How is Pitt? (Pittsburgh, York, Washington: how much, high school, universities)

[PAstudent]

Hey there, everyone! I'm a high school junior out east in Downingtown, PA. I'm trying to get a list of colleges together, and I was wondering if anyone here could tell me about Pitt. (i.e. what's the social scene like there, how respected is the school, how are the academics, what is Pittsburgh like, what are the job opportunities coming out of Pitt... I would appreciate anything you have to say about the school.) I'm interested in studying political science and economics. I'm also looking at Penn State, UConn, Villanova, Maryland, Syracuse, and Rutgers, so if anyone has any experience with any of those schools and can compare them to Pitt, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks alot!

[PApisces]

I graduated from Pitt in 1997, with a BA in Poli-sci and a minor in History. Pitt is very well respected and was ranked 31st in Political science in 1995.

As far as the social scene is concerned, Oakland is very much a college town. Pittsburgh is a wonderful city to live in, both academically and socially. As far as job opportunities following graduation, I don't know. I have not utilized my degree in Poli-sci.

I do know that 2 of their best best Prof's, William Keefe and Maurice Ogel have since retired though. For an affordable education, Pitt really can't be beaten.

[velcro21]

My wife got her PhD from Pitt last year and was hired for a full-time professorship this year. Her overall impression of the school is very good. She taught undergrad classes at many of the colleges in the area as an adjunct and found the Pitt students to be her best. (To be fair, she never taught at CMU which is a highly respected academic school).
Pitt is a good and well respected school and ranks highly in many disciplines.
Oakland is definitely a college town with Pitt, CMU, Carlow, and Chatham all grouped together.

[Katiana]

My Pitt education has served me well. That said, when I left the area, I found no one in Illinois or Colorado had ever heard of it! Well, not no one, but you get the drift. Not that I care, but I'd say it's a very regional college. 80 some % of the students are from PA. I think you should talk to your guidance counselor. He/she is the one most qualified to advise you, not the posters on City-Data, myself included.

[bboy36win]

I believe their school of pharmacy is well-respected. My older brother, as well as many of the pharmacists at my current employer, graduated from Pitt with Pharmacy degrees and spoke highly of it.

[zip95]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

My Pitt education has served me well. That said, when I left the area, I found no one in Illinois or Colorado had ever heard of it! Well, not no one, but you get the drift. Not that I care, but I'd say it's a very regional college. 80 some % of the students are from PA. I think you should talk to your guidance counselor. He/she is the one most qualified to advise you, not the posters on City-Data, myself included.

This point is often lost on Western Pennsylvania natives. Truthfully, the only nationally recognizable universities in this state are Penn State (because of Football), the University of Pennsylvania (because it's an Ivy) and to a lesser extent Pitt (since it's Division I).

As far as academics are concerned...In general...U Penn is best, followed by Penn State, followed by Pitt.

PS

Since the Big East has realigned I would expect Pitt's visibility to slowly decrease over the coming decades.

[Katiana]

Pitt is much higher academically in the health professions (than Penn State).

[PAstudent]

Geez, is Pitt really thought of that lowly? Would everyone choose Penn State over Pitt? And is it really that unknown? I mean, if I wanted a job in New York City or Washington, DC, how much of a difference would there be between a Pitt degree and a Penn State degree? Pitt and Penn State are by far my top two choices, and I know I can get into both main campuses, so I'm really trying to decide between those two. And like I said, I'm interested in studying political science, history, and economics, nothing health related. As far as being a regional college, I know PSU is also around 80% in-state, so that's pretty much a wash. Thanks again, I appreciate all the advice so far.


P.S. My guidance counselor really isn't any help. And I'm a message board junkie, I've gotten a bunch of good advice on various topics from message boards. I think people are more open and honest about things online, and you get the opinion of a wide variety of people.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by PAstudent

P.S. My guidance counselor really isn't any help. And I'm a message board junkie, I've gotten a bunch of good advice on various topics from message boards. I think people are more open and honest about things online, and you get the opinion of a wide variety of people.

Then look at some college guidebooks and boards. This is not the place to decide where to go to college. I don't know about DC or NYC, but I lived in Delaware and New York state as well and the answer to "I went to the U. of Pittsburgh" (no one would have known what 'Pitt' meant) was usually, "Oh". I did meet one person from Pitt here in Colorado (I am a nurse, he was a patient), and there is a Pitt club here. Anyone who goes to college in Pittsburgh from here goes to CMU. You can get the same type of education at the University of Colorado as you get at Pitt, there is simply no point in paying out of state tuition for it.

[zip95]

Originally Posted by PAstudent

Geez, is Pitt really thought of that lowly?

No, Pitt is absolutely not a lowly school. It's not like it's a state school or something.

Originally Posted by PAstudent

I mean, if I wanted a job in New York City or Washington, DC, how much of a difference would there be between a Pitt degree and a Penn State degree?

In western Pa, a degree from Pitt is comparable to a degree from Penn State. In New York Or DC, a Penn State degree is 2396 times more valuable...Although not as valuable as an NYU or Georgetown degree.

Originally Posted by PAstudent

PSU is also around 80% in-state, so that's pretty much a wash.

Percentages will give you a false picture. Look at the raw numbers. Remember that, state-wide, Penn State has close to 100,000 students (grad and undergrad)....that's close to 20,000 out of state students.

PS

Get on the internet in research this, in detail, yourself....it matters!!!