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I got into both of these schools and I am having a really tough time deciding. I am a PA resident and both schools pretty much cost the same. I got into the business schools at both and I have visited both many times and I like both campuses a lot. I actually like Pitt more but PSU's business school is supposively better. Realistically I feel like those rankings in US News are not 100% accurate and its not going to make a difference which one I go to interms of getting a job. I do not like that almost anyone can goto PSU after 2 yrs. I also feel like Pitt has become a really good school and it seems like there are a good number of kids that are actually getting rejected from Pitt and getting into PSU-main. I would appreciate your opinions on either one of these schools from an academic point of view and I would like to hear anything else you have heard of each school. Thank you very much for your time!

By Peterline (Peterline) on Thursday, December 04, 2003 - 10:05 pm: Edit

well it sounds like you all ready made up your mind, sounds like you want to go to pitt. also applied to both, havnt heard back from either yet. In my opinion, i like the city of univeristy park more than pittsburgh. it just seems to me that pitts is so dark, dingy, and dirty. i have been on both campuses numerous times, so if all else fails, and it comes down to these two schools for me as well, im going to have no idea. i like pitts smaller class size and it has a bery good dental program, but on the other hand, i like how large psu is and i know people that go there and they love it. so, i honestly dont know either.

By Nycschoolss (Nycschoolss) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 02:18 am: Edit

GO TO CMU!

Same place as where PITT is, but the business program there is much better!

By Xyz155 (Xyz155) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 01:29 pm: Edit

Yeh cause CMU is real easy for me to just get into....thanks a lot for the advice. Does anyone have anything to say that is going to help me decide?thanks.

By Jamimom (Jamimom) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 02:05 pm: Edit

They are two completely different schools. As far as the undergraduate business programs, there is not that big of a difference in impact. The big question you should be asking yourself is whether you would prefer to be in the more bustling atmosphere of Oakland or out in the very Big 10 campus of University Park. Pitt barely has a campus, Penn State is all campus. Pitt students have exchange priviliges at CMU and other Pittsburgh colleges.
My son's close friend chose business at Penn State over CMU after analyising the cost/benefit tradeoffs for himself. Also figuring into the equation was that he really wanted to be on a big college campus and enjoying the college experience at "Happy Valley". He has no regrets and is a senior at this time. I used to live in Oakland and know many kids who love Pitt. The only thing about Pitt is that it has a large commuter population that does effect student life, especially if you do not live in the Pittsburgh area. Pittsburghers love Pitt and a large number of them commute there still living a goodly portion of their loves at home. There is abundant "student ghetto" type housing around the university but limited dorm space. It all depends on the type of day to day life you want to have as to which one is "better".
One thing that you mentioned that I do want to address is that though Penn State does accept all those who attain junior standing at satellite campuses, Pitt too has open enrollment policies of sorts with their college of general studies. You will see more non traditional students there and Pitt is generous in accepting Pa community college student as well. At Pitt your schedule could be a lot more non-traditional with evening classes because of this set up they have to accomodate working folk. I would guess Penn State is more traditional.

By Xyz155 (Xyz155) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 07:10 pm: Edit

I appreciate your comments very much. I do realize that Pitt has satellite branches but it is nowhere near the extent of PSU. Over 60% of the kids the graduate from PSU are from a satellite campus. It just annoys me that kids at my school that have a 2.9 and are getting into Penn State Abington could end up getting the same degree as me. I don't want to sound like a jerk in saying all of this but I worked hard in high school and I want the best for what I worked for. It just seems like Pitt is the "hot" school to go to this year in the Philly area because everyone is starting to feel like PSU is just an extension of high school and Pitt has a better academic environment. State College is a beautiful place but I love Pittsburgh as a city too. Anymore input would be greatly appreciated.Thanks.

By Jamimom (Jamimom) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 07:22 pm: Edit

Pitt is a great school. I know many, many kids who went/go there and they all loved it. Penn State the same. Don't know what the numbers are of the tranferees form the satellite campuses but I do know that a lot of those kids do not make to the Main campus. Again it is a question of preferences, and it looks like you have a good idea of what you want. If you are from Philly, Temple is another city school. I don't think the area around it is as vibrant as the Oakland section of Pittsburgh but it does have similarities. And a big bene about Pitt, as I mentioned, is that you are permitted to take courses at Duquesne, Robert Morris, CMU and other Pittsburgh schools. There are about a half dozen schools within minutes from Pitt. I loved Pittsburgh so I cannot argue with your preference.

