<p>In general, on the Pitt threads, posters don’t try to talk people into going to Pitt. Students who are there (and in my case a parent with a child there) know what a great school it is. Many, many Pitt students chose it over much more prestigious and higher ranking schools, and those students are being challenged. Pitt also draws the kind of student who realizes that education is what you put into it and often those students are not blinded by the glare of rankings and branding. The schools you are considering have very different environments. You should look at them, apply to the ones you like, and attend the one where you are accepted and like the best.</p>