Hey guys, Im an international student who just got into Pitt. I want to major in neuroscience. I really like the school, but I don’t have any scholarships or aid so we would need to pay 56k a year (approximately). My parents would be able to pay it, but it would put strain on them. I also have the choice of committing to Wagner College with a full athletic scholarship. I need to make a decision and i don’t know what to do. Wagner is very small and I have not met a single person who knows it. What should I do?
I’m curious. How did you learn about it? What made you want to apply?
got an email from a wagner college coach. I kind of kept this school as a safety.
Do you want to continue to play & compete in your sport during college ?
Which sport ? Tennis ? Basketball ?
Wagner College is small, but competes in D-1 sports.
I know of Wagner, but I always associated it with theater and the arts programs. I would think Pitt would set you up better for you future.
I don’t want to play my sport at all, but I will if it is the more logical choice…
I have no familiarity with Wagner, but Pitt is known to be very good for neuroscience. It also has a great research hospital associated with it.
If you can afford it, I think the choice is clear.
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yeah, and I want to study at Pitt for sure. But I am trying to look at this from a more objective point of view 
Were you accepted to Pitt’s main campus or a branch campus? I see from one of your other threads that you applied in late March. Pitt main campus typically fills up by then.
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I got a letter saying “On behalf of the Admissions Committee, the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and the University of Pittsburgh, I am pleased…” So I assume its the main campus. nowhere in the letter was any other campus mentioned.
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Ok, great.
If it were an incremental difference in reputation, I’d be all for saving the money. And I hate to recommend that people overextend themselves financially. But Pitt is the much, much better choice, academically, for neuroscience… and you don’t even want to do your sport. So I would make Pitt happen if I could.
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Thank you! Im glad that my personal opinion on this is not that biased on the fact that I rll want to attend Pitt
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Pitt 100% for neuroscience. Spend the money
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One disclaimer: go for Pitt, so long as you aren’t thinking of the neuroscience major as a path to a US med school. This path is so inaccessible to international applicants that it would be very unwise to invest in an expensive undergrad education aimed at that goal.
If you’re aiming for an academic grad program (or med school in your home country, although for many countries that would be direct-entry in undergrad) and you can make Pitt work, definitely go for it, and congrats!
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It would be 4 hard years of devoting countless hours to your sport if you are no longer interested in it. And for a school that does not offer a stellar program like Pitt does.
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Are those your 2 choices (I thought you’d mentioned a full scholarship at Drake, too).
That being said, if your parents can afford Pitt without loans and without having to sell their home nor jeopardizing retirement, it’s clearly the best choice if you’re interested in research.
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The University of Pittsburgh is an outstanding school for your intended major.
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You also had Drake.
You are pre med if I recall.
So with a neuro degree you are:
-
Going home
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Going to more school
So can they afford even more after $200K+?
You are getting a great deal on Wagner.
There are many colleges less people know about. That doesn’t make them not good.
^ OP is not premed because they’re international, but interested in research and a PHD later. For a US resident premed Wagner is not a problem but for someone interested in research Wagner is not the right place (it’s 4-4&adjuncts/very low research, no summer R1 partnership…)
Am with you on the reasons for eliminating Drake and its scholarship, which would be a possible happy medium.
That being said, if OPs parents have savings and income sufficient to cover Pitt, it’s a superb choice, especially since they’re not interested in playing their sport D1.
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