By Jadesark (Jadesark) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 08:14 pm: Edit

If you don't mind me asking, xyz, which school in philly do you go to? At mine, almost everyone goes to PSU or Temple, but this year it seems like alot are looking at Pitt

By Xyz155 (Xyz155) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 08:28 pm: Edit

I goto Upper Dublin High School in fort washington, it's right next to horsham. Not many kids from my school go to Temple b/c they feel embarresed to go there eventho it is a good school. Yeh, last year only 6 kids went to Pitt and like 50 went to PSU and suddenly this yr every1 is going to Pitt. I don't know what happened. What school do you go to?

By Lvdad (Lvdad) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 08:54 pm: Edit

Jamimom, my D applied to both Pitt and Penn State as well. She was impressed with both, each for its own reasons, though she appears to lean towards Penn State. I think she has some chance for the main campus in University Park, though it appears to be getting more difficult each year. You mentioned in your post that your son's friend went there. Any feedback from him or others you know how they were able to deal with the size?

By Jamimom (Jamimom) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 10:13 pm: Edit

As I have mentioned before, I lived in Squirrel Hill several years ago. It is right near Oakland where Pitt and CMU are located. Many, many kids I knew went to Pitt or Penn State. At the time I lived there, most seemed to prefer Penn State, and the size did not seem to be an issue to them. The kids who went there loved it. Pitt was just too close to those who lived in Pittsburgh proper just as XYZ's classmates do not like to go to Temple. Pitt has all kinds of classes for everything and with buildings throughout Oakland and no real campus, those who live there feel like it is very much part of their lives, have taken extension courses there, no credit courses, used its facilities so many times that when it is time to go to college, Penn State seems like a refreshing change.
I've been to "Main Campus" as it is called, and it is beautiful. Large, yes, but it does not have the massive feel of Mich State or Ohio State, I think. It is everything you think of when you think of a flagship state school. I would rate it second in schools of its category for my personal preferences, with UVa coming in first. You get the 4 seasons in State College but it is not as frigid as UMich or Wisconsin or Cornell. Not as muggy and hot as the southern schools. The only issue with Penn State is that it is miles from any major city, out in the middle of no where. But being about 4and a half hours from NJ,NY and maybe 3 hours from Pittsburgh it is not impossibly far from the mid atlantic states. Most of the kids who get into the main campus are quite proud of this feat, and I feel that those who earn their way into the final two years deserve to go there. The satellite concept cuts out a lot of the slackers who don't have the staying power.
But as you noted, it is a big school and has a lot of the pitfalls of a large school. Pitt is really no smaller and getting the classes you want at Pitt can be a challege as well if you do not have the seniority. I remember kids at Pitt and their parents enraged at their schedules being split-could not take a lab course with the science course or could not take a two consecutive semester course in two consecutive semesters due to scheduling and overload. I'm sure some of that happens at PSU as well.
My neighbor here has a set of twins who graduated from Penn State. They had a wonderful experience there and cannot say enough about the school and they are out of staters to PA. One graduated from the business program and found jobs even in this climate and the other was a arts and science major now working on her masters and certification for teaching in this state. Both are bright young women with a zest for life , and they certainly do any college proud.
I am more of an LAC parent, myself but Penn State for the category school that it is ranks way up there.
Just another plug for some schools. I am hearing a lot of good thing about some South Carolina schools. College of Charleston and U of South Carolina are getting rave reviews from kids who have gone down there to check them out. I always liked C of C; and several of the kids in the past few years that I suggested the college to, ended up going there. Parents and kids seem to think the city, the college, the curriculum, the climate, the experience over all is fantastic and a great, great value. I visited the school several years ago when a friend of mine's husband took a postitin there and I loved the atmosphere of the school. I would put it right up there with James Madison as a bargain state school for out of staters, but it has the advantage and charms of the City of Charleston. Many kids in Pittsburgh who did not get into Penn State main campus and did not want to go to a satellite school would check out Ohio University in Athens, James Madison, and West Virginia University, and they seemed to be pleased with these school. U of South Carolina is all hearsay to me but I cannot ignore the favorable vibes I have been getting. In fact one came from a UNC Chapel Hill mom who upon doing a college tour told me her alma mater did not show well at all--she was going to write them a letter, and that U of South Carolina, particularly the honors college seemed much more impressive.
Good luck to your D, Lvdad. Main campus is tough to get into. Pitt is also a fine school but its drawbacks are those associated with being a city school without a real campus,a lot of nontraditional students , suitcase students and commuters. Penn State is a fulltime university community, but is more isolated and is a big school.

