same peer group as the students who matriculate at those other schools named above, their families just may not want to pay 80k+ for the privilege.

This comment is a little misleading, as are any when people want to hang their hat on meaningless technicalities. ACT scores are commensurate so those criticisms don't mean quite as much. Also, you have no proof that the "type of student" who qualifies for Pitt's Honors College are "absolutely the same" as those other schools named above.