When looking for CS rankings, this site might be helpful: computer science open rankings. It lets you select which areas within CS are of particular interest and then sorts accordingly. Of course, there are flaws in all sorts of rankings, but it could be a place to start.
Make sure you apply early to Pitt…like August. They have rolling admissions so you can get an acceptance early in the year which is a great source of security…and they’ll still have their full pot of merit money to try and woo you.
Some other schools that may want to consider include:
- U. at Buffalo (NY)
- U. of Maryland
- U. of Massachusetts
- Binghamton (NY)
- George Washington (D.C.)
- U. of Rochester (NY)
- Lehigh (PA )
- Case Western (OH)
- Rensselaer Polytechnic (NY)
- Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ)
- Johns Hopkins (MD)
- Cornell (NY)
- Princeton (NJ)
- Columbia (NY)
There’s an array of schools from other large publics (if you want to leave Pennsylvania, but you’ve got some awesome in-state options that will be hard to beat) to medium or medium-large privates. Some are VERY urban while others are more suburban and others not even that. Most offer merit aid, but the last ones only offer need-based aid (have your family run the Net Price Calculator at Princeton and another one to see what the schools consider your family’s Expected Financial Contribution to be…and whether you and your family agree that the EFC is affordable for your family. (For many families, it’s not.) Some schools are big into intercollegiate athletics, while others are much less-so. Some have an active Greek scene while others might not have any Greek life at all. So various options to see what interests you.