By Xyz155 (Xyz155) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 10:26 pm: Edit

Jamimom u have been very helpful w/ everything and I thank you for that. I am still trying to figure out why suddenly kids at my school are getting rejected from Pitt and getting into PSU-main. My one friend just got rejected from Pitt w/ a 1410 (800m,610v) and a 3.1 GPA. I'll never figure out how admissions works at these state schools....I'm going to make one more visit to PSU before I make up my mind for good.

By Jamimom (Jamimom) on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 11:05 pm: Edit

That does not sound right to me about Pitt. I've never known anyone rejected with those stats. I'm still in touch with a lot of people in Oakland and know a lot of kids at Pitt and most do not have those stats. I know that PSU would reject anyone if the seats fill up for that particular division--the application process for Penn State involves 3 numbers--SAT1,class rank and Date of application. If the seats run out in the engineering school by the date of you app, you are out of luck even with perfect scores. But Pitt tends to be more flexible. I've known kids who have gotten in late in the year, in fact even as late as the summer. So I am puzzled about your friend. Perhaps this year there has been a reversal between the 2 schools.
I really like Oakland and Pittsburgh. It's just right sized city for me and I miss it. With all those colleges within walking distance or a short shuttle ride--Pitt,next door is CMU and Carlowe, Chatham, Robert Morris, Duquesne, the Art Institute, that area of Pittsburgh is a true college town with lots of little restaraunts, shops, cultural offering, a large city park with pool and iceskating, really everything you could enjoy. It's a bit less expensive that the east coast citis such a Philly, coming from there you will find Pittsburgh much cozier.

By Nan817 (Nan817) on Saturday, December 06, 2003 - 06:57 pm: Edit

Jaminmom,

I thought GPA was 2/3 of the admission formula for PSU with SAT1 being the other 1/3. I have a 3.8 and a 1050 and I'm hoping that they weigh my GPA higher than my SAT1. Could you shed some more light on the PSU admission process? Thank you.

By Lvdad (Lvdad) on Sunday, December 07, 2003 - 01:56 am: Edit

Jamimom, thanks for the info and insight into Pitt and PSU. D did like the urban setting of Pitt. Not being familiar with the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, we stayed several nights and D liked the overall city scene, though we did wonder what percentage of students are commuters and suitcase students. The school also had some interesting international and area studies that D found very interesting. We did notice new housing construction during our visit, so I'm wondering if there is an effort ongoing to attract more residential students. Having said all of the above, D still seems to slightly prefer PSU, though getting into University Park is by no means a certainty. We also noticed that even though PSU is a huge school it did not feel as large as some other large state universities we visited.
Also, regarding your comment on some other school, James Madison was very interesting. I have yet to hear or read anything negative about it. It does seem to be getting to get harder to get admitted, though I'm not sure if this is because it is becoming more selctive or just more popular. I know for a fact that JMU has become a very popular destination for a lot of New Jersey students.

Anyway, thanks for all the help!

By Jamimom (Jamimom) on Sunday, December 07, 2003 - 10:07 am: Edit

Nan, I do not know PSU's formula. I know that the 3 "magic" numbers that get you in but I don't know how they are programmed. It is class rank, not gpa, they look at which was really problematic at some private schools. They do not rank. So they were assigning rank but were value ranking and issue was taken as to the validity of the numbers they were using. I don't know how it was resolved but it seems to me fewer kids from those schools have been going to Penn State these days. I can tell you that if you do not get in and reapply for the summer session, that you may get in that way. It's really a nice way to get some of the bigger classes or PE requirements out of the way. Our neighbor's son in Oakland, lived and breathed Penn State. He did not get in. I told him to go for the summer, he was accepted and now thinks everyone should go that route. He just took a freshman English course and tennis (as a PE requirement) and leisurely got to know the campus and stake out all of goodies so when the onslaught of freshmen and tranferees arrived in the fall, he had one leg up. Penn State has some wonderful summer programs and they were underused when I lived in Pa.

By Lvdad (Lvdad) on Sunday, December 07, 2003 - 10:52 am: Edit

When we visited PSU, the admissions representative indicated that their review was based on 2/3 GPA and 1/3 SAT. When we spoke further with them during that visit, and during a separate offsite presentation in New Jersey, they did indicate that opting to start during their summer program increases chances of being admitted to the University Park campus. I know that the application that D submitted to PSU had a box to check off indicating whether you would wish to be considered for the summer program.